Wishtree

Red introduces us to the human member of their community: a 10-year-old girl named Samar, who recently moved into one of the houses to which Red provides shade—“a tiny blue house with a sagging porch and a tidy garden” (27). They describe Samar as a girl with “wary eyes and a shy smile,” and “the look of someone who has seen too much [and] wants the world to quiet itself” (27).

Soon after moving in, Samar began to sneak out and visit Red after her parents had gone to sleep. Sometimes she’d gaze at the moon, and other times she’d furtively look at the small green neighboring house, in which a boy named Stephen lives. As the weather warmed, Samar began to sit on a moon-dappled blanket for extended periods at Red’s base: “Her silence was so complete, her gentleness so apparent, that the residents would crawl from their nests of thistledown and dandelion fluff to join her. They seemed to accept her as one of their own” (28).

Bongo developed a particular fondness for Samar and began perching on her shoulder and greeting the girl with a “hello” that beautifully mimicked Samar’s own voice. The crow began gifting the girl with small tokens of her affection, which she kept sheltered in one of Red’s smaller hollows.

Red explains that this occurrence was neither a fairy tale nor the result of a magic spell. Samar did not break the rules of nature, which dictate that animals fight each other for survival and dominance: “But sometimes surprises happen. And Samar, every spring night, reminded me that there is beauty and stillness and grace in acceptance. And that you’re never too old to be surprised” (30).