<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chop. Chop. Chop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ouch, that hurts! I look down at my trunk to see men standing at the base. One man is swinging a large ax at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chop. Chop. Chop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With each bite of the ax, I feel the sting, and I see wood chips fly. The men are talking. \u201cThis is a tough old tree,\u201d says one man. \u201cStrong and sturdy,\u201d says another, \u201cfit for a king.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I ponder the words, \u201cfit for a king.\u201d I am the King of Trees in these woods; no tree stands taller or more majestic than I. No tree has prettier blossoms in the Spring, or more vibrant colors in the Fall. Surely, I am fit for a king. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m happy. A surge of pride and excitement spreads from my trunk to my limbs, and through my canopy of leaves. I will be in the King\u2019s palace! Maybe they will make me into a throne. Or a bed frame, where the King sleeps every night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chop. Chop. Chop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I look down at the men below. They are half done cutting through my base. I shake a little more with each strike of the ax. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chop. Chop. Chop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m sad. My life is being cut short. For what purpose? To be made into a piece of furniture? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I will no longer be the envy of every other tree around. I will no longer provide cooling shade to those who pass by. I am the King of Trees! Why must I be sacrificed for another king? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One man says, \u201cThis tree will make strong posts and crossbeams.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m happy again. They will make me into crossbeams to support the palace roof, and posts to frame the walls. I am strong and perfect for this. Can there be a more honored place in the king’s palace?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chop. Chop. Chop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I shake more now, and my leaves fall like tears. Only a few more swings and I will fall to the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHurry!\u201d shouts one man. \u201cWe can\u2019t keep him waiting.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho?\u201d asks another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe king,\u201d he answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCaesar is our king,\u201d rings out a voice. \u201cIs this tree for him?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s for the one they call the King of the Jews,\u201d he says. \u201cThis Jesus fellow everyone has been talking about. This man they call a prophet, teacher, and healer. This rebel who dares defy Caesar.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chop. Chop. Chop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTonight,\u201d the man continues, \u201cwe will crucify this king on this tree with those criminals. Worthless scum, all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The men laugh, their mocking voices filling the air with scorn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pain deeper than the ax pierces my heart. \u201cCrucify?\u201d I cry. \u201cOh, no! Please God, don\u2019t let them make me into a cross!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The men ignore my pleas. The ax continues its relentless attack as I shake in terror. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chop. Chop\u2026Crack!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I fall through the air in slow motion as time seems to stop. I hit the ground with a thunderous crash; the ground trembles like a mighty earthquake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I lie there, helpless. I feel the life force ebb out of me as the men strip my branches, limbs, and leaves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My thoughts blur and dim. Am I not meant for something greater than this? To be made into a vile cross? To crucify a king? Will my sacrifice be in vain? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In my fading consciousness, somehow, suddenly, I know. This has been my destiny all along. My life\u2019s purpose. I was created for this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tonight, I, the King of Trees, will lift this man high for the world to see. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The King of Kings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Savior of the World. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chop. Chop. Chop. Ouch, that hurts! I look down at my trunk to see men standing at the base. One man is swinging a large ax at me. Chop. Chop. Chop. With each bite of the ax, I feel the sting, and I see wood chips fly. The men are talking. \u201cThis is a tough […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2017,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[19,24],"tags":[16],"class_list":["post-2016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama-literary","category-fantasy","tag-flash-fiction"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":7}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Fit-for-a-King.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2016"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3866,"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2016\/revisions\/3866"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}