Once upon a time, there was an old woman whose home sat in the shadow of a mighty oak tree. One day, the old woman walked into her yard and became very angry at the oak, she shrieked: you are a bad tree! You drop your acorns and leaves on my lawn! And all of these little creatures -- birds, squirrels, ants, a thousand or more creatures -- all live in and on you and they make a mess too and they pay no attention to me.

The oak said: I am sorry Respected Ma, please let me offer you my shade so the old woman stood in the shade, and it was pleasant for a while but soon she grow weary and said,

"Is this the best you can offer me?" so the oak said,

"Here, sit in my branches!Sit in my branches, respected Ma! Be a part of me!" and the old woman did, but soon that grew boring as well and she jumped down from the tree and holed up in her own house.

But each day she looked out the window, and watched the oak, steadily growing, with more and more creatures frolicking in its branches And she grew to hate the oak tree, with a hatred that burn her inside And she determined to hurt the oak tree But how? She thought of many ways.

Sometimes she would put out birdseed to lure the birds away from the tree and into her home. But most of the birds would only eat a few seeds, and then return to the oak. And she decided that these birds were the bad ones.

A few birds refused to ever go near her seed at all, remaining steadfastly loyal to the oak and she decided that these few birds were the worst ones. But some birds found nutrition in her seeds and stayed with her. These birds, she decided, would be her soldiers in the war against the mighty oak. "You are a bad tree! And I will destroy you yet!"

"Maybe you can fool some of those birds and squirrels, but eventually they will see how right I am! And they will all come to my home, and you will be left alone! And then you will weaken, and then I will finish you off!"

And with that, the old woman would lift up her axe again, and continue her chopping Her incessant chopping went on for years As did her attempts to win over the animals in the tree. Each Spring, when the young animals would arrive, some would inevitably be curious about the angry woman down below, angrily chopping at their tree and she would tell them, "Leave this tree, I am telling you! You do not know it like I do! It is a very bad tree, and some very bad animals live in it!"

Some of the young animals would heed her warning and scurry away in fear -- but she noticed angrily, many more stayed. And oddly enough, they seemed to live quite happily and well. They found that it was possible to love both the oak tree and the old woman, and this angered the old woman very much.

Eventually, the story of the Old Woman and the Mighty Oak Tree spread beyond the quiet grove. News reached the nearby village—and then even farther. Curious villagers came, standing in silence at first, then laying down mats to sit and stay a while.

Soon, tents sprang up. Enterprising folks began selling souvenirs—sketches of the oak tree, caricatures of the old woman, keychains shaped like axes. The most popular item? Photographs of her mid-swing, cursing at the tree. The local TV station caught wind of the tale and began airing daily coverage. Every evening, screens lit up with the image of the little old woman chopping. What was once a private battle between bark and bone became a national spectacle. And then came the environmentalists.

One, horrified by the scene, phoned the local "Save the Trees" organization. A delegation arrived, chanting and holding signs. They approached her gently.

“Respected Ma, why do you want to kill this tree?” She paused for a moment, wiped her brow, and said,

“This is a bad tree. You don’t know it like I do. If you want to save a tree, pick another. Leave this one to me. I must kill this tree.” And with that, she raised her axe and continued her chopping.

The crowd began to divide. Some sympathized with the old woman—admiring her fierce determination, a frail figure waging war against a towering giant. Others sided with the oak, rallying to protect it from needless destruction.

And then there were those who simply watched, unsure, perhaps unwilling to choose. The "Save the Tree" campaigners tried to form a protective circle around the oak, but the moment the old woman appeared, wielding her axe like a wand of fury, they scattered. No one dared to stop her.

Time passed. The novelty wore thin. The crowds dwindled. Only a few still came now and then, whispering updates to the nearby townsfolk: She’s still at it. Got a new axe today. Still cursing the tree. The oak continued to grow.

The old woman continued to chop. And in time, she too became a fixture of the tree—like the birds, the ants, the bees. Her swearing and chopping became part of the oak’s soundscape. So familiar, in fact, that when she stopped, creatures paused. They listened. They worried. She had become part of the thing she hated most.

Then one day, two travelers passed by.One had heard the story. The other asked, “What do you think will happen if the old woman drops dead one day?”

The first shrugged. “Another will come along to take her place.” And they continued on their way.

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​Copyright © 2025 Norhaiyah Mahmood & Michael Bowden.

“The Old Lady and The Mighty Oak Tree” is a collaborative work.

Part One written by Michael Bowden. Part Two written and adapted by Norhaiyah Mahmood.

​All rights reserved.No part of this story may be reproduced or distributed without permission from the respective authors.