If my memory serves me right..

There used to be a tree.

Tall and beautiful. Lush and fragrant. It stood there, in that soil. With such remarkable majesty. Evergreen, t'was- never saw it shedding leaves, no sir. I never witnessed such a thing happening. The winds swirled around it like a silly lad head over heels in love. The rays of sun shined each day to caress its magnificence.

The tree, that survived the toughest of times; endured the harshest of seasons, the cruelest of storms.

Where is it now? Whatever happened, pray tell me?

The twinges portrayed in the tone of the query had it all, anxiety, inquisitiveness, apprehension, concern; everything.

A courteous, yet vapid smile crawled across your lips as you tried to recollect the past.

The sediments of bitterness were stirred to an abrupt awakening, and went berserk.

The tree... is no more.

You wished to your heart's core that your reply be adequate to satisfy the curiosity. However, the rather perplexed set of eyes before you depicted everything, save satisfaction.

A silent sigh escaped your lips, as you shook your head slightly.

The tree, you speak of my friend, happened to nest minuscule specks on its magnificent branches, which turned out to be some kind of seeds. Seeds that the naive winds brought along with them. Or perhaps, it was some of those wonderful birds that used to add a vibrant grandeur to that natural structure. I cannot say, for I was heedless in a certain manner. Too much bliss- it does that to you sometimes. 

I cannot say when they came, or where from. I cannot say how long they had been there. I only saw them when they showed themselves to me- and by then it was a little too late.

I became aware of their existence, only when they grew roots extending down from the branches. It was astonishing, or so I thought. I had never seen such a phenomenon before. They started growing aerial roots which twirled and twined around the trunk. 

I am afraid, I was ignorant and naive. I could not foresee. I did not see it coming. They were benign little seeds after all, that were to grow into benign creepers or vines perhaps. I did not know. I did not know what fate had in store.

The roots they coiled all around the tree. They grew; and they grew stronger and stronger, until they ended up strangling it. They killed my tree. 

What I perceived to be a harmless, if not mutually beneficial symbiosis turned out to be a figment of my foolish imagination, an illusion. An illusion that took away from me, for eternity, something that I cherished- rather, one of the only things I ever cherished. 

Those parasites...

The voice quavered, as if with overwhelmed emotions and a brief pause followed.

The words that followed were more nonchalant, and the tone firmer.

The tall, magnificent tree that you ask of, my friend, isn't here anymore. 

It's a memory now- A memory that, I am afraid, is fading away faster than I expected it to.