THE SILENT CRY OF THE TREES
NEW PARKING LOT UNDER CONSTRUCTION
What are you looking at?
Hey...
How did you know they ting down this tree?
I saw it on the town hall's website.
Didn't you?
No.
Actually...
I'm on work experience with the company that's building the car park here.
Oh!
Wow!
So what made you come down here?
I don't know.
For days now...
I've been having this feeling.
The whole time it was like...
knock, knock, knock, knock in my head.
Then I had this tight sensation in my chest.
And a tingling feeling on my back like...
tickle, tickle, tickle, tickle, tickle, tickle.
A tree branch...
A tree branch falls...
Waiting for the train,
a branch...
You think they'll be nice?
What?
The people who come to cut down the tree.
Will they be nice, or will they laugh at us?
I don't know. Why?
What will you say to them?
I don't know.
I don't think we have to say anything.
They'll get it.
What if they insult us?
You think they'll insult us?
I don't know...
But I've seen some videos.
Waiting...
Waiting for the train...
A branch...
Falls in the wind...
-From an... -What?
No, nothing.
Do you know any synonyms for tree?
There aren't any, are there?
A tree is a tree.
What's the sentence?
Forget it, it's stupid.
It's not finished, but anyway...
You might like to read it.
Waiting for the train,
a branch falls down in the wind
from a beautiful tree.
I signed up for a kind of
online haiku course.
I have to hand one in this afternoon,
but it doesn't matter.
I like it.
-You do? -Yeah.
I don't know. I'm not convinced.
Besides, the last line only has four syllables.
So?
It's a haiku
and haikus have to have
three lines with 5, 7 and 5 "moras",
which are like Japanese syllables.
Well, more or less.
"Moras" aren't really like syllables,
despite what people think and...
I mean...
Structure is really important
-in haikus. -Who's it dedicated to?
What?
It's a poem, right?
All poems are dedicated to someone.
-They are? -Of course!
Then, perhaps... to a teacher I had,
a civil engineering teacher, but I'm not sure.
Did she like trees?
Not at all!
Listen...
Won't you get fired if your bosses see you here?
Yeah, maybe, but...
Let them fire me.
And then what would you do?
I don't know.
I think I might like to...
open a florist's.
Really?
How come?
I don't know. Lately, I've noticed that florists
seem pretty chilled.
I've never thought about it.
I mean...
All I'd need is a small shop
with an outdoor space and some natural light.
People always want flowers and plants.
I bet it's hard work too.
Keeping them all alive must be tough.
Each one has totally different needs.
I thought they'd be here first thing.
Are you OK?
Yeah, sorry.
Could you unlock the padlock, please?
What?
It hurts and I'm getting a bit stressed out.
-Don't you like me? -No, it's not that.
This is uncomfortable and...
What are we even doing here?
Once...
I saw a video of a guy who stayed tied up for 22 days!
He ended up eating resin from the tree.
He started eating wild herbs from the field he was in.
He'd studied which ones were edible.
When they ran out, he started eating resin.
He spent about...
10 days like that.
Until he got arrested...
-for disturbing the peace. -I'm serious, man!
I don't have the keys.
What do you mean?
I threw them away when we tied ourselves up.
Threw them away?
Yeah, so the police can't open the padlock.
Why didn't you tell me?
If I'd known, I wouldn't have tied myself up with yours too.
I still have some juice.
I won't drink it.
No, don't worry.
Can I have my phone back?
I tried to finish it.
Not bad, but it still only has 6 syllables.
I'm sure you can just hand it in tomorrow.
White steam...
White steam escaping to...
Steam escaping skywards.
Soft song of the cicada...
Shit, that's seven. Too long.
A cheek...
My cheek's moist-en-ed skin.
The last syllable is stressed, right? So it's six.
No, four. The vowels are melded together.
-My cheek's moist-ened skin. -Really?
Waiting for the train, a branch falls down in the wind,
my cheek's moist-ened skin. What does it mean?
Dude! The guy who's waiting is crying.
The beautiful, turquoise sky...
Pi-geon falls down dead.
What?
A tree...
A beautiful tree...
is crying.
-What do you think it wants? -Who?
The tree. What do you think it wants?
Nothing. To be left in peace.
Perhaps it would rather be cut down.
No, but... Think about it.
Who'd want to live surrounded by all this crap, right?
Hey!
You kids!
Get out of here!
Can't you see that my roots have been rotten for a long time?
No matter how much it rains, it can't quench my thirst.
Go away!
Let me die with dignity, like a warrior.
I'm the last one standing.
I won't let you two idiots ruin my final hours.
Go away and allow me to let out my last cry.
Stop it.
Dude, I was just joking!
Yeah, I know, but...
You might be right.
It's a tree! Why would it want to die?
I don't know...
Maybe they're not coming today.
Will you hold my hand?
Please.
Thank you.
Manu? Yeah, it's me.
Listen, I'm here in front of that tree by the Granero.
It's at least 15 metres tall.
It's going to need three of us.
No, but...
Besides, it won't fit in my truck.
I don't have space for all that wood.
No... Listen to me.
Manu!
Listen.
No, no, and besides...
It's half seven.
I can't get it done in half an hour.
Manu...
I don't know, tell the builders to do it!
No, listen. Manu, Manu...
It's always the same with you!
Enough is enough! No, listen to me!
OK.
OK, OK... OK, then.
See you tomorrow.
Bye.
Are you two friends?
Good night, kids!
Good night!
Did you finish the haiku in the end?
No... I ran out of battery.
Shit!
We should've asked him to pass us the keys.
Damn!
I didn't think about that.
So, do you know what you'll call your florist's?
No, man. Not a clue.
THE SILENT CRY OF THE TREES