Chapter 4

A Chapter by CassieLynne

Later that night, I lay in bed thinking. I had mixed feelings about our new home. Sure, it’s in a beautiful area, but it’s so remote. My dad will always be out working, and my mom pretty much keeps herself busy by doing housework. After I had checked my email and saw nothing from Isabelle, I began to feel even lonelier. I turned over in bed and stared up at the ceiling, memorizing the pattern that the cracks made over the chipped white paint. That was the last thing I remembered before falling into a peaceful sleep.

The next morning, I came downstairs to find that my dad had already set off for work. My mom was in the kitchen as usual, and I had nothing to do except unpack. I really wanted to procrastinate with that, because I hated unpacking. Maybe I should just leave my room unpacked like the last time. I sighed and went into the living room. The television was not hooked up yet, so I was completely out of options with what to do. I was beginning to feel bored, so I decided to unpack a few things in my room for now. After climbing the stairs, I opened my bedroom door and attacked the first box that I saw. It was full of my knick-knacks, pictures, and student awards. I placed a cute elephant figure on my dresser. As I rummaged through the box, I found things that I had forgot I had. I gasped when I held up a small horse figurine that had the ear broken off. It was the one that my grandmother had given me before she passed away. The platform that the horse stood on was a secret compartment that opened up and had her picture and name placed inside. Even though it had been almost four years since she passed away, I still felt overwhelmed with emotion, especially when I noted the broken ear again. I got up from the floor and put on a sweater. It was very chilly for a summer day, but I guess living by the lake makes it that way. I tucked the horse into my pocket, and finished looking through the box. After I had found a place for everything, I double-checked the box to make sure that it was empty. Near the corner of the box lay the horse’s ear, and I pocketed that as well, so that I could get it fixed when we went into town. I sneezed and realized that I should have dusted the things from the box, but I couldn’t feel bothered to at the moment, so I left the room and went outside. I glanced around and decided to walk down the road a bit to see if I could spot any nearby houses. Once I left the driveway and walked down the road a bit, I turned to look back, but I couldn’t see the driveway anymore. The road was lined with trees and the surrounding forests blocked my view from the house altogether. I walked a bit farther and then decided to turn around. I doubt I would see anything but trees anyways. When I got back to the house, I noticed the trail that led into the forest. It looked interesting, and since I had nothing better to do, I decided to follow it and see where it led me. I pulled up my sweater hood, as I didn’t want mosquitoes buzzing around my ears. I put my hands in my pockets, and my left hand grasped the horse figure as I entered the forest. It was very peaceful, and I could hear songbirds singing from the tops of the trees. There were a lot of tree roots sticking out on the path, and so I had to watch my step. The path had many twists and turns, and I realized that I should have let my mom know where I was going. I turned back to see how far I had gone, but all I saw was the forest. I shrugged and told myself that I wouldn’t go much farther. I couldn’t get lost anyways, as there was only the one path to follow. But soon I came to a fork in the trail, and I contemplated whether to continue on walking or to just go back. I felt a sensation wash over me, and I turned my head and noticed a hidden trail to the left. I curiously walked through the dense branches that were blocking the way, and found myself following an unmarked trail. This was crazy, but I couldn’t help feeling that something good would be waiting for me at the end. The forest was getting really thick now, and I shielded my face with my hands as I swiped away hundreds of branches and walked into a bright clearing. My breath caught in my throat as I looked around in amazement. In the center of the clearing was a huge willow tree, one that was so big that I had never seen anything like it before. Near the trunk of the tree sat a stone well that looked riddled with age. I could hear the sweet trickling sound coming from within it. The grass was greener here than the rest of the forest, and many flowers bloomed around the well. Before stepping out from the cover of the trees, I looked behind me to collect my bearings. I didn’t want to forget the way that I had come in. I looked around for a marker of some sort, and I noticed a huge rock that had been split open, and from within the crevice it had three white flowers standing tall and waving lazily in the wind. I decided that was the marker, and I stepped out of the trees cautiously. The light wind made me shiver, and I tightened my sweater around me. I found it odd how the forest surrounded this clearing in an almost perfect circle. Even though there were no birds singing, and no squirrels or other wild life about, this place still felt very alive. Pushing aside the long willow branches, I gathered enough courage to perch on the edge of the well. I looked down into it, and at once I felt an overwhelming urge to feel the magnificent looking water. I decided not to, as the wonders of the clearing had me distracted. My ears picked up a small humming sound, and I decided that there must be insects nearby. I sighed contentedly as the wind died down and the sun warmed my back. I unzipped my sweater and threw back the hood. I took out the small horse from my pocket and examined it in my hands. A tear trickled down my face as I wished that I had been more careful with it. I wished that it would never of happened. If only I had packed it better, and kept it safe like I had promised my grandma that I would. I felt in my pocket for the ear and I couldn’t seem to find it. I set the horse on the well and I took off my jacket to search the pockets better. I sighed in frustration, as the horse ear didn’t turn up. I threw my sweater down to the ground and burst out in tears. Everything that had ever bothered me was coming out now, and it felt good. I hadn’t cried like this in a long time, and I was surprised that a thing like this could set it off. I don’t know how long I sat there crying, but soon I noticed that the sun was setting, and my stomach grumbled hungrily. I didn’t bother to look around anymore, I just grabbed my sweater and the horse, and followed the white flowers back to the little path. I clambered over rocks and roots and tripped a dozen times. I was so upset I couldn’t see straight. I stumbled through some more branches and found myself back on the main path with the fork leading off into different directions. I began to calm down as I followed the trail back to the house.

“Audrey!?” My mother shrieked from the kitchen window. She ran outside to meet me. “Where have you been all day? I called you in for lunch, but I couldn’t find you anywhere! Don’t you have any decency to tell me when you’re going for a walk?” I sighed and looked up at my mom.

“I’m sorry,” I stated. “I didn’t think I was going to be gone that long. I just wanted to see where that path led to.” I pointed in the direction that I came from, and my mom shook her head.

“You look like a mess! Plus, it isn’t safe to go rampaging around in the forest alone Auddi. What if something happened? I had no idea where you were and I was getting worried.” I shrugged.

“I said I was sorry. What else do you expect me to say?” I pushed past her and ran upstairs to my room. I placed the horse on my desk and landed on my bed in exhaustion. I had scratches all over my hands and I felt dirty, so I went and had a quick shower before dinner. I ate dinner in silence with my mom, as my dad still wasn’t home. Finally, I had an excuse to go to bed. When I got up to my room, I glanced one last time at the little horse figure, and gasped. The ear was no longer missing. It was there, attached to the horse’s head, leaving not even a mark that showed that there was a break. In fact, it looked like it hadn’t been broken at all.

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