Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

We were running as fast as we could through the pink stalks that waved in the wind. Our hands outstretched. Each time we touched a pink stalk, it made a beautiful sound, like a wind chime. And each stalk made a slightly different sound, which was music to my ears. Behind all that, was the sound of our laughter. I would catch glimpses of Robbie and Jessie with smiles brightening their faces, and I felt freer than I’d ever felt in my life.

Closing my eyes, I spun in the pink stalks, and a harmony of music rang out all around me as my hands danced along the surfaces of the stalks. I kept spinning and spinning until my stomach warned me that I couldn’t keep going like that. And then, like a drunken sailor, I stumbled forward and slowly started to run again. Only, this time, Jessie and Robbie were nowhere to be found.

At first, I kept running and laughing, trying to catch up with them, loving the music and magic of this place. But as more time passed, and I couldn’t see them, my running slowed until I stopped.

Listening, there was nothing. Just silence. No music from them touching the pink stalks. Nothing.

"Robbie! Jessie!" I called.

But only silence answered.

My gut churned, and I started walking, then running. "Robbie! Jessie!" I shouted, even louder than before.

Still, nothing.

How could this have happened? My thoughts ran back through the past few minutes, and I realized that I might have been running in the wrong direction from them for a while. So, how do I find them? Which way do I go?

I tried the finding spell with my wand, but it only made that strange electrical sound and went nowhere. My heart raced. I couldn’t be alone in this strange world. I just couldn’t be.

Hours passed as I walked and shouted for them, but no one answered. More strange animals crossed my path, but my shouting scared them away. My stomach growled miserably, and I eyed some fruit hanging off a tree. I needed to eat, but I didn’t want to end up picking deadly fruit. I’d heard that people in the past waited to see if animals would eat something to know if it was safe, so I decided to do the same.

Sitting, mostly concealed by a bush with pink polka dots and blue stripes, I waited. Eventually, some orange birds came and began pecking at the fruit. When they seemed to still be in good health after another hour or so, I climbed out of the bush and tried the fruit.

To my surprise, it was good! It tasted like bubble gum mixed with skittles with a little syrup after taste. I ate my fill of the strange plant, then drank, what tasted like, chocolate milk from a tiny stream. When I was done, I felt a little better. It wasn’t the kind of lunch I was used to, but at least my stomach wasn’ t hurting anymore.

I walked more, still shouting for my friends, as I watched the sun slowly dip further in the sky. A glow in the distance caught my eye, and I switched directions. In the clearly, there was one lone tree, yellow and beautiful, and what looked like some mix of a bird’s nest and a tree house. Outside the little home was a creature as golden as the tree. It had waves of yellow tentacles growing from its head and rolling down its back. Its face was human-like, but exaggerated, with huge eyelashes and big lips. Except, it was barely tall enough to reach my knee.

Yet, it was the first creature that seemed semi-intelligent since I’d gotten here, so I took a chance and decided to approach it. As I entered the clearing, the yellow beans in the tree, which glowed slightly, grew brighter, and the creature’s head shot up. It watched me as I approached, and there was something cautious about its expression.

"Hello," I called. "I mean you no harm."

It didn’t respond, so I kept coming closer. "I’m sorry to bother you, but I have friends here I’ve gotten separated from. They look kind of like me. Is there any chance you might have seen them? "

The creature titled its head, and it spoke, its voice childlike and innocent. "They went into the dark woods." Then, it pointed.

Just in the distance, the colorful trees and landscape faded away, and there was a forest of big black trees, with big black leaves. Everything beneath the forest was dark and shadowy, which wasn’t at all reassuring.

"Are you s-sure?" I asked, unable to keep the tremble from my voice.

It nodded. "Be careful in the dark woods. It’s easy to get lost. And scary things roam." Then, it turned around and hurried into the yellow tree, disappearing.

"Well, that’s comforting," I said.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I started toward the dark woods. Everything about this felt wrong, but this was my only hope of being reunited with Robbie and Jessie. I had to remember that as silly as this place seemed, there were unseen dangers… like getting lost.

It took me no time at all, and then I was under the shadows of the forest. Nothing seemed to move. Nothing except the trees seemed to grow. But the ground was uneven, like some great machine was tearing it up on a regular basis. I had to watch my every step in fear of stumbling.

As time ticked by, there was a sound. A breeze. A change that I couldn’t see. Suddenly, all the trees around me began to move, and the ground shook. Massive roots pulled up from the ground, and the trees began to walk.

This wasn’t like the dancing trees. These trees were older, bigger, and their movements were solemn. I had to move between them, careful not to get tangled on roots, or squashed by trunks. When they stopped and settled back in, I felt a measure of relief, but then, I looked around and could no longer see the light from the clearing. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t go back now.

Tears stung my eyes. I kept going, trying to pick a path through the woods, shouting Robbie and Jessie’s names. But every so often, no matter what, the trees moved around, and I felt even more lost. Lost and hopeless. How could I ever hope to find them if I wasn’t even sure where I was going?

I felt tears gathering at the corners of my eyes when I suddenly caught a movement in the woods. There stood a beast, some mix between a wolf and an alligator. It had a huge mouth with giant fangs, and green, leathery skin. I had never been more certain in my life that something was dangerous.

Then, it began to sniff, and I knew I was in trouble. I hid between the trunk of the tree and saw that one of its branches was low enough for me to reach. Grabbing it, I hoisted myself up and kept climbing for what felt like forever before I heard the sniffing, this time even closer.

Looking down, I spotted the frightening creature, and its head jerked up. My heartbeat stilled in my chest, and then a low growl emanated from the creature. What am I supposed to do now?

I never thought I'd find myself clinging to a tree that stomped around like it had places to be. But here I was, my heart thudding in my chest as the snarling beast below snapped its jaws at me. I looked down at it, all teeth and bad intentions, and couldn't help but think it looked like something a kindergartener might dream up after too much candy .

"Shoo," I yelled, hoping it understood plain old human scolding. It didn't. Instead, it roared louder, splashing upside-down waterfall water everywhere.

Thank goodness for this tree. With a heave, it took another step, and the beast finally decided I wasn't worth the trouble. It slunk back into the water, disappearing.

"Okay, Cendi, time to get down," I said, eyeing the ground. The tree lowered itself enough for me to hop off. My legs shook, but I managed to stay upright.

"Jessie, Robbie," I said again, scanning the horizon and spotting two figures that had to be them. "Jessie, Robbie," No response. They vanished before I could even start running. But I knew the direction now.

"Keep heading toward the sun," I whispered, repeating the tree spirit's advice. "Always trust the sun."

With a deep breath, I pushed forward, the landscape shifting oddly with each step. Drawn flowers bobbed their heads as if cheering me on. After what felt like hours, I stumbled upon a portal. A swirl of colors, like finger paint gone wild, beckoned me closer. This had to be what would take me to Jessie and Robbie .

"Here goes nothing," I said and stepped through.

It wasn't them. It wasn't even close. Mountains loomed over me, marker strokes scribbled across the sky. A pang of frustration rolled through me, but I remembered the tree spirit's words. Toward the sun.

The mountain path was narrow, barely there. One slip and I'd join the clay bushes far below. My breath came in short gasps, my body ached, and when I thought I couldn't go any further, I saw it, a scrap of blue fabric caught on a twig. Robbie's shirt. Hope surged through me, dulling the pain.

"Almost there," I told myself.

That's when rocks rained down on me. Neon monkey-creatures hooted above, throwing debris with glee. I ducked and dodged but knew I wouldn't last. I fumbled for my wand, gave it a desperate twirl, and out flew a squadron of flying snakes, right out of the tip. They swooped at the monkeys, who scattered, allowing me to bolt from their reach.

Finally, the path opened into a sanctuary, a paradise drawn in pastel chalk. And there, munching on fruit that looked like it was glued together from construction paper, were Jessie and Robbie. The relief hit me so hard I nearly collapsed.

"Jessie, Robbie," I cried, rushing toward them.

They turned, their faces breaking into grins as wide as mine. We hugged, a tangle of limbs and laughter, relief washing over us like warm sunshine.

"Look at this place," Jessie gestured at the oasis.

"Can you believe we're here?" Robbie added, still holding onto me.

"Let's rest," I said, spotting a door embedded in the mountain, curious but too tired to care. "Is that a door?"

"Yeah," Jessie said. "Robbie and found it while searching for you. We explored a little but decided to come back here to camp and figure out how to find you."

Robbie smiled. "But you are here now."

Yeah, I was here now.

As the night crept in, the temperature dropped. I used my wand, casting a warming spell that enveloped us. We tried to sleep, but the eerie sounds of Doodle kept us awake.

A branch snapped. I jerked and my heart slammed against my ribs. I shoved myself upright, scanning the shadows for danger. "Who's there?"

"Sorry, just me." Jessie's voice cut through the dark, her figure reappearing from behind a tree.

"Jessie," I exhaled, relief washing over me. "I thought you were…"

"Attacked by something with big teeth and bad intentions?" she chuckled, settling back onto the ground.

"Yeah."

Robbie shifted closer to me, his presence immediately calming. His arm encircled my shoulders, and I leaned into his warmth. "It's okay, Cendi. We're all here."

"Thanks, Robbie," I whispered.

We sat in silence for a moment, none of us sleepy anymore, the strange symphony of Doodle playing around us. "This place is nuts," I finally said. "One moment it's beautiful, the next it's terrifying."

"Tell me about it," Jessie said. "Never know what's going to jump out at you."

"Or what world you'll fall into," Robbie added.

"Right? I was so scared when I lost you guys. Thought I'd be stuck in those woods forever," I admitted, tightening my grip on Robbie's hand. "But I'm glad we're back together."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Jessie patted my knee.

"Same here," Robbie gave me a reassuring squeeze. "We stick together, no matter how bizarre this gets."

"Agreed," I nodded, noting how the bond between us was stronger than ever. "Together."

"Okay, so what do we do now?" I asked, still feeling the warmth of Robbie's arm around me. The darkness seemed less oppressive with them by my side.

"First thing in the morning, we check out that door," Jessie pointed at the odd-shaped entrance on the mountain wall, barely visible in the moonlight.

"Sounds like a plan," Robbie said. "Let's try to get some sleep though. It'll be light before we know it. "

I nodded and closed my eyes, taking deep breaths. But sleep didn't come easy. Strange noises echoed around us, whistles, clicks, and something that sounded like giggling. My heart raced each time a new sound reached my ears.

"Can't sleep either?" Robbie whispered after a while.

"Every noise makes me think we're about to be ambushed," I confessed.

"Me too," Jessie added from the other side. "This place is like a kid's drawing book came to life. You never know what to expect."

"Exactly." I sighed. "But we made it through today. We'll handle tomorrow."

"Yep," Robbie squeezed my hand gently. "Together, remember?"

"Always together," I smiled in the dark, feeling grateful for their presence. With that thought, I finally drifted off into an uneasy slumber.