Immediately After Man Cuts Down Tree, The Police Block Off His Property

Peter’s first reaction when water starts pouring out of a tree he’s attempting to chop down at high speed is to phone the fire brigade. But he had no idea they’d be there so fast. They obviously didn’t take it lightly. Peter just could not fathom the motivation behind it.

Once his whole property was quarantined, though, everything would become evident.

The firefighters’ insistence that Peter evacuate his home within the hour left Peter in disbelief. Because water was dripping from a tree, they quarantined the whole area.

Peter’s family’s phone caller sought an explanation from the firefighters, but neither they nor their captain knew what had happened. But Peter had already called the right person and was all set to go when he attempted to reach out to him…

It all made sense to Peter after he learned what had happened and why his property had been quarantined. Indeed, there had been no other choice.

How, however, could all that water suddenly start gushing out of one tree? And what exactly was the major concern that this posed for the neighborhood police?

When it came to felling trees, Peter was a seasoned pro. In spite of his large property holding enough trees to keep him in business forever, Peter just required a small number of them each winter to keep his fireplace stocked and himself comfortable. Up until now, he had never had any problems with this.

On Peter’s land, there was a sizable wooded area. Walking through the whole thing would take a long time, so instead Peter usually drove his vehicle through the well-trodden routes in the woods. The time had come for his usual trek to the woods to get firewood, but this year would be different.

Peter had doubts about the effectiveness of chainsaws. They were hazardous and loud. He was always afraid to take a chance. Peter, though, did have his trusty ax on hand. Peter loaded it into the car and headed into the wooded area of his land. The time had come to go to work, but that wouldn’t be simple.

It was harder than it seemed to decide which trees to fell. Since winter was coming, he needed extra firewood, but he was hesitant to cut down too many trees. In order to ensure his own survival, he would have to down some of the trees.

Peter made an effort to chop down the many different species of trees on his land fairly. As for the trees themselves, he picked ones that were far apart from one another and never near the forest’s border. He was averse to drastic alterations to the forest’s appearance. Just “trimming it down,” as he put it.

Peter had his sights set on a certain tree for quite some time. He had convinced himself that if he waited just one more year to prune it, it would be large enough to last him through many winters. This was the day he’d been promising himself for years.

There was a large oak tree in the yard, and Peter was dead set on finally chopping it down today. His main interest was having top-notch gear. He now had larger and more precisely crafted axes. He considered getting his hands on a chainsaw, but ultimately decided against it.

Peter really didn’t want to shell out the extra money for the “better” tools. Though he still had faith in his ax, he realized that for his own safety he needed to equip himself with the greatest tools available, or at least the best non-mechanical equipment available. Even though he wouldn’t be wielding a chainsaw, the situation was nonetheless potentially hazardous.

Peter’s car stopped at the base of the towering oak. When he looked on it again, he saw that it had grown. Taking it all in, a feeling of pride nearly overcame him, but he knew he still needed the firewood. He pulled out one of his brand-new axes and began hacking away at the tree. Now, though, everything began to go horribly wrong.

Peter pounded the tree with blow after blow, but his efforts didn’t appear to be paying off. He placed more of his weight behind the cutting and kept going. There was still not enough of an improvement. To Peter’s dismay, he started to question whether he hadn’t been too confident in his abilities. Sadly, it wasn’t the only thing he’d grossly underestimated.

Peter took a step back and swung furiously, using all his might. At long last, it delivered a penetrating blow to the tree, but it was still insufficient. It was a good starting place, and maybe with more cutting he might bring the tree to the ground. This, however, would need much effort and time.

He kept swinging at the tree with all his might, but it took three tries before he finally connected. Possibly, he should finally retire his old faithful ax in favor of this new one. Peter inserted his ax into the tree cut and rotated it, removing a tiny section of bark and revealing the wood below.

Peter got a better look into the abyss by moving closer to the tree. It seemed possible that the tree was hollow all the way through. A second swing of his ax at the opening would have sealed it, but he never had the opportunity. Everything was about to alter in ways he couldn’t have imagined.

Water began gushing out of the hole at a quick clip before Peter could even get a good look at it. It sounded like someone had turned on a powerful lawn hose. Peter had to take cover behind an object to avoid getting wet, but his hesitation was due mostly to bewilderment. How did a tree transform into a water feature?

There was a lot of water surrounding the tree, and the grass had turned to mud. Peter’s vehicle would become bogged in the mud if he didn’t quickly move it. Okay, but how far in reverse did he have to put it? How much water did we expect this tree to provide us? Peter was in the dark, but he knew he had to move quickly before his vehicle became mired.

Instead of driving back to the tree, Peter decided to park his vehicle a long way up the road and run back. It seemed like the water had picked up speed by the time he reached the tree again. The next step was beyond Peter’s comprehension. If he didn’t cut down this tree, the water will swamp his whole property. What was he supposed to do?

Peter was at a loss for what to do next, so he dialed 911. They were the water management experts, after all. Initially, Peter had doubts that they would even bother to turn there, so he was taken aback by their swift reaction to the crisis. In any case, he needed to get going.

The fire service was sent numerous vehicles, including a large engine, to his property. Peter didn’t know why, but he appreciated that they appeared to be treating the problem seriously. He hoped the fire department might find a way to prevent flooding on his land but was uncertain how they would proceed.

Peter was instructed over the phone to leave the tree immediately. One of the ancient roads on the property, convenient to the tree but yet sufficiently removed, was chosen as the meeting spot. Before Peter went, he took a brief picture of the water-spouting tree.

Peter beat the fire vehicle to the boundary of his land. Away down the road, he detected their approach. The lights and sirens were activated. Obviously, they had sped here, but why? This was a strange situation, but couldn’t they simply seal it up? Why did they feel such panic?

There were at least six firefighters who leapt out of the vehicle. The chief fire officer arrived with them. The chief came up to Peter and asked him for instructions to the tree, but the little stream that ran around the edge of the land already served as an adequate guide. Peter is advised to keep back while the firefighters proceed to the tree. The tribal leader was interested in what he had to say.

Peter wanted to stay with the firefighters and provide any assistance he could. After all, it was his house that was under danger, so he couldn’t just sit back and let everyone else pitch in. However, the commander has insisted that he remain behind so that he may provide an explanation. Peter relates the incident and then listens as the chief explains what the firefighters should do.

Unfortunately, a satisfactory justification never materialized. They made no more comments, only announcing that the property will be quarantined as quickly as possible. Peter would have one hour to return home and pack up his family and go for at least a week. Despite his disbelief, Peter knows he has no choice but to comply with the firehouse’s chief’s directive.

Peter has many inquiries, but the chief is obviously not in the mood to answer them. He walked off to get the firefighters, leaving Peter to get the car and go to the home. While he was driving, he gave his wife Melinda a call to give her the order to begin packing. He promised his wife an explanation upon his return, but she demanded to know the details right now.

Peter wasn’t sure where he was going to take his family, but he knew they had to start packing quickly. Precisely one hour later, firefighters knocked on the door and insisted that Peter and his family evacuate immediately. While Peter was eager to go, Melinda was holding off until she understood why.

Melinda finally concedes after approximately 10 minutes of pointless argument, and the family departs the property. Peter hardly notices that the firefighters have stopped the water flow and are busy setting up a tent around the tree as they are departing. Just what had happened?

Locals are also curious as to what the firetruck is doing in this area, therefore they have come in large groups to see the unfolding events. The firefighters were really concerned about keeping everyone at a safe distance, so no one could see anything.

Many people had seen the water gushing out of the tree, but no one could explain its origin. At first glance, it seemed to be a broken water pipe, but water wouldn’t make sense to be leaking from a tree. The firefighters were confused when asked.

The group ultimately made its way to Melinda’s parents’ house on the outskirts of town. The firefighters had assured them that everything would be great again in a week, so he could go home. If the problem wasn’t too bad, a week would be plenty of time to remedy it.

The problem was that Peter didn’t intend to wait that long. As a property owner, he was understandably curious about the goings-on in his backyard. For this reason, he went back later that evening to have another look. It was definitely fairly risky, so he understood why he wasn’t permitted there. Of course, it didn’t phase him in the least.

Unfortunately for him, the area, and especially the tent beside the tree, was still guarded at midnight. They were ordered to follow the rules regardless of whether or not it was his property. It was impossible to approach the tree. They seemed to be hiding something.

Disappointed Peter slept over at Melinda’s parents’ place once again. There was really only one way for him to find out what the heck was happening. And first thing in the morning he was going to make the call. He had absolutely no qualms about what he was about to do.

Because Peter knew the fire station’s commander from their regular attendance at the local tennis club, he didn’t hesitate to contact them when water began gushing out of his tree. It was a trusted friend of Peter’s family who just wanted what was best for Peter and his loved ones.

The commander constantly assured Peter that he could reach him with any issues arising on his land. However, he has heard nothing from the commander since reporting the dripping tree. It seemed as if he was attempting to avoid him on purpose.

Very little success was had in reaching him the next morning when Peter tried to contact. Every time he tried to reach the commander, the phone either went straight to voicemail or another party answered and informed him that the commander was unavailable. Something didn’t add up, and Peter couldn’t figure out what it was.

When Peter did got through, he sensed something was up from the commander’s tone. The commander was reluctant to answer, but eventually told him to report to the station for clarification. Now he could learn the truth on his own terms.

Peter was driving over, wondering what the heck was going on with his land. No explanation he could think of made any sense to him. However, the commander would eventually learn the reason. He had to tell Peter; keeping it to himself was impossible.

Peter was greeted and sent to an upstairs office where the commander was waiting. On his table, he had a well drawn up map of the area, giving the impression that he was quite serious about it. To me, this didn’t seem like a regular accident.

Peter had already located his land on the map before he had even introduced himself or shaken the commander’s hand. It looked a little different from the maps he was used to, however. Was this some kind of ancient map? It lacked a contemporary aesthetic.

When the commander asked for clarification, Peter turned to him and began explaining. There was no way Peter could have fooled the commander into not seeing the water leak the instant he revealed his address. For this reason, he insisted that Peter give him advance notice.

It turns out that Peter’s home sits on a massive, hitherto undiscovered water basin. It’s nearly like a secret lake, except that it refills with groundwater all the time. The water came from this hole in the ground, no doubt.

Both the local administration and the fire department were aware of its existence and used it as a reserve source in the event of drought.

They had no idea that someone would stumble across it while felling a tree.

Just a few structures away from Peter’s home was a water extraction station that supplied water to the local water purification plant. However, none of this had been required for a while (years, in fact). Others had just forgotten, and nobody in the area had been told.

In that time, the basin filled up completely, and when Peter cut through the tree, a little entrance opened to the basin, releasing the pressure. This was the root cause of the floods. In spite of this, they were apprehensive to inform Peter.

The majority of the basin was officially the commander’s property, and the government did not want to pay to utilize the water inside it, so they kept the information from Peter. This presented a new challenge to the administration and an opening for Peter.

Peter eventually reached an agreement with the government whereby he would not charge them for the water so long as they re-reported his property after the water damage. They really did it! With this agreement, Peter felt satisfied.

The water pressure in the basin is being checked more often to prevent future accidents. To the best of everyone’s expectations, this issue had been solved. A good sense of humor allowed them to laugh off their predicament.

The events of this story are entirely fictional and are products of the author’s imagination. Images included are meant for illustration purposes only. Any resemblance to actual events, places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.