The elders blinked.“Who are you?”
Skylar chuckled.“I am the ghost of memory, and she is the seed of life.We simply want to know if your time in the universe is over, and the memory of you will fade, or do you want to fight to remain and make your mark?”
The elder blinked, and a young woman said, “Mistress, this way.We keep our dead at that wall.I will show you.”
Skylar nodded and followed the woman to the wall.
Chloe continued to touch the tree, and it shivered.“Who is in charge of the tree?”
The elders looked at her.“What?”
“The tree.Who takes care of the tree?”
“No one.Nature.The wind, sun, and the rain.”
She stroked the bark.“You poor baby.”
The tree shivered.
“Does someone have a notepad or tablet?The tree needs nutrients and water and love.This tree needs love.It needs a friend.”She looked at them through the gauzy drapes she was wearing.“You need to have a mention of a maiden with the tree.I need to see those records.”
She shifted and staggered to one side.The tree produced a branch that stood next to her, and she leaned against it.It separated, and she chuckled.She stroked the tree softly, and it bloomed.The elders gasped in shock.Beautiful, rich brown blossoms covered the tree.
“I need to make that list if these are to become fruit.”
She looked around and took a step using the staff to help her balance.“While you get me that list, I am going to summon some pollinators.I can feel birds nearby, so this could be messy.”
She continued walking, and the tree shivered in excitement.A hum filled the air, and the elders ran while what looked like fist-sized hummingbirds came toward the tree.
The birds dove beak-first into the flowers, shook their heads, and headed to the next bloom.There were only a dozen birds, but they were going nuts for the sacred tree.
One of the elders said, “What are you doing?Why are you letting them attack the sacred tree without stopping them?”
Understanding dawned.“How long have you been keeping them from the tree?”
“Fifty years, perhaps a hundred?The tree stopped bearing fruit, so we thought the birds were to blame.When the few blooms start, we guard the tree and send the birds away.”
“That stops the fruit.The flower blooms, there is pollen, and the birds bring the pollen from one flower to another.That fertilizes the flower, which creates the fruit.That is the basic description.”She looked at them.“If the tree had a maiden to take care of it, there would be more fruit, and your population would have expanded instead of nearly collapsing to nothing.”
The elders looked at her.“What can we do?”
“First, you call a meeting, and we get information about what you are willing to do to keep your people alive.We need everyone to vote on if you live or die because living is going to be harder.”
Skylar came back with some faded Pericoff ghosts.“Hoo, boy.This is messed up, but it is a helluva story.”
The birds were crapping up a storm, and the elders looked alarmed.
Chloe laughed.“Leave it, mince some plant matter, and lay it over the roots in a thin layer.The tree will be expending a lot of effort to make the fruit, and this will help keep it healthy.One single layer will do for this season, and put a light layer of dirt on top of that to keep things healthy.”
The elders nodded.
“Plant matter only.Minimal fruit.Grain and grass stalks are best.A thin layer.Not heavy.Less than a finger width in, just enough to cover the surface.”
They nodded.
Skylar said, “I need to write down some ancient stories about the tree and mating.”
“I need to look up compatible species.I think Birun has looked some up.”
