The forest stretched out around her, so welcoming and familiar. The leaves and branches reached out towards her as she passed, some old and fading, some new and vibrant. Dark leaves and gnarled branches littered the forest, yet she knew she was strong enough to get past them. Animals peered out through the foliage, many leaving for new forests or only passing through, but many there to stay. Birds chirped, rivers rippled, and the air was crisp and clean. The girl knew that beyond the beauty were poisonous snakes and sly foxes, but for now, they weren’t bothering her. She loved the forest, although it had taken her on some unexpected twists and turns. She would have been happy to stay forever, but it would be time to go soon, and she knew it. 

The forest opened out before her, to a landscape of mountains and valleys. She stopped at the edge of the first mountain, looking back. The forest beckoned to her, her heart aching at the fact that she could never return, at least not in the way she wanted to. The plants and animals seemed to be holding their breath, waiting, seeing what she would do. Then, while some animals stayed behind, others walked up to her. Leaves and branches swirled around her. 

“Go on. We’ll be here.” They urged, following her as she made her first uncertain steps up the mountain. Peace washed over her as she began to climb. The mountains would be difficult, but beyond them lay the valleys. Although she could never return to the forest, a part of it would always be with her, in the form of the animals walking beside her and the leaves floating around her. Behind her, the forest sprawled out, the fields, the hills, the deserts, a reminder of the time that had passed, and the time that hadn’t.

She loved the forest, but she would let it go.

And it would let her go too.