“This place is beautiful, though,” the Once-ler says. The grass is soft under his hands, and the sunset… the waning light makes the valley glow, makes the tufts of the Truffula trees look ethereal, dreamlike. It’s unlike anywhere in the world, he thinks.
Sitting on the stump beside him, the Lorax snorts. “See? Isn’t it nice looking at nature instead of destroying it for once?”
The Once-ler rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah,” he says. “Don’t ruin it with your sanctimoniousness, O Great Tree Speaker.”
“I’m just saying,” the Lorax replies with a shrug.
The Once-ler shakes his head and turns back to the view. It really is beautiful—the valley, the trees, the way the sunset paints the sky. And it is—dare he say it?—perfect. It’s a perfect view. It’s a perfect home for the Lorax, the animals, himself. It’s a perfect place to make his Thneeds.
It’s a perfect place to build his empire.
He glances down at the grass, something uncomfortable settling into his chest. Regret, maybe? Perhaps guilt? Fear? What does he bring to all this perfection? He hasn’t cut down a tree since the first, hasn’t even considered it. But could he? Can he?
He twists a blade of grass around his finger, feels its smoothness against his skin, and pulls it out of the ground with a snap.
He feels the Lorax’s gaze on him, sharp, but neither of them breaks their silence. The shadows are stretching farther now, and when the Once-ler looks back up at the horizon, he sees the sun slowly disappearing.
“Welp,” he says, nighttime growing around them. “That’s it, I guess.”
“Yep.” The Lorax hops off the stump and stretches, a yawn pushing itself out of his mouth. “Come on, it’s late. And, uh…” He looks at him pointedly. “You could use a break. You know, just—take some time off.”
The Once-ler scoffs. “Uh-huh, I see,” he says, pushing himself up off the ground. “And I’m guessing you want this ‘break’ to be, like, all the time?”
“That’d be nice, wouldn’t it?”
“Whatever.” But he feels a grin split his face anyway, and when he glances back at the horizon, at the darkened valley, he still sees something perfect.