The Tree Has Filed a Complaint

A town receives a formal complaint from the tree outside its courthouse, alleging decades of selective listening. A records clerk and an arborist must prove who is speaking for it while the public starts pinning grievances to branches that increasingly refuse to stay still.

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How it begins

The tree's complaint had been entered under Correspondence from Unidentified Residents.

Evelyn Marsh moved it to Property Matters, reconsidered, and left it on her desk. After thirty-one years in court records, she disliked creating a category before lunch.

The letter had no envelope. It was written on a broad yellow leaf in ink that smelled faintly of rain.

I HAVE BEEN LISTENING, it began. YOU HAVE NOT.

Outside her window, the old courthouse tree stood perfectly still. A pigeon walked along one branch with the proprietary air of a long-term tenant.

Evelyn turned the leaf over. There was a case number on the back. It followed the correct format, including the departmental prefix discontinued in 1978.

She telephoned the grounds office.

Isaac Reed arrived carrying a clipboard and a small mallet. He had expected a damaged limb. On hearing the situation, he looked at the tree first and the letter second.

'Somebody could have written that.'

'I would prefer somebody to have written it.'

'Any threats?'

'Only disappointment.'

He read the case number.

Evelyn knew the file it referred to. She had fetched it twice that year for people who were told to return with further evidence. The evidence existed in the file. Nobody had asked for the correct page.

Isaac went outside and tapped the trunk. A small branch lowered until its leaves brushed his shoulder. He did not step back.

When he returned, he carried another leaf. This one read PLEASE DO NOT HIT THE WITNESS.

Evelyn opened a new folder.

'Property Matters?' he asked.

She looked through the window. At the base of the tree, a woman was pinning a folded sheet of paper to the bark. Another waited behind her.

'Not anymore,' Evelyn said.

She crossed out the category and wrote Public Hearing. The tree, which had survived eleven generations of local officials, began to rustle without any wind.

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The tree should reveal neglected attention, never function as an infallible judge. Its limited hearing makes evidence and interpretation matter. Research records access, hearings and arboricultural safety in a chosen jurisdiction, keeping legal detail understandable. Evelyn's skill is knowing where documents belong and when habits fail people. Let residents disagree about privacy as grievances become public, and make the final improvement useful even after the magical spectacle quiets down.

Evelyn receives a properly numbered complaint apparently written by the courthouse tree.
Isaac confirms unusual movement while ruling out immediate arboricultural hazards.
Residents pin grievances to the tree and expect instant public justice.
The tree reveals it can hear only conversations conducted within its branches.
An old case exposes records repeatedly overlooked through administrative habit.
Officials seek to remove the tree under a convenient safety pretext.
Evelyn insists that accusations still require evidence and fair response.
Isaac protects the site while residents establish a structured listening process.
The disputed case is reopened using documented evidence rather than magical authority.
The tree withdraws its complaint after the town adopts ordinary accessible hearings.

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