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Dewey landed on Paige’s shoulder again as she stepped onto the stone bridge and hurried across it.
She glanced over her shoulder as she stepped onto the trail again. “Made it. One obstacle down.”
“Yep. Let’s keep moving.”
Paige nodded and continued down the path toward the signpost at the fork. They found the direction for the Forest of Isolation, taking the path through a flat valley to a large grassy knoll.
As they reached the foot of the hill, the sun peeked over the horizon.
“Seriously?” Paige asked as she pushed her hands against her thighs to climb.
“I imagine the book version said something like, ‘It took the better part of the night for them to cross the valley.’”
“It’s just weird,” Paige said as she sucked in breaths from the exertion.
“Almost there,” Dewey announced as they neared the crest.
The sun rose higher overhead, brightening the landscape around them.
Paige climbed to the top and shielded her eyes, gazing ahead. “Oh, wow!”
Dewey’s grip tightened on her shoulder as he stared at the forest spreading out in front of them. “That must be the Forest of Isolation.”
“Really?” Paige questioned, her brows knitting as she flicked her gaze at him. “That’s the Forest of Isolation?”
“I’d guess so. The sign said it was this way.”
Paige eyed the vast and colorful woods. “It looks…enchanting! Like a fairy tale. Or Candyland.”
In the early morning sun, the pastel-colored trees sparkled as though made of crystals. Bright glints of pink, purple, and blue burst from the forest.
A grin spread on Paige’s face as she started her descent down the hill toward the forest. “I wonder if trees have candy on them. Like gumdrops and candy fruit slices.”
Dewey frowned. “I’m not as convinced as you are that a forest known for isolation will have candy trees.”
Paige thrust her hand toward their destination. “Dewey, look at this place! It’s like a fun, whimsical playhouse.”
Dewey wrinkled his nose, his horns wiggling. “Then why is it called the Forest of Isolation?”
“Maybe because the forest itself is isolated from other things,” Paige replied.
“We’ll see,” Dewey murmured as they approached the edge.
“Oh, wow! It’s even prettier up close. Are the trees made of glass? Or crystal?” Paige ran her hand up and down the shiny orangish bark.
Dewey glanced at the crooked sign stuck into the ground next to the path leading into the forest’s depths. “Forest of Isolation. Woe to all who go here.”
Paige joined him, grimacing at the skull painted next to the warning.
She wandered back to a tree and pulled a lollipop from the foliage. “Maybe they mean woe to your waistline. Mmm, strawberry.”
“Paige!” Dewey huffed at her. “Did you just pick something off of a tree and eat it?”
“Yeah, and I’m going to eat another one,” Paige mumbled around the bits of candy she crunched. “I’m starving.”
“Stop eating stuff. We have no idea what might be in that. It could be poisonous!”
Paige chewed up the last bits of the lollipop and tossed the crystal stem to the ground. “I’m already dying, first off, and second, I’m starving. I can’t believe you’re not. You eat way more than me.”
