**The Whispering Willow**
In a quiet village nestled between rolling hills, there stood an ancient willow tree known to the townsfolk as Willow Whisper. Its gnarled branches spread wide, forming a sanctuary where both children and adults sought solace. Legends said that if you pressed your ear against its trunk, you could hear the whispers of those who had come before.
One crisp autumn afternoon, a girl named Elara wandered to the willow, her