Microstory 1531: Trees

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I’ve always hated trees, but here I am, ________ through the ________, because my girlfriend wants me to get into better ________. Of course, she’s far too ________ to come with me, so I’m just doing it ________, which is ________ ridiculous. But I ________ her, so I’m doing it. Plus, I know that if I don’t, she will know it. She’ll pick up on my level of ________ when I get back, or my ________ rate, or something. I wouldn’t be able to ________ skip it and lie. She’s hyperobservant, bordering on the super____, so I’m not a hundred percent sure she’s even ________. Anyway, I keep ________, and the ____er I make it into the ________, the calmer I begin to ________. The noises of the ________ fade, and I find myself ________, which is how I always liked it before I met ________. Maybe ________ aren’t so bad after all. Maybe I’m just a ________ grump. Wouldn’t that be just ________? Finally, I come ________ this one tree that I can’t ________ past. I stare at it, then when I feel I’ve seen enough of it, I ________ a bit, and try to step ________, but it won’t ________ me. No, it doesn’t have some kind of magic____ hold on me, but I ________ look away. It’s not a particularly ________ tree. Sure, it’s different than all the ________ around ________, but if I were in a grove of this ________ of tree, it wouldn’t ________ out. I memorize every square ________ of this ________ as I’m staring, which means I could ________ when it transformed. I notice a dark ________ on the ________ that was definitely not there before, as if someone had ________ some ________ on it. It begins to ________ darker, but I can only see it out of the ________ of my eye. This ____al tree is forcing me to look at it at different ________, so I can’t watch whatever it’s ________ directly. The spot ________ full black, and spreads down towards the ________. Just when I ________ I may be able to ________ my eyes, the dark spot opens up like a ________ zipper, and a figure steps ________ of it. It’s my new ________. She tells me she’s a dryad, and that I’ve just ________ the first steps towards becoming like her. If she had ________ me this yesterday, I would have ________ to stifle nervous laughter, and then made my way ________ of there as ________ as ________. But after the walk I’ve just had, I feel like a ________ new ________, and being part tree ________ doesn’t sound like such a ________ idea anymore.