The Dying Tree

"The Dying Tree" follows the story of Sarah, a 16-year-old orphan who receives a devastating cancer diagnosis giving her only five months left to live. The story is primarily told through the perspective of Ophelia, one of the orphanage mothers at the Marrion West Christian Orphanage, who shares Sarah's story with Pastor France McAllister. After Sarah's diagnosis, she begins to withdraw from her normal life. She stops attending school, reasoning that there's no point in spending her remaining time learning things that won't matter in the end. She also begins to lose her faith, symbolized by her abandoned rosary tucked away under her pillow. Despite her situation, Sarah maintains a pragmatic, almost detached attitude about her condition, even making jokes about it that leave her caregivers unsure whether to be relieved or concerned. Throughout the narrative, we learn that Sarah's greatest desire has always been to be adopted. Over the years, she has watched many of her peers find families while she remained behind, leading to moments of private despair where she questioned what was wrong with her. Ophelia recalls finding Sarah crying in the bathroom after one such adoption, asking why nobody wanted her. The story reaches its emotional climax when Ophelia, desperate to fulfill Sarah's deepest wish in her remaining time, approaches Pastor France McAllister with a special request. This leads to the final scene where Sarah is led to a meeting that will change her life. In a touching revelation, it turns out that Pastor France has decided to adopt Sarah, giving her the family she has always longed for in her final months. The screenplay explores themes of faith, hope, and family, while dealing with the harsh realities of terminal illness and the impact it has on a young life. The title, "The Dying Tree," serves as a metaphor for Sarah's situation, but the ending suggests that even in the face of death, new connections and meaning can take root and flourish. The short serves as a basis for the feature-length version of the story which continues to tell Sarah's story with the new found guidance and father figure she finds in Pastor France.