Magic in These Parts

Maylea and Wren laid out their blanket on the floor of the forest. The leaves beneath crunched as Wren set down a heavy basket full of the contents of her mom’s kitchen. Carefully, she removed each item from the basket, placing it on a specific spot on the blanket. Once everything was laid out and ready to be eaten, Maylea and Wren plopped themselves down and started dividing everything up, making two little piles on either side of the blanket. The girls ate their lunch mostly in silence, not wanting to disturb the peace of the forest.

Light filtered through the trees and cast dark shadows over everything below them. Birds dove from the branches, making attempts at the little picnic. Every so often, a slight breeze would come along and send cool autumn air brushing through the leaves. When the wind touched the leaves on the aspens, they would flutter around enough to make it look like they were shining. Hence why they earned the name ‘shimmer trees’ from the girls.

Once they had finished off most of the food and put the containers back in the basket, Maylea suggested they explore the woods. Wren happily agreed and they left their safe little picnic spot. They wandered deeper into the woods, farther than their mothers would ever allow, and explored every crevice of the forest. They found acorns wedged in tree trunks and skeleton leaves floating from the sky. Wren found a small stick that, when she snapped it, contained a small heart shape in the middle. Maylea spent the better part of an hour climbing trees and swinging off of low branches.

It was getting late in the afternoon when Wren went to toss small twigs into a trickling creek flowing through the woods. She drifted away from Mayela and, one by one, started throwing her sticks in the water. A flash of something white distracted her from the task at hand. It was a large thing, seemingly covered in fur and weaving between branches. It lasted only for a moment, disappearing into the collection of trees across the creek.

“Hey Maylea, come here,” Wren called, searching for the white again.

Maylea came rushing over, her arms full of sticks to dispose of into the creek. Wren pointed across the water and explained the white flash. Once Wren finished, Maylea’s eyes widened and she insisted that they go in search of whatever it was. Wren hesitated at first, not wanting to arrive home hours after her curfew. With much pleading from Maylea, Wren finally caved and the girls set out on their adventure.

The forest was different on the other side of the creek. It was denser, with most sunlight being blocked by the canopy above. Almost everything seemed either dead or dying and Wren could tell it had been years since there was any green grass. Maylea led the way, now occasionally seeing the white creature herself. Wren stayed close by, trying to shake the growing feeling of unease in her stomach. With little luck in encountering the creature, both girls decided that had been enough adventure and it was time to return home. They hiked back to their picnic spot, tromping through the rough terrain of the forest, when finally, they made it back.

Wren’s mother had gotten upset, and understandably so. Both Wren and Maylea had returned to their homes far after the sun had set and the bats had come out to play. The girls had arranged to meet the next day by the creek, right where they were the day before. And that is where Wren found Maylea, tossing sticks in the water and watching them float slowly down the stream.

Wren frowned and marched up to Maylea, tapping her on the shoulder. “My mom was really mad,” she said firmly, glaring.

Maylea only offered a goofy smile and replied, “I have a plan but we gotta do it quickly.” Without elaborating, Maylea ran off to the dark side of the woods and started collecting logs. She snapped branches off trees, sending loud echoes bouncing off their trunks. Once Wren joined in, Maylea explained that they were going to build a fort. But not just any fort; one that will draw the white creature in.

They spent long hours building their stick tent. Big, heavy logs were used as the base of their fort, and smaller, thin sticks were stacked on top of that. By the time they were done, both girls were covered in leaves and twigs, but entirely satisfied with their creation.

Maylea took a step back to admire their work, when she spotted something shiny on the forest floor. She scooped it up carefully with both hands, admiring the small pendant. “This must belong to the white thing!” she exclaimed excitedly. Wren looked over Maylea’s shoulder at the necklace. It was a small mental fairy dangling from a rusted chain. Maylea held it cautiously before setting it in the middle of their fort. “This will go perfectly with all the other stuff I brought,” Maylea said confidently. She swung a small backpack off her shoulder and emptied its contents by the necklace.

“Bread?” Wren asked, shooting Maylea a confused glance.

Maylea nodded quickly. “I assumed that fuzzy white thing only has dead things to eat, so I thought, why not bring him some bread?”

Wren and Maylea waited the rest of the afternoon for the creature, only seeing it periodically dashing through the trees. Every time, it appeared more and more mystical, only willing to be seen in short glances. Wren suggested that the creature must be the ruler of everything in the forest and it protected it from all the bad things. Maylea came up with the idea that fairies rode around on it, and that’s why it had dropped a fairy necklace. Whatever the true explanation was, the girls were convinced it was something magical, that only the forest would be able to contain.

Another day grew late and the sun started slowly inching towards the horizon. Both girls returned home, full of ideas and stories to tell their families.

Of course, their ideas weren’t largely accepted. Wren’s mother told her it was a cute story. Her father laughed and suggested she spend less time in the woods. Maylea’s family had similar reactions, with neither parent encouraging her to explore the forest more. And so, both Maylea and Wren agreed to stay away from the forest. Instead of spending days running through leaves and sun, they spent their days with books in their hands and ideas in their heads.

Although they stayed far from the forest, the mystery still pulled them in. Wren thought about the woods nearly every day, wondering if she’d ever discover the answers to her questions. One day, she grew tired of waiting and ran over to Maylea's house, not two blocks away. When Maylea opened the door, Wren pulled her onto the porch and quickly whispered a plan in her ear, before dashing back to her home.

In the late hours of the night, Maylea slung her backpack over her shoulder and slowly crept to the front door. Once she had escaped her house, she ran to the woods as fast as she could. The air of the forest at night was much colder and only worsened as she got increasingly closer to the creek. She stopped suddenly, seeing Wren standing on the other side, holding a camping lantern. It gave her an eerie glow, like she belonged with the white beast.

Their fort still stood in the same spot, untouched by the elements. However, all the bread inside was gone, and the only left was that faded old necklace. The girls set it outside their tent and huddled together inside, waiting for their creature. They watched the wind on the other side of the creek make the shimmer trees sparkle, while everything on their side stayed obstinately still. In the first few hours of the morning, Wren was lulled to sleep by the gentle sounds of the forest-dwelling birds resting in the shimmering trees. Very soon after, even with her best attempts not to do so, Maylea fell asleep, resting her head on her lumpy backpack.

The sunrise couldn’t be seen from inside the forest; only the gentle light and soft sounds it brought. Wren was awake first, staring at the ground in front of the fort. Once Maylea awoke, they both gazed in awe at the shining pendant, no longer rusted, accompanied by a large chunk of white fur and a gigantic muddy paw print. Maylea took the necklace from the ground and climbed the tallest tree she could find, hanging the necklace carefully from the top. With that, they packed up, scattered the sticks that made up their tent, and headed home.

Before they split ways, Wren turned to Maylea and said quietly, “We’re the only ones who will know this ever happened.” Maylea nodded slowly and they both turned to go home.

Years later, Wren took a peaceful stroll by the creek in the woods, all alone. She listened to the sound of the playful birds and watched the trees above her shimmer in the sunlight. Wren never did see the white creature again, but she knew that one upon a time, she too believed there was magic in this world.