The world of trees

Man Z was walking straight down the path when a stone struck him.

"What are you doing, Man Z?" asked a tiny fairy sitting in a tree.

"I'm going to the wizard's cottage," he replied.

"Tell him the weather is so beautiful today that he should come out of his hiding place and breathe the fresh air for a while. "

"Very well, I'll tell him," said Man Z, and walked on.

The sky was unusually beautiful then. "

Hello, Man Z," said the Wizard.

"Hello, Wizard. I have good news and bad news for you," said Man Z.

"I listen with delight," replied the Wizard .

"They say the world will end tomorrow," he said.

"Yes," replied the Wizard.

"Then you're not worried about the fate of Yungebil?" asked Man Z.

"Why should I be worried?" asked the Wizard. "Is there something I don't know?

" "No, but I thought you would do something to stop this terrible moment that is about to come," said Man Z.

"What is the bad news?" asked the Wizard.

"There won't be any potatoes tomorrow," said Man Z.

"What? Why?" the Wizard asked, surprised.

"The merchants won't come because they're afraid a black hole will catch up with them and devour them all," said Man Z. The

Wizard pondered for a moment.

"Okay, tell the fortune teller that when she talks about a beautiful day again, she should think about it," said the Wizard.

"Why?" asked Man Z.

"Because it might be the last day she sees," said the Wizard, and dismissed Man Z. He left and headed back to Moulike.

Passing a tree, he told the fortune teller,

"Be careful with the days, because they might not be so beautiful again."

The fortune teller smiled and flew away.

Man Z headed west to his Moulike.

He looked up at the sky and saw a dark cloud approaching. Inside, it was full of lightning and ominous sounds. He quickened his pace. He wanted to be home. He avoided the black cloud. The sky was blue again.

The sorceress flew high above the clouds. She had a beautiful view. Below, the sea, atop the clouds. On the horizon, she could already see her homeland. In the very center of the city, a red and white chimney clearly marked her presence. There she flew, and there she intended to deliver the news.

When she arrived, everyone was waiting in the market square. The old farmer and the captain were already there.

"So? Tell me," said the old farmer. "Will the world end or not?"

The sorceress stopped on one of the highest roofs and said,

"Yes, the sorceress said it's true.

" "Good heavens!" cried the older women.

"What will it be?" cried the others.

"And what does he say to that?" asked the old innkeeper. "Doesn't he intend to do anything about it?

" "Not as far as I know," said the fortune teller.

"That's terrible," shouted one of the old women.

"Did he say anything else?" asked the old innkeeper.

"No, that's all," said the fortune teller. "Oh, and he also said that we should make the most of every day we have left," said the fortune teller.

"That's it," shouted the old innkeeper, and went to the old inn.

The wizard leaned over his pot. The tar-black bottom contrasted with the multicolored center. It looked like vegetable soup. An unenriched soup of a thousand colors. The wizard opened his book. He pulled out a recipe:

500 grams of garlic

, 20 red peppercorns

, 3 grades of beeswax...

He added the remaining ingredients and mixed everything together. After a few minutes, he placed everything on a large tray and placed it in the oven. When it grew hot, he took out the dried potion and dropped it into a pot of heated wax. He glued everything together and formed twenty small balls. He placed one on a ceramic pyramid and lit it. The smoke, which had initially been very black, slowly turned transparently gray. The flame grew larger and larger. After a while, the fire extinguished, and gray smoke began to escape from the ball. First, it filled the entire room, then escaped through the windows and began to fill the surrounding area.

The wizard left the room and looked at the sky. It was getting bluer and bluer.

Man Z was already reaching his city. It was less than two kilometers from the wizard, yet it felt like he had been walking for ages. Two guards guarded the city gates. They knew him, so they let him in without question.

He entered and immediately went to the basement dungeon, whose name didn't reflect reality at all. It was rather the opposite.

"What news do you have?"

"The world will end tomorrow," said Man Z. "

So it's true," said the man.

"Yes, it's true. The wizard hasn't denied anything," said Man Z. "And he doesn't want to prevent anything," he added.

The merchant walked along his well-known path. His cart carried all sorts of goods, from milk to meat. He walked, hunched and tired. The wizard's house appeared before his eyes. He stood in front of his house and looked at the sky. The merchant stopped. He wouldn't get him any food today or tomorrow. He turned and went towards Moulike—his penultimate destination.

The wizard flew after the old farmer. When he entered, she flew right behind him.

"The wizard is sure," the old farmer shouted.

"What do you mean?" asked the young man sitting across from his companion.

"It will happen tomorrow," said the old farmer.

"But that's impossible," shouted one of the men.

"Unfortunately, it's true," said the sorceress.

"Who are you?" asked the man.

"She brought this news," said the old farmer.

The man looked at her.

"What are your plans?" he asked the old farmer.

"I want to save the world. We can't let this wonderful day end tomorrow.

" "How do you plan to do that?" asked the short man.

"We must go to the Wizard. Only he can help us," said the Sorceress.

"It's true. Only thanks to him can we succeed.

" "Then let's do it," said the short man. He stood up.

"We have no time to waste," he shouted.

The three ran to the market square, where the rest of the people were waiting. They told them what they planned, and then went toward the Wizard.

The Wizard was in top form. He had everything he cared about under control. Tomorrow was the day. He belonged to him, and no one could stop him. No one could stand in his way. He no longer had to fear anything.

Somewhere in a distant space-time, a white Bard lived. He wore a white hood and was very tall. He wanted to go to his beloved nephew, who lived near Moulike. He hadn't seen him in a long time, and now he wanted to finally see him. He had a gift for him—an old woolen hat and a trinket called a Polif. It was a small staff. From the outside, it looked indistinguishable from ordinary staffs. But it was different. It possessed a power that even the greatest magician could envy. Besides, she had another advantage: she could speak. And she did so remarkably often.

"Are you carrying me to your nephew?" she asked as the white Bard pulled it from the sack.

"Yes, I intend to," he announced, pushing the staff back inside. He didn't like it being in his way, and lately, it had been doing so remarkably often.

She had the advantage over the other girls that she could speak five languages, and to her, any stranger was an enemy. As the saying goes, "the enemy of my friend is my enemy."

Dusk was approaching, and Man Z still hadn't seen his friend. He searched everywhere. He was in the inn, near the long bridge, and in the square near the fountain. He was so close, yet so far away. Finally, he succeeded. He found him. Where he least expected it. He was at the local school. Near the black tree and the old well. He was there, waiting for him. He was sure he would come. That was their agreement, after all. They hadn't agreed on the location.

It was muggy. The sky was growing darker, and the clouds were now faint specks. The merchant was almost to Moulike when a day elf and a gnome stopped him.

"Where are you going, merchant?" the gnome asked.

"How do you know I'm a merchant?" he asked.

The gnome looked at the day elf and then said,

"Because you're carrying the entire market behind you."

The merchant turned and saw his goods.

"I'm going to Moulike," he said.

"And why are you going there?" the day elf asked.

"I'm going to deliver some goods to a certain man," he said.

The gnome looked at the merchant in surprise.

"Then we won't bother you and will get out of your way, but we need to ask you one more question," the day elf said.

"Yes?" the merchant said.

"Since when does a new day begin?" the gnome asked.

The merchant thought for a moment and then said,

"Starting tomorrow," the merchant said, and walked toward the Great Gate, where two guards stood.

In farewell to the strangers, he simply shouted,

"Don't waste a moment. Tomorrow may be your last," he said, and crossed the border into Moulike.

The tree stood exactly where it had been before. It stood motionless. Only occasionally did it sense certain impulses from the world, which seemed to be somewhat disturbing. Today, the tree had received a dozen such signals. It was sad. It stood in the middle of an empty field, and all it saw was the roof of the wizard's house, the chimney of the town to which the sorceress had flown, and the horizon of the rooftops of Moulike. Perhaps it could do something after all, it thought. In its own way, it carried a certain message to a hollow carved precisely 20 centimeters below its center. There sat an old acquaintance who would deliver the message to the right place.

The titmouse took off just as it received the message. It was fast, flying at excessive speed in some places. It had dark eyes and a yellow tail. It flew over mountains and seas. It was only a few minutes from its destination when a stork flying alongside it caught it.

"Where are you going?" asked the stork.

"I'm going to Groomlike," replied the titmouse.

"I'm going there too,"

said the stork. "Do you know when the next day will be as beautiful as today?" asked the titmouse.

"Probably tomorrow," replied the stork.

"Today is probably the most beautiful and worst day of my life," said the titmouse. "And now goodbye, I'm going to the old mayor," she said, and dived down to Groomlike's town.

"See you later," said the stork, also choosing the direction of Groomlike.

They stood in the middle of the street, near the well.

"I hope you know what I'm talking about," said the man's friend Z.

"I'm as sure of that as I am that the sorceress talked to me about the weather this morning," said Human Z.

"Hmm.

" "Hmm? That's a bit too much," said Human Z.

"I want to go to the Mid-Magician," said Human Z's friend.

"Okay, let's go immediately. We might not find him at this hour... that easily," said Human Z.

The tree stood in the middle of the road. To its right, it could see the Irrid Forest. It knew several trees there. It was much older than the oldest tree in the Irrid Forest, yet it didn't know what to do. It was trapped. It wanted to break free somehow, but it couldn't. The only chance had flown away moments ago, and that sustained it.

The day elf thought for a moment.

"Let's go to the Tree," he said to the gnome.

"Okay," he replied. "I hope you know what you're doing."

They found themselves in the Irrid Forest. They could only think of one place where they could find the Mid-Magician.

"Do you think the well next to which we have a chance of finding the average magician will still be as polite as usual?" his friend asked Man Z.

"I hope so," Man Z replied

. The cloud was already high up. She could see everyone and everyone. It was rising above the lake, beyond which lay a city with a large chimney. The cloud, standing directly over the lake, encountered death. It knew it hadn't come for her.

"Who have you come for?" the black cloud asked.

"I came for someone, but not for you," Death replied.

The cloud had no idea whose time had come. The lady in the white cloak and with the enormous scythe flew right past the cloud and continued flying. Before flying away, however, she brushed the cloud's left side. The frightened cloud shot a bolt of lightning, stunning twelve fish swimming in the pond.

Man Z and his friend found who they were looking for. The average magician stood next to the well.

"You're lucky you met me," he said. "I was just about to go for a walk in the forest." Tomorrow at this time... he thought, and settled comfortably next to his cat.

The medium mage said.

Human Z looked at his friend.

"We have important news for you," said Human Z's friend .

"Yes? What's the matter?" asked the medium mage.

"Tomorrow isn't supposed to come, that is, it's supposed to come, but at an unknown time, it's supposed to disappear," said Human Z's friend.

The medium mage looked surprised.

"You're saying the world is going to end tomorrow? That's bizarre," he said.

"Yes, but it's true," said Human Z.

"The world is going to end tomorrow, and the only thing we could do was come to you for help," said Human Z's friend.

The wizard entered his house. He went to a small room at the end of his hut. He bent over a black bag and after a moment pulled something out. He went to the window, near which sat an old cat, and fell into a deep thought.

A black cloud was over the city. It was flying in the indicated direction. It found her. A little fairy was sitting on the lowest step of one of the huts.

"Do you know what's going on?" the cloud asked.

"Yes," the little fairy replied.

"Are you thinking the same thing as me?" the cloud asked

. The little fairy nodded.

"Let's go," the cloud said.

"I saw death," the little fairy said suddenly.

"Yes, I saw it too. It flew past me when I was flying to you.

" "Do you know who it was flying to?" the little fairy asked.

"No, I haven't the slightest idea," the cloud replied.

They set off toward the well. The little fairy walked beneath the cloud and thought she knew who Death might have gone to.

The road was straight. As usual at this time of day, it was raining on this stretch. Death was inconsolable. He didn't want to be wet. He didn't like working in such conditions. He flew past and thought he had to start taking an interest in clouds. This was the second one he'd encountered today, and it didn't make her feel any better. On the contrary, she wished it didn't happen so often. She flew to the designated spot. She knocked on the door of the wizard's house. The wizard hadn't come out. Just as she'd expected. She peered through the window. He was asleep in his armchair. In his right hand, he held a long staff. His white cat slept on his left shoulder.

The white bard was walking on his way. He was inconsolable. His sadness bordered on despair. He thought about what would happen. He hoped his nephew would do what he was supposed to. He hoped so.

Man Z and his friend wanted to go back in time. The news they'd learned from their teacher had given them much food for thought. It had completely changed their perspective on the matter. There was both good and bad news. As for the bad guys, they didn't have that much trouble with them. The good guys were an unsolvable puzzle. It was getting dark. They had to make the right decision. Decide what they were going to do. If they didn't make the right decision, they'd be in serious trouble. But only until tomorrow, thought Man Z.

In the world of the Tree, unexplained things often happen. Things have often been done that no one has ever done before. Illogical things happen all too often. There's a widespread belief that among some of the branches that carry the entire world, certain birds lie who will be responsible for the end of this world. This isn't their only task. They are also tasked with ensuring that humans and other creatures on Earth end up either in the branches or in the roots. Those who end up in the roots face a cruel fate, and nothing can improve their situation. Well, there is one way, but in the history of the World of the Tree, it's only happened once—sorry, twice. Once, when the White Bard was accidentally thrown into the Irrid Forest by death, from where he later ended up, as I said, mistakenly, in the roots. He was then transported through a tree hollow until he reached the branches, and from there back to the world of the living. The second was much more disturbing. It happened when the man Z took one step too far and fell into the enormous well in Moulike. I'll tell the circumstances another time. The fact was, however, that death had come for him as quickly as only it can.

This was the second time the roots had received an evil man.

Man Z later followed the same path as the white bard, with the single exception that he was forbidden for life from appearing in the roots of the Tree. This was his most vulnerable point, since death could now only take him to the branches of the Tree.

The world of the Tree was only two hundred years old, but a great many things had happened since its creation. The old alchemist Max, who inhabited the six-month-long sections of the Irrid forest, was engaged in discoveries and inventions. He was known throughout the world, and few did not believe his prophecies concerning tomorrow.

Among them was Man Z, who was skeptical, to say the least. He was convinced that Max was acting in good faith, yet he still didn't believe him. Even if his prophecies had come true ninety-nine percent of the time, he still wouldn't have believed him. After falling into the well, he developed a prejudice against all beings in the Irrid Forest. Max had several main reasons for doing what he did. First, he enjoyed it, and second, he was to fulfill a prophecy that would come true in exactly seven years. Then he would find out whether he was acting for the branch or the root. Perhaps that's why Man Z was so attracted to him. He believed that whether one serves the branch or the root should be known at the very beginning, not at the end of one's journey. Otherwise, it would be meaningless.

The Tree World was currently undergoing a major transformation. Several important changes were taking place in its structure, and only Death knew what was yet to come on such a small patch of land. One thing was certain: the hollow, which had served as a kind of purgatory for years, had not seen so many willing visitors in years. Perhaps it could accommodate a few more lost souls, but that was all. It, too, had a role to play in the history of the Tree World. For a long time, a prophecy had circulated that a certain soul would find its way into the hollow, one that would have a profound

one that would have a profound impact on the fate of the Tree World. It was unknown when this would happen, but it was certain that it would happen immediately after the roots left their current location, and the Tree World would take on an entirely new place in the universe. Perhaps it would happen soon, perhaps not. Death knew.

The three were at the very end of their journey. They had already seen the Wizard's house. They stopped at a point where two paths converged. They saw Death prowling around the Wizard's house. She looked as if she were pondering something. They didn't know if he had summoned her or if she had come at the behest of someone else entirely. The fact was, Death wouldn't leave here empty-handed. They decided not to wait any longer. They burst into the Wizard's yard. The Wizard knocked on the door. No one answered.

"He's sleeping," Death said. "He's lying with his cat and staff. You shouldn't go in now.

" "We don't have time for nonsense," the Wizard said. "I might be gone by this time tomorrow. "

Death looked astonished.

"I'll break down the door," the old innkeeper said, and threw himself against the old oak gate.

"I wouldn't advise you to do that," Death said, but it was too late. The door opened, and all three of them found themselves inside the Wizard's house.

Death waited outside. The Wizard rose to his feet. He wasn't the least bit surprised. Just a little sleepy. That was all. His cat didn't even raise an eyelid. All four of them found themselves in the center of the room. Death watched from afar. She was certain she wouldn't leave empty-handed.

The wizard, seeing all three, uttered a spell:

"Omen Mort Taden Omen," he said, and struck the ground with his staff.

The wizard didn't have time to escape. Suddenly, four roots covered in ground-up leaves sprouted from beneath her feet. They began to entangle her legs. She couldn't move. One of her companions struck the ground with his staff and said:

"Atari Ameno Aris."

Suddenly, two chairs standing near the window took on human shapes. The wizard's cat fell from one of them. He only grunted, but when he saw the situation, he began to seriously consider how to leave the place.

The chairs attacked the Wizard. They were slow, giving them little chance. The Wizard, seeing what was happening, transformed his staff into a massive double-edged sword and sliced the legs of the chairs before they could move. Death watched the entire spectacle from her seat, a faint smile creeping across her face. She thought she already knew who she would take from this place. She also knew that certain people were eager to welcome another soul into their doors.

The merchant passed through the gate without much trouble. He had to tell the two guards why he was there, and that was it. He hoped to handle the rest simply and without any major hassle. He went to the first shop he came across and bought the necessary goods. He bought garlic, ginger, and a few spices found only in the world of the Tree. He paid for everything and said goodbye to the owner. As he left, he simply asked him if he knew where the nearest white pub was. He showed him the way. The merchant went there too. He went straight to the bartender and bought a summer brew – it was the only drink he could afford, and the only one available in unlimited quantities in the tree world. It was practically as popular as beer in our round world. He drank it and went on his last visit of the day. The Irrid Forest has many visitors today. This one, however, was going there for a completely different purpose than the others.

The longest day in the Tree World falls on March 7th – precisely when the sun warms the tree's crown the longest. Another holiday also takes place on that day: the Baked Apple Festival. This is when all the inhabitants of all the cities gather in one place and organize a huge feast, complete with singing and white magic. This is when a competition is held to see who can eat twelve apples the fastest. For years, the main and undisputed winner of this competition has been Man Z, who won last year by eating nine apples in four minutes and five seconds. To this day, it is the most important outdoor celebration in the World of Trees.

There is also another custom known, dating back to the time of the pro-magicians. The ritual, for that's what it was, took place at night, when all normal people were asleep. Fifteen pro-magicians, wielding both white and black magic, gathered and attempted to perform various spells. The one who managed to perform all the spells without making a mistake was entitled to a reward. The one who failed faced a dangerous test to determine whether the pro-magician was a fraud. The whole thing ended quite late, and the effects of the magical rites were felt only the following year, when the expended energy returned to the same place as usual: the very center of the World of Trees, the Wizard's home