The Mustache Tree

This is the story of Mr. Zee, who grew a long mustache that looked like a tree.
One day while walking, down upon the street, Mr. Zee stopped to look down
at his feet. He saw right away that he stubbed his big toe, when he bent his
head over to look down below. When he touched his big toe, he wanted to cry, but
then he saw something from the corner of his eye! Something accidentally, had
bumped his eyelash, and then he felt tugging upon his mustache! Something was
hanging, but what could it be? For it looked like branches you'd see on a tree! As
he stood back up, he yelled out, "Oh My!" He saw all the branches, and started
to cry!

"I do not, I do not, I do not," said he, "I do not want a mustache that grows like
a tree!" But taller and taller the branches did grow, for now they were taller than
a moment ago! The branches were stretching, reaching toward the sky, oh how
this made, Mr. Zee start to cry. Now he could no longer fit in his house, or even
get in to feed his pet mouse! So thinking and thinking about what to do, tired and
tired and tired he grew. He soon fell asleep under the stars, with the moon other
planets and even with Mars. The next day he woke, and looked up above, and
saw in his branch, that there now was a dove! "Shoo! Shoo!", he yelled at the
dove! But now there were two, cooing in love!

The doves had been building a beautiful nest, for all their new babies, and
mommy to rest. Now birds from all over from near and from far, came to see this
tree that looked so bizarre! Word even traveled as far as Brisbane, where
the crows and the owls and the blackbirds all came. Mr. Zee said, "What can I do? How can I, how can I, make these birds shoo?" He tried and he tried, to make them all leave, but birds just kept coming, he couldn't believe! Dozens and dozens of birds galore, every
time he looked, there were more than before!

One night while sleeping, Mr. Zee had awoke, to a bird that had given his head a
big poke! He heard voices coming, below from some logs, he looked down and
saw a bunch of singing frogs! The crow and the owls and the doves began
singing, dancing and prancing and bells they were dinging! Mr. Zee's branches
then began swinging, and it soon toppled over, his head began ringing! The birds
fell hard, all upon the ground, but they didn't even care! They kept dancing
around! "Be quiet! Be quiet! Be quiet I say! Be quiet or I will send you all away!"
He yelled and he yelled, as loud as he could, but it was no use, he just couldn't
be heard!

He finally grew tired, and it was very very soon, that again he fell
asleep, underneath the moon. He woke sometime later, it still being night,
but now it was quiet, he took such delight! He looked at the birds all snuggled
in their nests, and quietly watched them getting their rest. Under the
stars, they peacefully slept, with their mommies and daddies, safely they
were kept. It was then that he realized, that the birds were in love, the crows
and the owls, and even the doves. For they all loved his tree, with all of their
hearts, and that is the reason that they would not depart.

He remembered their singing, in the wee morning hours, when the sun came
out, and opened all the flowers. Then Mr. Zee started feeling kind of bad,
if he made them all leave, they would be very sad. And if they all left, he would be
all alone, for his tree they had made, their nice cozy home. So Mr. Zee decided
to let them all stay, night after night, day after day. He was so happy, so very
much more, because he made new friends, and had more than before!
The birds flew around him, singing with glee, "We love you! We love you! We
love you Mr. Zee! Thank you for letting us live in your tree!"

Story by: N.RoseJ.

Illustrations by: Nidhi Chanani

Published by: Storybird

To see the story w/all illustrations go to:

http://storybird.com/books/the-mustache-tree/