10345 There is a forest that goes by an unknown name and exists in an unknown time, in an unknown place.

The trees are thick, but not too thick to walk through and grow fairly tall. The ground of the forest is littered with leaves in all stages of decomposition, clovers that grow in clumps, coarse woody debris, many strange but benign insects, and commonly found, moss covered tree roots protruding from the dirt. There are all types of vegetation, but most of the trees are broad-leaved varieties with little to no limbs extending from the lower portion of their almost straight trunks. Needless to say, even for the motivated individual, scaling one would prove an almost impossible task. Though, one wouldnt miss out on much by keeping both feet on the ground. The extraordinary view of the brilliant yellow sunlight streaming through the wide, rich harlequin leaves, accentuating every intricate vein and enkindling the almost microscopic dust and wood particles that float unsettled through the earthy scented air makes the forest that has no name extra special. The only sounds are those of the birds singing, the occasional light rustle as small rodents scurry through the brush or birds take flight, and the trickle of the fresh water slowly flowing down the creek. If one were to travel far enough through this forest, they may come to a place where the trees begin to part, eventually forming a clear path. And if one were to travel along this path between the trees, they would get to the end, and find themselves standing in brilliant sunlight, in a vast field. And in this plain of tall green grasses and wildflowers, which stretches for unknown distances, a small town of an unknown name exists. It is in this town in the country where our story begins. Ripa Winters awoke to loud pounding and the sound of her mothers screeching on the other side of the tightly locked door. Wake up! You are going to be late for school! Whats wrong with you? Youre always so lazy! Get up! With a sigh she stretched and climbed out of bed. She took her time pulling on a fresh shirt and pair of blue jeans before responding. Ok, relax. Im up It took you long enough. You never do anything when I tell you, why is that? You do everything in your own time or not at all. Lazy!... Her mothers chatter faded as Ripa became lost in thought while she finished getting ready, scooped up her little dog tiger and headed to the kitchen for breakfast. She often drowned out whatever her mother said and instead dreamt of a different life, a life where she could spend all her time doing her favorite things, like helping other kids with their schoolwork, painting, making and listening to music and running. Ripa loved to run. She loved the way that when she got upset or frustrated or stressed or felt just about any emotion, or even none at all, she could always take off down the road at full speed, straight into the woods, and instantly feel better. The pounding of her footsteps in sync with the blood in her ears, the sound of her own panting, and the wind whistling by somehow created the perfect symphony of white noise to drown out the world around her and allow her to think. Ripa loved the way the wind whipped through her hair, especially on cold days when it would sent a chill rushing all through her body, cooling the perspiration near her hairline. When she ran she felt free. When she ran she felt strong. Running

10345 fast gave her the confidence that no matter what she could always run. No matter what, no matter how bad things got, she would always be able to outrun anything and everything, and live on in her mind, the sound of her feet hitting the ground forever the backdrop. Ripa! Her mother snapped, yanking her back in to unfortunate reality, Go! Youre going to be late! You ate and now youve been sitting on your bum for far too long! Cmon hustle along! Ripa took a long, slow breath, drank a glass of juice and took her time leaving. She learned long ago that she could never win with her mother. The best thing she could do was take care of herself. She had to focus on what she wanted, not what her mother told her, because no matter what she did, her mother would find other things to nag her about and besides, she wanted to do her own thing. So she usually tried to ignore what her mother said. Just before she walked out the door, she heard her mothers voice yet again. And another thing- Come home right after school ends. Youre always late! I know you like helping but you need to finish your own homework and all your chores first. Yes mother. Ripa rubbed Tigers red nylon leash in her fingers as she stepped out into the cool morning air and took off running. She ran faster and faster, her best friend beside her. She let out a squeal of delight just as she got to school and had to take her seat, the dog panting and wagging his tail, content to be tied up outside with the bikes. Good morning Ripa, her teacher, Ms. Brown said delightfully. Moring Ms. Brown, Ripa loved her teacher, in fact she was her favorite adult. She was always so helpful, patient and kind, everything you would want in a teacher. One time Ripa had been in a bad argument with her mother and ran out of the house with Tiger. When she came back from the woods, she was panting and crying. Ms. Brown, who had had a late night grading papers in her classroom, heard Ripas sobs as she was walking towards her car in the parking lot outside of the school. She had listened to Ripa contently while she talked about what happened. They talked for over an hour and when they finally said goodbye, Ms. Brown had left Ripa feeling better and with some good advice on what to say to her mother. Sitting in class, Ripa let her mind wander. She thought of all the things her mother usually nagged her about, Pick up your things, Wash the dishes, Take out the garbage, Dont text so much, Stand up straight, Chew with your mouth closed, Take your dog out, Give your dog a bath, Finish your schoolwork, Clean your room, Do something productive, Dont spend so much time in your room, the list went on and on and on. When the bell rang at the end of the day, she heard someone call her name. Turning, she saw a classmate she had never met before. Hi, my name is Nora. Youre Ripa right? Ripa just nodded. Ive been struggling with math and Ive heard youre good at helping with that. Do you mind showing me how to do the homework? Ripa knew her mother would be waiting for her and expected her to arrive home on time today, but she also knew that she would have to do her schoolwork

10345 and chores when she got there and she didnt want to do that. She was always willing to help others but she found that whenever she tried to do hers nothing went right. Her pencils broke, her paper ripped, and she forgot how to do it. Sure, Said Ripa decisively as she sat down beside the small girl, Nora and began to write. An hour later she returned home with Tiger. It came as no surprise when she found her mother standing in the doorway, waiting patiently to unleash a fresh torrent of *word for scoldin.* Told you to be home on time today, she began, You never listen! Now how will you have time for youre chores and your own schoolwork? Youre so irresponsible It went on like this for several hours longer with the dissatisfied mother following right on Ripas heels. With no escape to the incessant chastisement, Ripa eventually couldnt take it anymore. She took her dog, who was often also targeted for being lazy, and headed toward the woods. Together they ran, weaving through trees and jumping over tree root hurdles, enjoying the sensation of freedom and escape from their current life. When they were both quite out of breath, Ripa slumped against a particularly large trunk to rest. She sighed, I wish I could get away from my mother for real. She sat there until she caught her breath and heard rustling to her left. Sitting up, suddenly alert, she watched as a young girl came out from behind a nearby bush and stepped into the light. She was unlike any person Ripa had eve seen before. Her eyes were bright green and sparkled vibrantly. Every part of her was small, from her height down to her facial features, but she had a certain maturity to her face. Her ears and chin seemed to be slightly pointed and she wore a little cupcake shaped green dress. She motioned for Ripa to follow her and headed further in to the woods. They walked for what seemed like forever, and when they finally stopped, night had fallen. Without the bright sun, Ripa noticed that the girl had a faint glow around her, and when several more almost identical looking girls emerged with different color eyes and dressed, she saw that they too glowed. They all gave her sweet close-mouthed smiles before gathering in a circle around her. They began to glow brighter and brighter until everything went black. When Ripa awoke it was morning and she found herself slumped against the same tree she had rested upon when she saw the strange girl. Figuring it must have been nothing more than a dream she got up, and stretched. Tiger! she called. Come Tiger! When he didnt come she guessed that he had found his way home in the night. The thought of Tiger going home reminded her of her mother. Her mother! Her mother was really going to lose it when Ripa got back from a night spent outside the house. With that thought, she took off running, but when she got into town, things were much different.