Wish I Had a Coat

Arbol Ki, is a redwood tree. It is several hundred years old and is just old enough to start having to deal with its own finances. It's tough having to go out on your own and find a steady nine to five, but it's also refreshing, because you're no longer a dependent who has to follow every command of the Great Tree (born two years before Jesus). This is not what is troubling Arbol on this particular day, however. Arbol has recently made a discovery - the coat.

This tree had never really paid attention to humans before and was always content with standing around naked in the cold, letting off mist every morning as the air warmed up. Freezing up, then thawing was just a normal thing.

Now that Arbol has discovered the coat, everything has changed. At first, Arbol is not sure what it is; but after talking with a few different people who are wearing them, the tree comes to realize that these beings never have to freeze, then thaw because they wear coats that keep them warm. They are always at a consistent, cozy temperature. Arbol asks one human if she can make a tree coat. She says she can't because trees don't wear coats. Only humans and some mammals do. Arbol is devastated. The tree must continue to freeze, then thaw every day for at least another thousand years.

Arbol Ki is bummed out because it is not a human. The tree wants to be a person so badly, because it dreams of a life where it can remain at a nice cozy temperature all the time, in a nice warm coat. Arbol complains and complains. It hurts when ice forms on its bark, although it is very satisfying when it all evaporates and floats away in a thick mist every morning. The tree complains and begs passersby to please make a coat for it. Nobody listens. Most people can't hear trees.

One day, as the sad tree stands, shivering in the early morning, a monkey enters the woods. The monkey is Uma. She walks down the hard packed, well traveled path through Muir Woods National Park, and looks up at the various trees in awe. It is incredible how old and strong the trees are.

Suddenly, Uma notices Arbol Ki. Something is different about this tree. It doesn't stand proudly. It seems  disappointed and sad. She stops in her tracks. She looks at Ki, and wonders what's wrong. Steam cascades off Arbol's body, as it shivers very slightly. Uma doesn't know what to say.

It's not long before Arbol notices Uma. The tree calls out to her: "Can you help me?"
Uma answers: "I don't know. What do you need?"
The tree says: "I need a coat."
"A tree coat?" Uma asks.
"Yes, a tree coat." The tree answers.
"I'll see what I can do." Uma says.

Uma promises the tree that she'll be back in a few days. She will look for a coat that fits the tree. She looks around various department stores but there is nothing big enough. She finally decides to make the coat herself. She collects moss and lichen and weaves a great big green coat for the tree.

Uma brings the gift to the tree one cold night a week later. When Arbol sees Uma, it is in complete disbelief. By now it had given up hope. Uma puts the coat on the tree and stands back to see how it fits. It fits perfectly. Arbol is very happy about this gift and thanks Uma, telling her that if she ever needs anything it will do whatever it can to help her. Uma is delighted that she has been able to help out this tree and make it happy again. As Uma leaves, she looks over her shoulder, and notices that Arbol Ki now stands tall and proud like the other redwoods. Uma has saved a tree!

Downtown

Koala Johnson 

Koala Johnson is a koala. All he ever wanted was to grow up to be an ordinary fellow with an ordinary job. However, shortly after he graduates from high school, he falls in with the wrong kind of crowd and starts doing hard drugs. At the age of twenty, Koala has graduated to a rare form of Vitamin WOW, which is particularly dangerous for koalas. It causes hallucinations, intense euphoria, and delusions of grandeur. If taken in high enough doses it can cause spontaneous combustion and/or itchy paws. This is only the beginning. Koala realizes that in order to feed his habit, he must make more money. He starts dealing Vitamin WOW on the streets of San Francisco.

One day, as Koala is prowling the streets at night, pushing his product, a plain-clothes detective meets up with him. After negotiating for a bit, the detective arrests Koala. He is sent to prison on ten thousand dollar bail. He can't afford the bail, and no one he knows can either. He sits in his cell. He's bummed out.

Koala is suffering from intense withdrawal symptoms. He's in a lot of pain, and sometimes wonders if he'll get through alive. Pretty soon, it becomes clear to Warden Peters that inmate Koala Johnson needs some serious help. They send him to the prison therapist. She has a hard time communicating with him because she's unfamiliar with the psychology of koalas. She needs help. She sits around in her office doing research. She's hit a wall... Then, suddenly, out of the blue she remembers that her friend Uma knows quite a bit about the psyche of the koala. She's calls Uma. The magical monkey replies a few days later, and is very enthusiastic about the opportunity to help a troubled koala.

Uma enters the office. She is delighted to see her psychiatrist friend. They chat for a little bit. Then, she sees Koala lying on the sofa. His eyes are glazed over. He moans softly. Uma gasps, and rushes over to him. She checks his temperature, asks him what his name is, and immediately gets to work. She asks him  questions, gives him positive words, and gives him a back rub. Afterward, she whispers the greatest koala compliment in his ear: "You appear long out of the pouch". Koala smiles, and thanks her. He feels much better, spiritually. This will give him the strength to recover physically.

Uma decides to come back each week to check on Koala to make sure that he's doing OK. She tells him that it would be a good idea to take rehab classes and take cleansing Yoga sessions. If he does this, and doesn't get in any fights, he should be able to get out of the slammer in two years. Koala feels happy (not completely happy because two years is a long time), but happy enough. He looks forward to the future, feels much better physically, and is very thankful to Uma. Thanks again, Uma!