It was a bright morning, the kind that usually filled little Lala with excitement. She rushed outside as always, eager to greet her favorite guava tree—the one she had grown up playing under. Its branches stretched wide, full of shade and sweet-smelling leaves. Lala loved climbing it, hiding behind its trunk, and collecting its tiny green fruits to share with her friends. That tree wasn’t just part of her yard—it was part of her heart.
But that morning, something felt different. Dad stood near the tree, holding a saw. A pile of fallen branches already lay nearby. “Dad! What are you doing?” Lala cried, running to him.
Dad sighed heavily. “Lala, the tree is old. Its roots are damaging the wall, and it could fall during a storm. I have to cut it down before someone gets hurt.”
Lala’s eyes filled with tears. “But it’s my tree! You can’t take it away!” she shouted, her little voice trembling with anger. She stood in front of the trunk, hugging it tightly as if her arms could protect it. But Dad gently lifted her aside, his face sad but firm. The sound of the saw filled the air—each pull echoing through Lala’s heart like thunder.
When the tree finally fell, Lala ran to her room, crying into her pillow. The garden looked empty now, like it had lost its soul. Later that evening, Dad quietly knocked on her door. “Lala,” he said softly, “I know you’re upset. I loved that tree too.” He held out a small pot with a tiny guava sapling. “Let’s plant a new one together. It’ll grow strong—just like your old friend.”
Lala wiped her tears and looked at the little plant. Slowly, a smile returned to her face. The next day, they planted it side by side. As the sapling stood proudly in the soil, Lala whispered, “Grow big and beautiful, okay?”
Though her old tree was gone, Lala learned something special that day—love doesn’t end when something changes; it simply begins again in a new way.
