THE OAK TREE (IN DEVELOPMENT)
BY KYRIAKOS GHIKAS
A lone oak tree casts its shadow on a man and his horse. A little further on, a car crosses the burnt plain, carrying the Kourbetis family: father Petros, mother Angeliki and their children Chloe and Kimon. Petros is on the phone on business, while Angeliki drives and the children fight in the back seat. Through the parents’ dialogue, we learn that their destination is Petros’ parents’ house, which they plan to renovate and rent.
rosAoosrriving at the family home, they notice the abandoned house, the large oak tree and a smaller building that no one remembers existing. Angeliki parks the car in the shade of the oak tree, while Petros reminisces about his childhood. Chloe, frustrated, searches for a signal on her cell phone. Kimon, full of energy, starts playing soccer in the yard. Soon, his ball gets stuck in the branches of the oak tree. Petros borrows a ladder from the building next door to bring it down. Climbing the ladder, Petros tries to retrieve the ball, but is suddenly burned with acorns by a rambunctious little boy, Julio, who refuses to return the ball. Kimon gets angry and curses him, increasing the tension. Then Liaskas, the mysterious neighbour, appears, mounted and stern. He points out the boundaries and declares that the oak tree is on his land. Despite Petros’ attempts to negotiate, Liaskas insists and, at the threat of a penknife, forces Angeliki to park outside the shade of the tree. In the evening, the Kourbetis family explores the house. The couple’s attention is drawn to the grandfather’s old rifle, while the children flip through photos of relatives. In one of them, Liaskas can be seen hugging a woman. With the photos as proof of the good relations between the families, Petros approaches Liaskas, but he laughs at him and drinks his beer. Peter insists that the oak tree is communal and tries to find out its price. Liaskas, adamant, shows off his gun. Peter, frustrated, returns home. At dawn, Peter, armed with his grandfather’s rifle, confronts Liaskas. Liaskas, lying under the oak tree, taunts him, saying he would not pull the trigger. Taking advantage of a moment of weakness on Petros’ part, he pulls out his gun and points it at him.
Now they point at each other, their eyes locked. They’re all gathered around them. Angeliki takes it upon herself to find the floor plan of the plot, while the children, along with Julio, explore the oak tree and the nest of a heron, “Lefteris”. To western sounds, the tension between the two men rises. Angeliki first tries to splash them with a bucket of water while the children and the horse watch, like spectators in a movie theater. Angeliki brings the long-awaited floor plan and the guns go off The guns fall. As they examine the border, Liaskas notices a recent tree sketch and becomes enraged. He burns the floor plan and the flame spreads to the oak tree. Everyone tries to put it out while Liaskas shouts “Aleka” his wife’s name and digs under the tree trying to find his wife’s bones, that’s where his wife’s grave is. The oak tree is his memory of her. Petros takes him away. The fire goes out.
They sit in silence on the street and watch Lefteris, the heron flying away, mourning the lost oak tree.
