An Old Oak-tree Secret. Chapret 5. The obvious unbelievable

An Old Oak-tree Secret

Chapret 5

The obvious unbelievable

Sometimes we dream such vivid images that it is not immediately clear whether

they are real or not. Outwardly, it looked as if Rostik was calmly

resting in his bed. But in reality, in his dream, his mood was far from

carefree. He dreamed of meeting a familiar

 gnome

Rostik, Mila, and Rada were playing peacefully under an oak tree, drawing plans for their

tree house on the ground, and did not notice when the Gnome appeared nearby. Only he did not look very friendly...

Or rather, at first they saw a huge shadow falling on the

tree trunk, which made it seem even more frightening. It was good that Rostik

remembered the saying "fear has big eyes" and simply turned around to see

who was behind them, so as not to be afraid of something unknown and not to

be lost in guesswork. Behind them stood a gnome. Rostik was about to smile at

his new acquaintance and extend his hand in greeting (he and his dad always

greeted each other this way, in a manly fashion), but the angry look on the little man's face

literally froze him in his tracks. The same thing happened to the girls.

The gnome looked at the children even more angrily and said:

"Don't even think about building a tree house. I know how these things go: you

build a house for fun, hammering nails right into a living tree, and

then you get carried away with a new idea, and the tree continues to suffer and

hurt, and may even die. I will not allow you to build

A HOUSE!

Rostik was the first to come to his senses. He stepped forward decisively and said:

"We really want to build our tree house, but we weren't going to hurt

the tree! Really!"

The gnome looked intently at the boy, then narrowed his eyes a little,

tilted his head as if examining Rostik from all sides, and took a

deep breath.

“All right, I believe you,” he nodded. "Just promise me that you will be careful with the oak tree.

Don't hammer nails directly into its bark, and don't break its branches.

You can build your treehouse in such a way that the tree will not be harmed, but, on the contrary,

will be happy to have you playing on it."

“We promise!” the children exclaimed in unison.

The gnome stroked his beard contentedly and added:

"Then tomorrow morning you will learn a few tricks on how to fasten

boards without harming the oak tree. And today, rest.

He winked at the children, coughed into his fist, and... disappeared, as if he had dissolved

into thin air...

Rostik opened his eyes, looked out the window, where a thin crescent moon was shining,

and realized that it was all just a dream. The boy smiled at his

thoughts and fell back asleep.

In the morning, Rostik's dad had breakfast, took his tools out to the oak tree, and called

the kids.

“Well, builders,” he smiled, "let's get down to the most important part:

we're going to assemble the platform!"

The children cheered happily. Rostik thought for a moment, remembering his dream.

“Dad,” he said seriously, "can we not hammer nails

directly into the tree? We're afraid it will hurt the oak tree."

Dad raised his eyebrow in surprise, but then nodded approvingly:

"Well done, what do you think about that! I was just about to show you

some special fasteners. We'll make sturdy supports on thick beams, and

the oak tree won't be damaged.

The work began in earnest. Dad sawed and drilled, checking the blueprint. The children

handed him parts and held the boards they had recently decorated as a team.

They felt like a real construction crew.

The day was productive. Rostik's mom and Aunt Sveta even brought them lunch

to their work site.

“Look,” said Rada as they ate lunch, "the platform seems to be

floating in the air!"

“And then there will be walls, a roof, and a window!” added Mila dreamily.

“I can already imagine how great it will be to spend time there,” continued

Rostik, fantasizing.

Dad showed them how to climb a tree correctly and safely:

always hold on with both hands, don't jump on the branches, and don't push each other.

The kids listened carefully because they understood that rules are

really important.

By evening, part of the work was done—the platform was firmly supported by

props, and the children, tired but happy, sat on it with their legs dangling.

The walls and roof were also completed. From above, there was an amazing

view of the entire neighborhood: vegetable gardens, rooftops, and the distant forest...

And suddenly it seemed to them that something flashed in the foliage nearby. A familiar beard flashed between the branches.

“It's the Gnome!” whispered Mila.

But when they looked closely, there was no one there.

Only a quiet rustle

and the smell of fresh sawdust reminded them that the oak tree now held a little

secret.

“It seems we won't just have a little house,” said Rostik. "We'll have a house with a

real history and a magical guardian."

And all three of them laughed together.