Once upon a time, there lived a Maple tree in a beautiful northern city.
How it came to be there, it could no longer remember. People usually say about such things that where you're born, that's where you're useful.
The Maple stood with its branches spread wide open like an embrace, observing life around it. Sometimes sparrows sheltered in its crown from rain and wind, and sometimes schoolchildren returning home would stop to chat near it.
Couples in love enjoyed daydreaming in its shade during summer.
And so the Maple lived. Whether much time or little time passed, an elderly grey-haired man came to live in a house nearby. The Maple often saw him. The old man had sad eyes and a kind heart.
One day the old man stopped by the Maple. The Maple rustled its leaves:
Old man, I've known you for a long time. You are alone and I am alone. Let us grieve together.
Why grieve? Let us rejoice in each day. Look at how many wonders surround us!
And indeed. The Maple began to notice how the Sun shone with a special brightness, with love. People came beneath the tree's branches, sharing kind intentions and sincere feelings.
One golden autumn day, a little girl, a first-grader, approached the Maple. With delight, she gathered its multicoloured leaves into a beautiful bouquet, stroked it with love, and ran away.
"Grandfather, look! These are my friends! They're real and beautiful!" the girl cried to the old man right from the doorway. Before the old man, the leaves unfurled like a fan of unprecedented beauty.
"A good Maple. So much goodness comes from it," thought the old man.
The next day the Maple was cut down. And an emptiness formed in the old man's soul. The sparrows no longer chirped so brightly, and the sun stopped warming.
Winter arrived, cold and frosty, with New Year's fireworks.
The old man lived through it with an open heart and quiet sadness.
Winter passed, and rosy spring replaced it.
The May sun gently warmed life all around. Warmth awakened everywhere.
One day the old man's granddaughter ran through the open doors: "Grandfather, little branches with leaves have appeared on the maple stump. A miracle! A real miracle!"
The old man laughed, and the world answered him with a kind laugh. Once again came the time to rejoice in each day.
