The three girls were turning into trees. They had been to doctors, specialists, tried all kinds of medicines. Even the tree surgeon was mystified, snapping out of a lustful stare to tell them there was nothing he could do for them, as they indeed seemed to be turning into remarkably healthy trees. Each day new leaves grew into place, and their limbs felt like wood. The girls became frantic, at times stumbling through the forest in panic. They didn't want to become trees! One morning they could no longer move as nimbly as they had been accustomed, and the thick foliage began to smother them. It would not be long. They resigned to say their adieus to everyone. As they repeated their tearful farewell to the gardener, he shook with hearty laughter. Upon recovering he told the girls how silly they had been. Now they came to him twice a week to have their bark removed and their leaves trimmed away. The gardener knowing how to treat plants, and the girls knowing how to treat gardeners, it goes without saying that they all lived happily ever after.

Story #41