The Evergreen Spruce

A spruce stood among the golden trees. Its branches were dark green, even though more and more leaves were gathering on the ground around it. Flauschi stopped on the woodland path and raised an open paw. She left a little space between her paw and the low branch. Flauschi“Look, Puschel. This tree is still wearing its green.”

Puschel studied the many fine needles. Puschel“Perhaps it didn’t hear autumn arrive.” Flauschi smiled. Flauschi“I think a spruce simply does things differently from the trees with yellow leaves.” Puschel rested his paws against his tummy. This was an idea he wanted to take his time looking at.

The path rustled beneath every little step. On the spruce, green branches hung in layers like gently curving bows. Looking closely, they could see that these were not broad leaves. They were slender needles. Puschel“A tree covered in tiny green strokes.” Flauschi“And we don’t need to take any of them away to remember it.”

Puschel thought of the Christmas box at home and the single paper star by the window. Puschel“Green goes with Christmas too.” Flauschi nodded. Flauschi“And here, it belongs to the tree.” They did not need a branch for their sitting room. The woods were not a shelf they had to take something from.

For a while, they looked up. The spruce was much taller than either of them. A bright stripe of daylight fell between its branches onto the path. Puschel“Does it really stay green all the time?” Flauschi“It carries green needles in winter too. But the old ones don’t all fall at once; new ones grow as the older ones are gradually shed.” Puschel looked at the tree again. Puschel“So evergreen doesn’t mean keeping exactly the same needle forever.”

Flauschi was delighted by his thought. A breeze moved the fine branch tips, and they let them sway undisturbed. Nothing was picked or broken off. Puschel“We could paint a green picture later.” Flauschi“Or simply tell each other what it looked like here.” Both things could wait until they were home again.

On the way back, golden leaves still lay beneath their paws. Behind them, the spruce stayed green. Puschel“We haven’t collected anything today.” Flauschi“Yes, we have. A lovely moment.” Puschel grinned. They could take that home without leaving anything missing from the woods.