There was once a very large and old tree. This tree was the site of many peaceful protests and was said to hold the spirits of all the protesters who had passed away. The state wanted this tree removed so they could build a new office for a major corporation. The towns people were very upset by this news and decided to go sit around the tree for what could be its last protest. The day came when the protest was to take place. Hundreds of people showed up in clusters around the tree blocking the people who were supposed to take down the tree. Soon enough state police showed up and started arresting people. The protesters started resisting and the officers started using force. First it was just pulling them and dragging them to the vans and cars, then they started beating people so much that the protesters’ souls would leave them and enter the tree. The tree started growing with every added soul and eventually the crowd had turned into piles of lifeless protesters. The police took the bodies away and the workers started to hack away at the tree. So many people were killed at the protest that the town's population consisted of children and older people. Everyone that was able to go went and eventually died. All the children were terrified from all the tales they heard about what would happen when the tree had been completely cut down. Days went by and the workers still hadn’t cut though half of the tree trunk. The remaining people of the town sat at their windows and watched in fear. Some even tried to go up and warn the workers but none would listen. One day when they were close to getting the tree cut completely, the workers started feeling sick and scared. Some refused to come back to the site and work. Others felt drawn to the tree, little did anyone know this was the way of the tree trying to collect more souls. The workers that continued to go back to the site started to develop green rashes on their chests. One crisp morning the tree fell sending a giant gust of wind throughout the town. The force of the tree falling knocked the souls right out of the workers and sent them into the wind along with all the others that had been trapped in the tree. Each soul then grasped onto its own tree that lined the streets of the town. A little boy whose family had been shut out by the town sat on the sidewalk and watched as each soul floated by. With every tree taken there was a great echoing wail that rang in the wind. These trees became known as the echoing trees by the kin of all those orphaned children. These echoing tree keep growing and growing until they reach one inch below the original trees height. Years and years later after these families from the last protest had left the town, new families had moved in and didn't know about the echoing trees. One person from that day remained in the town now old and assumed to be crazy. It was the boy that had sat on the sidewalk and watched. His children had all moved away and he was the last remaining person who could pass on the tale to the new residents. Once again no one listened and one by one the trees started coming down. Each time a tragedy occurred yet no one saw a pattern but the old man. He tried to warn them everyday until he died. His soul didn't go to a tree thought. It went into the framework of his house. Each year on the anniversary of his passing his soul leaves the house and goes to sit on that sidewalk by the old tree.