You sit precariously on an aging tree branch, your feet dangling down, rushing river water just below it.
The river roars past you, the only sound you can hear. You hum an old tune, barely heard over the water, tracing your hand over the age-old tree's thick bark which, you imagine, has been here for centuries. The white buds dotted along the branches are minuscule, tracing along the tree. They should've bloomed by now, beautiful white magnolia flowers anyone can spot, spreading across the tree and covering it like a cloak of protection. Instead, the cold weather has it pulling back, hesitating to burst into bloom. The buds seem to wither as