Chapter 1, The Terrible Fall

“I dare you!” he taunted. Lenny shifted her eyes nervously.

“But Norbert,” Lenny whimpered. “Andy says there are ghosts in there! He said that if you go in there, they’ll bury you alive. He says he heard screams coming from in there just last week.”

“Oh, Andy’s such a scaredy-cat. If you want to be in the Adventurers’ Club, you have to prove your bravery. So, I dare you to go in the Woods!”

“I don’t know. It’s late, I should be in bed.”

“Double dare.”

“Norbert!” Lenny wailed. “It’s dark, it’s cold, and I’m tired!”

“Shows how wimpish girls are. Can’t even go underneath some leaves.”

Lenny’s anger flared.

“How dare you! Girls can be just as brave as boys!”

“Prove it! Head so far into the woods you can’t even hear me anymore.”

“I will!” Lenny shouted at him. “Then you’ll see how brave girls can be!”

Lenny stomped off into the woods, confidence rushing through her veins. She’d show him. She’d show them all. They thought some proper, prissy girl from a rich family couldn’t be brave and daring as well? Ha! They’d see. But as she headed deeper into the woods, her confidence began to ebb. The dark branches seemed to reach out at her. She heard crickets creaking and owls hooting. The wind blew harshly through the trees. She heard a twig snap behind her and she jumped, whirling around. Her milky brown eyes were wide in terror. She heard Norbert shouting. She could run back, fib and say she hadn’t heard him. But she couldn’t. It was Adventurer’s Code not to lie. So she continued on, jumping at the slightest sound. She looked up and saw through the leaves and branches some clouds covering the full moon. She heard scuttling feet and looked down at the ground. What was that? A foot, or some forest creature? Then it began sprinkling; then raining hard. Lenny was drenched within a few seconds. She covered her head in vain and ran deeper into the woods, looking for shelter. She stopped and looked around. She didn’t hear Norbert yelling anymore, so she could go out. But which way was out?

“Hello?” she called. “Hello, anybody? Help! I’m lost, help!”

Nobody answered. The forest seemed to swallow her up, and she sank against a tree. Her nightgown was wet and muddy, which only added to her state of cold.

“Help!” she called one last time. Was that footsteps? Had Norbert come to rescue her? Then she saw a tall silhouette in the distance. Coming her way. Lenny struggled to her feet. Her nightgown caught on a branch and ripped.

“Hello?” she yelled at him. “Are you going to help me?”

The figure stepped forward, into a beam of moonlight, and Lenny stared in shock. He had bright blue eyes and shaggy, dirt-streaked blond hair. His face was caked in mud, as well as his clothes, which were made entirely from animal skins. He walked through the forest barefoot, feet making a squishing sound in the mud. His exposed arms had thick biceps, telling of his great strength. He smiled softly at her, his face a picture of compassion. He gestured for her to follow him, and turned to go. On unsteady feet, Lenny followed the man through the woods. Who was he? Why was he wearing animal skins? Where was he taking her? Was he helping her escape the forest? They walked for quite awhile in the pouring rain. But though it made Lenny miserable, the man seemingly enjoyed the natural shower. Well, good, Lenny thought. He’s such a mess, he’d do well with a nice shower.

But then, suddenly, he began to climb a tree. Lenny looked up and gasped. In the tree was a small tree house. Lenny’s jaw dropped. Was this where the man lived? Whoever owned the house, the man turned and waved Lenny up. She began to climb. She glanced down after a bit and almost fell from the tree. It was so tall! Lenny grabbed a branch that a bird had been nesting on. The branch swayed, and the bird flapped in Lenny’s face. She screamed and tried swatting the bird away with one hand. Then both. She toppled from the tree, and screamed louder than she ever had before. Her life flashed before her eyes. Her oh, so short life of nine years. But during that life flashing, she saw something that shocked her. Just before she hit the ground, she reached up and screamed with all her might, “Daddy!”

And then she landed on her neck. On a root. Her eyes went blurry, and then everything went black. She felt the pain of her snapped neck for a moment before it vanished as quickly as it had come.