ARIA
The shadows around the giant oak shifted, and a moment later, Serah and a young woman stepped from behind its broad trunk. They had been looking up at the branches. Spotting us, Serah smiled warmly and waved us over. "Aria, Nyssa, come meet Tiana. She is our arborist."
"Arborist?" I repeated, shaking the blonde woman's hand. "That means you're a doctor for trees?"
"Exactly right," Serah laughed. "I watch over them and help when I can. But this old oak is not well. It may not last more than a couple of years. These growths are a sign of poor health, and the leaves it drops show invasive beetles are inside."
"Is there anything you can do?" I asked.
"Not for a tree this old and this big, I'm afraid. It has already started to drop dead limbs. So in another year or two, we will talk a
