In Another Forest

They walked for what felt like half an hour. Calla couldn’t tell because she discovered quickly that her phone wasn’t working. She wasn’t even able to turn it on. Whenever she pressed the power button the screen would stay a dull black. It wouldn’t even flicker yet she kept taking it out of her bag. She hadn’t taken it out before because she didn’t want to see her lack of notifications. Now that it could be useful it was failing her.

Augustus the wolf looked back at her and tilted his large head. “What do you have there?”

“It's my cell phone.”

“A cell… phone?” he tilted his head in the other direction.

“You know, a device that allows me to keep in touch with other people and to access the Internet almost wherever. Not here though.” She said quickly. “Do you not have something like that here?”

The wolf shook his head. “No. Some people use magic to send messages to people, but most can’t. Wolves can just howl to get the attention of others, but I won’t demonstrate that to you no matter how much you ask.”

“Okay.” She quietly wondered if he got asked often to howl. Maybe she could ask his friend. “What’s your friend like?”

“Oh, he’s great, really nice. His name is Manny.” His tail began to wag as he spoke, and then after he said his friend's name it started to droop. “There’s one thing you should know before we get to his house. He is currently being imprisoned by a powerful witch. You will need to convince her to let him go. I would do it myself, but she doesn’t like me much.”

She stopped. “If she’s a powerful witch then why do you think I will be able to convince her to let him go?”

He turned around. “Because she can be convinced just like any being. I wouldn’t call her impossible to persuade. Just tell her that you need Manny’s help and she should just let him go to help you. There is nothing to worry about. Now let’s hurry. I’m sure that you want to be able to return to wherever you came from as soon as possible.”

“Of course.” She nodded quickly.

They continued to walk until they came to a small clearing in the forest filled with many types of wildflowers. She could recognize some of them from around her town. There were bright pink trillium flowers and deep purple irises. There were even some orchids mixed in. In the middle of the clearing sat a tree. Its large roots rested deep in the ground like a spider’s legs and its trunk reached towards the forest's canopy. The trunk looked a lot like a baobab tree, like a tall lump sticking out of the ground. There was even a door and a few windows carved into it. The door was currently closed.

Augustus stopped at the edge of the clearing. “I can’t get any closer or else she will detect me. Just walk up to the door and knock on it. Good luck.”

She felt a wave of nervousness flow through her. Just what had she gotten herself into? “Okay. I’ll be back here as soon as I’m done.”

She stepped carefully into the clearing, sparing only a glance at the large shadowy wolf who was hiding among the trees. There was a path through the flowers that allowed her to move through them without trampling on them even if a few of them looked to have already been trampled by someone else, but the path was narrow. She had to move carefully. Finally, she had reached the door. She took a moment to prepare herself for whatever she was about to face before lifting her hand to the door.

“No buts. You will stay here until you replace me.” A woman’s voice drifted through the door. Before Calla’s hand touched the door she pulled it away and just listened to make sure she wasn’t going to be interrupting anything.

“But mother, I’ve been working on something in the forest. I need to go finish it. Besides how can you expect me to take your place if I have no experience.” This voice sounded like a young boy.

“You’re plenty experienced already. I can’t have you defacing yourself like that again. You need to be here so you can be safe. What did I say about buts?”

The boy sighed. “No buts.”

“Yes, no buts. Now be quiet. We have a guest and I’m sure they’re already nervous enough.”

“Augustus?” The boy asked quickly.

“Wastes no. Not that wolf.” Calla could hear the anger in her voice. She could hear footsteps getting closer. Then suddenly the door opened. Startles, Calla took a step back.

“Why hello there. I am Greunnheks, a witch of the forest and dust. I keep watch over the barrier of dust and make sure that it always produces nothing but dust. What can I do for you little one?” the witch was tall and looked as though she was made from a tree. Her skin was smooth bark. Her hair was like hanging leaves growing from her head. They were deep green like the leaves she would have expected to see around her house in the summer. Not like most of the other leaves in this forest.

“Um, hi.” She took a deep breath. Her brain tried to force her to run, but she stayed. She had to stay. It was the only way she could see forward. “I’m Calla. I need Manny’s help.”

The witch crouched down and looked into her eyes. “And why not my help? I am the green witch. I hold far more power than my sun.” The wooden eyes widened. “Ah. You are a person made of flesh.

We don’t see many people made of flesh around here. You’re the first one I’ve seen.”

Calla looked down. “You’re the first tree person I’ve seen.”

The witch laughed. “Am I? Well, I’m sure that you will see more people like me in the forest.”

“I need Manny because I’m not where I’m supposed to be. This is the wrong forest for me. I need someone who knows the area.”

“I know the area.” The witch grinned. Her teeth were sharp.

“But don’t you have a job to do?”

The witch stopped smiling. “Well… yes I do, but…”

“Then you can’t exactly help me out, can you? You need to watch the barrier. Your son doesn’t have to watch it though.”

She blinked.

“He can help me and then he can return here. Everything will be okay.” Calla felt pride in how well she was doing despite speaking to such a scary creature.

“Why do you want to take my son away from me?” Greunnheks placed a clawlike finger on Calla’s cheek. “Is it that wolf? Did he put you up to this? He did, didn’t he? I can sense him all over you.” Her eyes narrowed as she dug the claw into her cheek.

Calla trembled. This was how it was going to end. She was going to die because went to ask for help based on what someone else had told her to do. She wished she had just gone on her own, that she had found her way through this forest. Yet if she had gone her own way, she wouldn’t have known to run from the barrier. She wouldn’t have lasted this long. She shut her eyes.

“Mother.” A child’s voice cried. She felt the claw pull away from her skin. Her cheek felt cold.

When Calla opened her eyes again there was a small person, about three feet tall. He looked like one of those simple mannequins used for sketching. He had a flat face formed of two planes. His hands were shaped like chisels. One hand was resting on the witch’s wrist.

“Mother.” He repeated. “Stop this. Can’t you see that she is not from the forest? She is someplace else, someplace strange. She just wants help.”

The witch gave her another close look. “So you’re correct. I’m sorry. It’s just that I don’t want my son to leave again. Last time he was gone for months and then he returned with his face painted. It looked ridiculous. I had to sand it all off. You must understand.”

Calla simply nodded. She didn’t want to say anything else.

“Mother, you have to let me go. I think I’m the only one who can help her.”

The witch looked between the two of them and then sighed. “Fine, but under one condition. I will curse her so that if you don’t return she will turn into a tree and never leave this forest again. Then you had better hope she doesn’t become a tree on the ground or else she will eventually turn to dust. Do you accept, oh son of mine?”

He nodded. “Of course, but shouldn’t she be—”

Before he could finish the witch grabbed Calla’s hand and squeezed tightly. Calla pulled it away and it was freed easily. Her wrist felt numb and when she looked down at it, she could see a bark-like texture to the skin there. Her eyes widened in terror.

“Now off you go. I don’t want him out longer than he needs to be.”

“B-But…” she stammered.

The wooden child grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the doorway and away from the house. “Come along now. I’m sorry about my mother, she can get pretty inconsiderate. That’s why I like to be outside of the hut.”

“She was something.” Calla looked back and watched as the hut rose from the ground. It was held up by its roots and it began to move like a spider as it moved further away from the barrier of dust. She had never seen anything like it.

“She is. The hut is also quite something, but at the moment it’s hers. When it is mine I’m sure that I will like it more.”