The old oak tree at the end of the lane looked ordinary enough from the outside.
But Cora had been watching it for weeks.
She had seen fourteen different birds land in its branches. She had counted seven kinds of beetles in its bark. A squirrel had hidden acorns in its roots. A family of bats slept in a hollow near the top.
She pressed her hand against the bark. It was rough and warm from the sun.
This one tree, she realised, was an entire world.
The birds had their lanes and territories up in the branches. The beetles had their tunnels and kingdoms in the bark. The roots went out underground, touching the roots of all the trees nearby, sharing water.
Cora sat at the base of the oak and looked up.
"You've been very busy," she said.
A leaf floated down and landed on her knee. She took it as a thank you.