Tree, Spare that Woodman

"Tree, Spare that Woodman" by Dave Dryfoos is a science fiction story from the 1950s that examines the deep-seated fears that arise when humans encounter alien life. It’s about how scary the unknown can be as people attempt to live on a planet of possibly-thinking forests. Naomi Heckscher and her husband, Ted, find their neighbor dead, and as more people die, they realize these deaths are connected to strange "tree-things." These entities use fear as a weapon, and Naomi fights to keep her son, Richard, safe from the influence of the trees, who seem to be able to control minds through terror. The story builds to a big showdown where what's real and what's imagined becomes blurred, highlighting the destructive power of fear in a world where survival is uncertain.