Parents like Mikki’s who worry about him spending too much time online are right. I was already hooked, especially after getting all those comments. I logged onto YouTube the moment I woke up. That’s when Mikki messaged me too.
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Alberta, have you seen the comments under the hub tree video? Call me! |
I scanned through the messages.
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Polly Outdoors 4 hours ago |
| Another cracking video. Keep it up guys! | |
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NatureBoy 5 hours ago |
I have to say that these aren’t just videos, they are pieces of art. I hope you guys never stop. Love and Respect.  |
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TheodoreGoldFilms 5 hours ago |
| Inspiring, inTree-ging and awesome work guys. | |
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A-non-e-mous 7 hours ago |
| Can you guys seriously get any dumber? See those white stakes in the ground? Means those pines have been listed for removal. That whole pine forest is getting cut down you dweebs! | |
Next time you visit your big old hub tree … think CHAINSAWS!!! Sayonara Memory Tree!!  |
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| See Ya, Wouldn’t Wanna Be Ya!!! Ha ha ha …!!!! |
My heart started pounding and I felt cold all over. I called Mikki straight away.
‘Who is this A-non-e-mous creep?’ I clicked on the name.
‘I already checked,’ said Mikki. ‘He’s no one. Nothing. Just some empty profile with a bunch of deleted videos.’
I clicked on the hub tree video and played it with the sound off.
‘There are white stakes in the ground!’ I cried.
There they were, clear as the morning – squat wooden stakes, some only just visible above the pine needle floor. My stomach sank. ‘How could we have missed them?’ I whispered.
‘I did notice them actually,’ said Mikki. ‘But I didn’t know what they meant.’
‘Could it be true? Or might this A-non-e-mous just be some sad troll with nothing better to do?’
‘I did some research,’ said Mikki. ‘The wooden stakes are called survey markers and yes, they could mean that some kind of agenda is in place.’
None of it made any sense. Why would anyone want to chop down a forest of perfectly healthy trees?
I imagined the Memory Tree towering over the pine forest, so grand and majestic, deeply rooted into the earth. And Mikki’s shrine with its offerings and the spirit of his grandfather. Mikki had told me pine trees were special to his grandfather because they were unchanging, evergreen. They were also seen as symbols of resilience and longevity and could ward off bad luck and evil spirits. But it sure felt like the pine’s luck had run out that day. For all a tree’s cleverness in defending itself from insect invasions or adapting to times of fire or drought, it had absolutely no defence against some cold-hearted redneck with a chainsaw slicing its life away, easy as butter. I could hear Mikki tapping away on his keyboard on the other end of the phone. I felt physically sick as I stared blankly at my screen. And then a new comment appeared.
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AbiFilms just now |
| Hey guys. You should definitely check with your local council. If any trees are coming down in a national park, they’re the ones who’d know. Good luck! Such a beautiful pine grove and the Memory Tree has such a presence. |
‘Mikki, can you reply?’ I asked. ‘Takes me ages to type with one hand.’
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Mikki and Me and the Memory Tree just now |
| AbiFilms thanks so much! We will definitely get to the bottom of it. There is just NO WAY we’re going to let anything happen to those trees. We will save the Memory Tree no matter what! | |
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A-non-e-mous just now |
| Ha Ha! Can’t wait to watch you try! Capital L for LOSERS! |
‘Mikki? Are you still there?’
‘Yes … sorry. I’m looking at the Kingfisher Shire Council website. There’s a field where you can put through an enquiry to the Natural Resources Officer.’
‘Are you going to?’ I asked.
‘I did,’ Mikki said. ‘I guess we just wait for him to reply.’
‘Mikki, I do know Mayor Pizzey.’
‘Even better!’ exclaimed Mikki. ‘Let’s give him a call!’
‘Maybe I can get my dad to talk to him?’ I suggested. This whole thing felt kind of … parental.
‘It’s just a phone call, Alberta,’ he said. ‘Anyway, you should come over … I’m dying to go check on the pines.’