Alex walked along the winter path with his hands in his pockets. The snow was older now, pressed down and uneven, and more of the tree trunks showed through.
A small flash of light caught his eye.
On the side of a pine tree, something caught the light. Not bright like a flashlight. Not sharp like ice. Just a small, clear shine against the bark.
Alex stepped closer.
It was a drop of sap.
It looked a little like honey, but clearer. When the sunlight touched it, it sparkled.
Alex leaned in. Did the tree cry? he whispered.
A soft hoot came from above.
Mr. Owl sat on a branch, feathers fluffed against the cold. Good morning, Alex. What have you found?
Alex pointed. This shiny drop. Its sticky.
Mr. Owl glided to a lower branch. That is sap.
Alex reached out one finger and touched it. It clung to his skin.
Ew, he saidthen grinned. Its like tree glue.
Mr. Owls eyes looked warm. Tree glue is a fine name for it.
Alex noticed a thin scratch in the bark near the drop.
Why is it there? he asked.
When a tree is cut or scratched, Mr. Owl explained, it sends sap to that place. The sap helps seal the wound.
Like a bandage, Alex said.
Yes. It keeps tiny insects and water from getting inside. The tree protects itself.
Alex thought about the time he scraped his knee and his mom carefully cleaned it before placing a bandage over it.
So the tree is taking care of itself, he said.
It is, Mr. Owl replied. Slowly. The way trees do.
Alex watched the sap closely. A tiny speck of bark was caught inside it, held fast.
He lifted his finger again, then paused.
Should I wipe it off?
Mr. Owls voice stayed gentle. What happens if a bandage is pulled away too soon?
Alex frowned. It can open again.
Mr. Owl nodded once.
Alex stepped back. Then well leave it.
A cloud moved over the sun. The sap no longer shined, but Alex knew it was still there, doing its quiet work.
They walked on.
Crunch. Crunch.
Alex listened to the snow under his boots.
Then
Tap. Tap-tap. Tap.
A small, steady knocking.
Alex stopped. Whats that?
Tap-tap. Tap.
Woodpecker, said Mr. Owl.
Can we find it?
We can try, Mr. Owl said. But well need to listen carefully.
They followed the sound.
Tap-tap-tap!
It stopped.
Alex held his breath.
Then it started again, slightly to the left.
Tap. Tap-tap.
There! Alex whispered.
On a tall tree ahead, a small bird clung to the trunk. Its feathers were black and white, and when it turned its head, a flash of red showed bright against the bark.
Tap-tap-tap!
Why is it hitting the tree? Alex asked.
It isnt angry, Mr. Owl said. Its searching.
For what?
For insects hiding beneath the bark. The woodpecker listens and feels for small movements inside the wood.
Alex stared up. The bird paused, tilted its head, then pecked againfaster this time.
A crumb of bark fell.
The woodpecker pulled something tiny from the tree and swallowed it.
It found one, Alex whispered.
Yes, Mr. Owl said.
Alex thought about the shining sap.
The tree seals its cuts, he said slowly. And the woodpecker finds insects inside.
Mr. Owl blinked once. The forest works in many quiet ways.
The woodpecker climbed higher and tapped again.
Alex didnt reach for the bark. He didnt step closer.
Watching was enough.
As they returned to the path, Alex glanced at the trees around him.
He wondered how many small jobs were happening right nowhidden under bark, beneath snow, inside trunks.
The forest wasnt still at all.
It was busy in ways that didnt need to be loud.
Have you ever seen sap on a tree? What did it look like when the sunlight hit it?And have you ever heard a woodpecker tapping? What did you think it was at first?
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