Abby ran in between the corporate men in suits with hard hats on. They were ignoring her and telling her to get lost from this construction sight because she was only about 12 years old. And probably because she was a girl. Abby remembered reading about men higher up hating women and thinking they are less than themselves. Jerks.

“Listen to me,” Abby shouted up at one of them. One of them, with a blue tie, pushed her out of the conversation and into some of the workers who took her away from the men. Abby thrashed and kicked, pleading with the workers. The workers apologized, but couldn’t do anything. The last old oak in town was about to be demolished and replaced.

The old oak was a legend in Baskerville. It was there since before Abby could imagine. The mayor always took a picture next to it every year, but no one can remember why that tradition still stands.

The sound of the metal fence slamming behind her took her back to the present. She needed to find a way to make them stop the plans. Abby ran over to the mayor’s office. In this town, everyone knew everyone, and the mayor was friends with Abby’s dad. The secretary greeted Abby with a warm smile and asked if she wanted some hot cocoa.

“What are they doing to the old oak tree,” Abby wheezed between breaths. She didn’t realize that she had literally run the entire way and was now out of breath.

The secretary's warm smile vanished and a sad look took hold on her face. She tried to explain that the town was drowning in debt and those corporate men had bought the property. Legally, they could do anything to the property.

Abby could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Kids always played around the tree. And there were always kids playing in the tree. Now the next generations would never know about the tradition of the mayor or the fun that kids could have.

Abby ran home to plan something that would halt demolition. She searched online and read articles about how people would chain themselves to trees to halt construction crews. Abby’s dad was a mechanic, so he had some heavy chains that she could use. She called some of her friends and they said she was crazy and just to accept what was happening. But she refused. She was thinking about future kids and mayors, how they should get a chance at having that kind of fun.

Abby got up the next morning, before the sun had risen. She snuck out into her dad’s garage and searched for some big chains. She managed to find some, but they were heavier than she had anticipated. She took more time than she had liked to shove the chains in her bag and begin running to the tree.

But she got there and the trucks were all gone. The tractors had left, the lights weren’t set up, and the men were nowhere to be seen. Abby turned toward the old oak tree, smiling that she got through to someone.

But it wasn’t there. In its place was a small mound of dirt. The workers didn’t need an extra day to tear up an old tree. The deed was done last night while Abby slept.

Abby threw the backpack down and crawled over to the spot, crying. She failed her mission to stop this from happening. She failed her sisters before her who did succeed in these things. Now the town would never be the same. They took happiness from her and the town.