It wasn't famous. It wasn't beautiful in any way the outside world would recognize. But to the lone coder, Mira, it was a sanctuary.
Mira stared at the line for a long time.
But in the dream, the trees moved.
The first three revisions had been mathematically perfect. Symmetrical canopies, optimal leaf distribution, realistic bark textures. But they were dead inside. Beautiful corpses.
And for the first time in years, she did not open CS15 Trees 4 again.
Her screen flickered. The simulation was still running—but it had changed. The trees had grown overnight, far beyond their growth parameters. Their branches wove together into a single canopy. Their roots had cracked the simulated streambed and crept toward the edge of the render window.
Mira woke with a gasp.
if (observer.believes) { forest.real = true; }