A large oak tree sat atop a hill. Two people walked towards it, their heads facing the ground. 

            “Hey, Ethan, it’s me, Jack,” he said in a somber voice as the two of them reached the top of the mound, his eyes not leaving the grass. “I brought Ryan with me. I thought you’d want to see him again.” 

            “Hi, I know it’s been a while since I last came here, but…”  Ryan started before water filled his eyes. Using his sleeve, he wiped away the tears, but they just came back. “What I’m trying to say is that it's been really hard without you.”

            The oak stood still in the wind, its branches stiff and strong. For a bit, they both sat in silence, the only noise coming from the soft whimpers of Ryan. 

            “Stay strong, Ryan, stay strong.” Jack placed his arm around his friend in an attempt to comfort him. “Actually, Ethan, I’ve got some good news. You know that board game the three of us would always work on as a kid. Well we finally got it out there. I wish you could see it.” 

            A fly landed onto the base of the tree. It worked hard as it zig zagged in between the various grooves of the wood. The white shine of spider silk hung above. 

            “Why’d you do it? Why did you have to do it?” Jack finally broke down and began to cry as well, their tears watering the grass below. A crow landed atop one of the tree's many branches. It hobbled around in a search for food, until the branch beneath it snapped. The bird flew away. 

            As the broken piece hit the ground, it bounced up and tumbled down the hill. A rock would catch it on the way down. 

            The first drops of rain began to fall from the sky. The water hit the many leaves above shielding the two from becoming drenched. The few bits that got past the covering slid down to the bark, and eventually the grass. The sun wasn't gone though, still peaking through tiny holes in the clouds. 

            Ryan grabbed the bouquet of flowers and placed them under the carved name of their former friend, along with the dates 1991-2015. The two continued to stand there for many more minutes discussing whatever came to mind. Even though the tree was protecting them, they wanted nothing more than for it to have never existed.