The Forest — a short story
They planned their escape all afternoon and once the clock struck the time of their desire, they sneaked out of the house that had outgrown their imagination. They sprinted across the neighborhood, galloping as fast as they could on their imaginary horses.
Soon enough, their castle was in view. It was a monstrosity of a house on the other side of the neighborhood, with an alluring and secret forest behind it. They had been planning their escape all day to begin their exploration into the unknown woods they’d been dreaming about.
Once they arrived, their noble steeds came to a halting stop.
The little girl turned to her best friend, “Are we gonna get in trouble?”
Her best friend nodded, “Yes, but only because we ran away from our own palace and the guards could come and take us back. We need to go into the forest now so they can’t find us.”
Her best friend was not faltering from their story so they mounted back on their horses, and trotted into the woods.
The refreshing air from the towering canopy of trees relieved them after their long journey. They suddenly found themselves surrounded by a wilderness they had not yet encountered. A world for them to discover.
The little girl’s best friend brushed by one of the trees, “Do you think this is a good place to make our new palace?”
The little girl took it all in. She felt the fallen leaves under her feet and gazed out into the distance, imagining building a moat to keep out anything that defied them. She saw a band of unicorns to join their palace and a castle made of massive legos, as to be the most colorful castle in all the land. She saw the trees cloaking their palace from the unwanted guests who would eventually come and take them out of their wilderness. There was so much possibility and it was their secret. Their place to be whatever they want to be.
The little girl answered her best friend, “Yes, it’s perfect. We just have to figure out how to get the unicorns here.”
They scampered around some more, getting a feel for the land. They used their magical abilities to bring all of the mythical creatures they wanted. They made a note to put a magic spell on the trees and the forest as to ensure that no harm would come to it or them, that no one would take it away from them.
However, their exploration came to an abrupt halt. Their magical spell had apparently betrayed them because what lied in front of them was no longer their wilderness. All the little girl could see anymore was brick.
Her wilderness was not an endless one beyond their neighborhood, as she had thought. It was another collection of castles just like the one she came from.
“Did we make a circle?” her best friend asked.
The little girl’s eyes swelled up, her heart feeling as though it had hidden itself in the roots of all the trees of their wilderness, “No, this is the end.”
Edited by Cheyenne Abrams.
