The Tree Castle

Mason marveled at every aspect of his new house, but the backyard was by far his favorite part. Specifically, the perfect pair of trees that just called to have a tree castle built amongst their branches. It has always been his dream, to have his very own castle. And the trees were meant for it, he knew.

Where the trunk of one tree split, the other had fallen between. Mason thought of the massive storm that must have uprooted the tree and pushed it upside down. The toppled tree formed what Mason imagined to be a bridge to his castle, with its roots in the air and the top of the trunk firmly embedded in the ground. Now, he just had to test his bridge.

Mason climbed up the trunk until it leveled out and he could stand. Balancing carefully, he walked across his bridge to the other tree that would be his castle. It held! 

He ran back into the house. “Daddy! Can we start building my tree castle now?”

His dad ruffled Mason’s hair. “We’ve got to unpack first, buddy. I can’t get to my tools yet.”

Mason sighed but nodded. They would definitely need tools.

“Why don’t you work on unpacking your room, and I’ll let you know as soon as I find the tools?” his dad suggested. “Besides, you may find some things from your room that you want to add to the castle.”

Oh! Mason hadn’t thought of that. He would go through all his things and figure out what would be useful. Among the boxes in his room, he found his toy sword and shield, a set of plastic armor, and a stick horse. He set them all aside. By the end of the day, he was exhausted and drifted off to sleep dreaming of his finished castle.

…

After a couple more days of unpacking, Mason’s father found the tools they would need. They took a break from unboxing to go to the hardware store while mom made lunch. Mason helped his dad pick out a pale wood that they both agreed would be easy to paint with gray bricks. They found just the right shade of paint and grabbed a couple of other items before leaving.

During lunch, Mason excitedly told his parents all his plans.

“I’ve got something to help,” his mom said with a smile.

“What is it?!” Mason asked as he followed her to the kitchen. He frowned in uncertainty when she handed him a large sponge.

His mother laughed. “It’s for your bricks. Let me show you.”

They went into the garage and laid the wood on the floor. After pouring some paint into a tray, his mom dipped the sponge into the paint, before pressing it gently onto the wood. When she pulled away the sponge, it looked just like a brick.

“Wow! That’s so cool! Can I try?” Mason responded.

“Of course. I’ll let you do the rest while I get back to unpacking.” His mom kissed him on the head and returned inside the house. 

By the time Mason finished painting all the walls with bricks, it was dark out. After extracting a promise from his dad to begin construction on the castle in the morning, Mason went up to bed. His mother read him a bedtime story about a knight defending his castle, and he dreamed that he was the knight.

…

The next morning was spent handing his dad nails, as he built a solid floor for the castle on the largest tree branches. After inspecting it carefully, his dad finally let Mason walk on the floor while holding onto him at first. Once it was clear it would hold Mason’s weight, he was allowed to walk on his own. 

“Now, no playing on this when I’m not around, at least until I get the walls up. There are no sides to keep you from falling off,” his dad told him. 

“Can we put up the sides after lunch?” Mason asked.

“I’ve got to help your mom some, but why don’t you start work on that moat you’ve been talking about?”

Mason’s face lit up. “Ok!”

“I’ll bring you a shovel to dig the hole, and when you’re done let me know.”

Mason was hot and covered in dirt a few hours later, but he was happy with the size of his moat. It stretched under the tree-trunk bridge and formed a protective circle around what would be his castle. After rinsing off with the hose and chugging a bunch of water, he found his dad. 

“I’m done!”

“Alright, I’ll go grab the tarps. You bring that hose over to your moat, and I’ll meet you there.” His dad replied.

Mason dragged the hose over, and his dad placed the tarps to line the moat. Mason began filling the moat with water, jumping up and down as it rose nearly to the top.

“It looks great! Can we finish the castle now?” 

“We’ll build the walls tomorrow. For now, you need a bath,” his dad chuckled.

As Mason played in the tub, he pretended he was swimming in the moat, his castle looming above him.

…

The next day, his dad kept his promise, and they built the castle walls. They even added two towers, one on either side of the front of the tree. Mason knew just what to do with each of them. He ran inside to gather supplies. 

In one tower, he placed his weapons and armor. This would be the armory. In the other, he sat his lunch box, filled with snacks. This tower was the food stores. Mason sat down and looked around, satisfied with his work. He jumped up a moment later and dragged his dad back out to show him. 

“I’ve got an idea,” his dad said. He returned shortly after with some scraps of wood, which he built into a weapons rack.

“This is awesome!” Mason said. 

He put on his armor and grabbed two swords from the rack, tossing one to his dad. He climbed down from the castle, and they began to duel with the foam swords. After a while, they both fell to the ground laughing. 

“Is your castle everything you dreamed?” Mason’s dad asked.

Mason thought for a moment. “Almost,” he said with a smile.

“Then back to work, Knight. What have we left to do?”

“We need a gate to secure the bridge from invaders,” Mason answered. 

After getting some black plastic piping, they assembled it to look like a gate. Mason’s dad tied a rope to it that he hung over a branch, forming a sort of pulley. He showed Mason how to tie a knot to another lower branch that could come undone with a tug to lower the gate. 

Lastly, he brought out his toy horse and they built a stable to put it in. Once Mason gave the affirmative that everything was complete, his dad left him to play. Mason circled the castle, admiring every last detail. 

“Now it’s everything I dreamed,” he whispered.

At that moment, the castle came to life. It was larger than before. The gate now had a metallic glint, as Mason ran under it. The wooden planks of the bridge thumped under his feet. He rapped his knuckles against the castle walls. Instead of the echoing thump of wood, his fist met hard stone. 

He ran into his armory and found that the swords were cold steel and the armor was heavy, but still fit. His lunchbox was now barrels of food. He heard a whinny and looked out one of the windows to see a real horse in the stable. 

I can’t believe it. Or…did I believe it into existence? Mason wondered. He shook his head and pinched his arm. Nothing changed. If my imagination can make castles real, what else could I create?

…

What did you think of the story? What did you create with your imagination, as a child? Do you believe in magic? Let us know in the comments.

Thanks so much for reading!

-Clever & WTF