The Woods by R. L. Toalson

Author:R. L. Toalson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: little bee books
Published: 2019-10-06T16:00:00+00:00

36

Doubts began soon after Lenora lost her sense of direction. It was easy in the woods, with the trees everywhere. She should have brought bread crumbs or something. She should have turned around immediately. She should turn around now.

The minutes passed, and the doubts grew louder.

How would she emerge from the woods without being seen? What would Uncle Richard say or do if he found out where she’d been? Would he send her away? Would she be confined to her room, to more loneliness?

That would be an agonizing consequence—not just because of the solitude, but because now she had seen the diamond grass and the swaybacked trees and the friendly Scorlaman.

And there was more—so much more. She saw waist-high flowers with blooms that looked like brilliantly colored pillows and made her feel as though she were walking in a fairy forest. She asked Bela if fairies existed in these woods, because she’d always been intrigued by the little creatures (they defied her scientific mind, but that didn’t matter; they were lovely), but Bela said that Gilgevnah Woods was not home to any creatures like fairies. They were too common, and this was an uncommon wood.

Bela must have noticed the troubled look on her face at his confession; he quickly amended it with, “Have no fear, Lenora. I will remain by your side to protect you from whatever might wish to do you harm. There is not much in these woods that would harm you, but if you do not know their danger, you might mistakenly touch something that you should not touch.” He pointed to a grove of mushrooms that glowed in bioluminescent colors when he and Lenora entered the small clearing. “Take these mushrooms, for example,” he said. “You must not touch them. They are poisonous to your kind.” He tore off a piece of one, and the mushroom shrieked before immediately growing another appendage. He smiled. “For me, however, they are quite tasty.” He stuffed the piece in his mouth and chewed.

Lenora felt the joy bubbling up inside her. It was so good to have company, to take her mind off her family, to know that she was not alone.

Bela took her to another, larger clearing, where what appeared to be the wispy petals of dandelions hung and swayed in the air, suspended by strings she could not see. “What is this?” she asked.

“These are the thistle creatures,” Bela said. “They will not harm you.”

“They are alive?”

“Look closely,” Bela said. Lenora squinted. She could see their faces. She could hear their voices.

“Hello, Lenora,” they said in a whisper-like hum.

Lenora once again wondered how her uncle, a man of science, could not love this place. In these woods were creatures both ancient and altogether new. How could he not see the potential for new scientific species? She wished she had a jar so she could take something home with her, show it to him, convince him the woods were simply magical woods.

Bela must have known what she was thinking. He said, “The creatures of this forest die as soon as they are taken outside the woods.

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