“It can’t be true no! Leslie is not dead I know she is not!” I cry out.

“Son I know it’s hard but the rope was torn, they found blood on near by rock-”
“Did they find the body?” I interrupt my dad, feeling spark of hope making my heart beat faster. All I hear is silence. “Did they find a body? I ask once more through gritted teeth.

“No I don’t believe so. Jess Aarons don’t!” He yells, but it’s too late. I’m sprinting out of the house towards the hanging rope. I get there surprisingly fast. I spot the branch with the torn rope that hangs over the flooded river; my hands start to shake.
“Leslie…” I whisper. My eyes start to roam for a way to get across. I shut my eyes. Think. Think. What would Leslie do? I’m getting frustrated, I run along the river bank to find a fallen tree, perfect. I slowly make my way across the river. My eyesight locked towards the forest looking for any sign of her blonde hair. “Come on Leslie I know you are not dead.” I talk to myself. “Leslie!” I yell. I feel the wind start to pick up. “Leslie!” I yell once more. I start to frantically run as fast as my feet would take me. “LESLIE!” I scream as loud as I possibly could. I feel something wet down fall down my face. I fall to my knees as soon as I realized that it was tears streaming down my face.
I blink a few times trying to not let the light bother me I get up from my bed watching as my sister May Belle is still sound asleep. I move quietly trying not to wake her. Once I get outside I glance over to the neighbor’s house and shocked when I see Leslie’s parents getting all of their items into a moving truck.

“Hey Mr. Burke, are you guys moving?” I ask oblivious to them moving things out the house.


“Yeah in a few days” he replied with no emotion.


“Oh, have you seen P.T.? I asked looking around for her dog that I got her for troll hunting.


“He’s inside the house”
he replied with sadness washing over his face.

“I- ah I am- I was wondering if I could keep him? I stutter.



















“No! I mean no- I- I was thinking about giving him to you but he reminds me so much of her, and I
don’t want to let her go.”

“Oh, I understand, I guess I’ll see you around” I say walking off.

I got in the forest and sit on a long log. I see green and brown surroundings. The wind starts to pick up. I hear it whooshing all around me. The Terabithians! Maybe they can help. I rush over to our treehouse getting on to the highest branch. “Terabithians I need your help! Give me a sign to help me find your queen Leslie!” All of the sudden I hear leafs crushing and see a white rabbit jumping near a tree. I hurry down the treehouse but once I got to the tree the rabbit was no longer in sight. I search the ground for a clue, anything to find her. I dig through the loose dirt and find a footstep mark in the ground. I keep moving the earth before me to find that the footsteps lead to the tree as if they are moving through the tree. “What the heck?” I look up towards the branches I know for sure no one could get that high without any support. Frustrated I kick the tree and I hear a crumple. I see a crack. I grab a rock and hit the bark as hard as I can. I pull on the bark to reveal a hole inside the tree. I stick my head in first. There is a passageway in the ground; big enough for a grown man to fall into. I am sitting on the ground staring towards the passage.




I hold my shoulder and close my eyes. I fall in and after what seems like long enough. I open my eyes to see a single lantern gleaming in this space swallowed by the earth. I stand up to a surface perpendicular to where the passageway is. I peer over my shoulder and see what I would never hope to see.

















I walk towards the tied up body. I see her blonde hair, I have found her. I grab the rope thats tying her. “Leslie” I say sitting her up. “Are you okay?” Something that I had not previously noticed was that she was still unconscious. “Leslie, Leslie wake up.” I shake her arms.





“Hmm… Jess?” her voice quietly whispering. She slowly rubs her eyes. She’s looking around trying to understand this strange new location. There’s not much in this small room beside a crawl space leading towards a dull light “Lets head out this way there is light coming from it.” Leslie states getting up.














“Okay lets go, but I’m going first” I say protectively. I slowly walk over to the small space and wall into what feels like a wall its being illuminated by yet another lantern but its a dead end. Were stuck here. I look around to find any other way out.
“Jess look at the wall it looks smooth.” She walks to her right. “It’s a mirror! Maybe we can move it.” she says while putting her weight on one side of the mirror. “Help me, don’t just stand there.” she remarks mockingly.
After we pushed the mirror to be able to slide it, we see and the sky, revealing a big area but we can’t see much past the tall think green bushes. We’re in a maze. We start following the trail walking in the direction we think it is. “ Leslie how did you end up inside the tree?”


“Well remember when we first came to Terabithia we heard chains rattling in the distance?” she questions while we keep on walking and into a dead end, we turn back.

“Yea” I reply.
“I don’t remember much but I saw this black figure following me and suddenly it started running towards me chanting over and over that we will rule Terabithia for no longer. Thats when I was being tied up and I blacked out while I could hear his chains rattling against each other in the background.”

“So you didn’t see who it was?”



“It was obviously a prisoner of Terabithia but besides the black ripped clothing it was wearing I didn't see much. HEY look its a tree branch” She says pointing up into the distance. I dont see the end though.” Shes right all that I could see where bushes too tall to even attempt to look over and forget about climbing it. “ I do know that we do need to find the end soon look at the sky the clouds are coming in.”

I look up to see the the dark grey clouds coming in setting in over the scattered clouds. I wonder if























my parents are searching for me. We keep walking after what seems like tons of dead ends and turning back. We start to see some trees getting closer and starting to see the horizon past the forest.


“Jess we made it, now i can go back to my home!” Shes says ecstatic. Ohhhh, I still have to tell her what happened back home.



“Umm… Leslie, your parents think you are dead in fact everyone thinks you are dead.” I mutter.
“What?! Why would they think that? Jess if this is a joke its not funny.”

“Les, I’m not kidding the rope was torn they couldn’t find you, they thought you had drowned.”

“Why aren't they looking for me then?”

“Leslie you have been gone for more than a week. Your parents are moving away we need to get








back as soon as possible.” I felt a small drop on my face I look up the clouds are getting closer.
“Were in the middle of a forest how are we supposed to find where we-”

“Shhh- can you hear that” I interrupt hearing barking.
“Is that P.T.?” she asks.


“I don’t know lets follow it.” I say sprinting towards it. Leslie following by my side. After the the barking gets closer we find ourselves finding the river. P.T. barking from the other side.
“How are we going to get across?” she questions.





“Come with me I found a way across earlier.” We walk until we find the fallen tree. Once we get over she grabs Prince Terrian and starts running me towards the road with both of our houses. While running we see a old lady in the distance walking by herself carrying an umbrella. She looks familiar. I shrug it off. When we start see our houses in the distance we each run our own way. I run into the kitchen. The table is gone thats weird. “Mom I’m home! Mom?” I run upstairs to my room. I walk into an empty room. “Ellie?! Brenda?! May Belle?! Joyce?! Dad?!” No response the house is empty, abandoned. I run outside to find Leslie running out the door. No cars in the driveway. I start to feel cold and wet. Its pouring.
“Jess the house is deserted no sign of them ever being here” concern filling her voice. The old lady walks over to us.





















“Don’t you kids need to get home?” she asks opening her umbrella.
“Yeah we live over there but no one is home.” I say.

















“Hun, I’m not that gullible nobody has lived for almost fifty years now.”
“What?” My eyes widen in shock I turn to see Leslie with the same face.”


“What is your name?” I ask not believing this crazy lady.

“May Belle. May Belle Aarons.”