The Ent

He's in a heavy terracotta pot on one of the speakers; we got him ages ago from Ikea. I said if I couldn't have a dog I'd settle for a bonsai fig. He's not as small as you'd think a bonsai Ficus should be, I think I'm giving him too much encouragement, too much love. We called him ‘The Ent' after Tolkien, our own mini Treebeard with a little gnarled face, always smiling up as us. I tucked a tiny amethyst point into his roots to encourage him to grow, we've had him for three years and he's flourishing; we must be doing something right. His leaves grow backwards towards the window, my houseplant book says to turn them periodically, but we like having his face pointing at us. He sheds in the autumn but grows stronger in the summer, new leaves always curling out at the top of his branches. I talk to him, like I do to all my plants; I call myself ‘Daddy' to him, and I stroke his bark. He seems to like it.