The grass was a rich shade of turquoise and the trees the most enticing shade of green you could ever imagine. The ground smelled of apples and as you walked, you would feel a sudden pull as if someone were tugging at the very bottom of your pants only to look down and see little green creatures with tiny horns smiling up at you. When you looked up at the sky, you would see birds of all colours and, if you were really lucky, a pegasus flying magnificently through the yellow tear-shaped clouds.

??Little Bree walked through the wood, stopping momentarily to feel the tree barks of every tree she passed. She skipped along, making sure not to harm the little green creatures at her feet, swung around the tree vines and often stopped to gaze at the sky hoping she was lucky enough to catch sight of the rare flying horse.

“You’re adorable, Bree. I like her,” a voice said.

“Oh I love her too! Do come more often, Bree,” another said.

“Please don’t leave too soon.”

??Bree, frightened after hearing voices from no one in particular, fleeted through the wood, trying to find a way out. She ran with her eyes focused on the ground, still worried she might harm the little green creatures and consequently, bumped into a tall, hard figure and crashed onto the soft grass.

“Careful, little girl. You’re lucky the grass is soft,” she heard the figure say.

??Bree looked up to the tall figure only to see that he wasn’t as tall as she thought he was. He was rather short in fact, and when Bree stood up and dusted herself off, she saw that the little man was even shorter than she was. The man had a round and chubby face with a pointed nose and even pointier ears. He wore a turquoise jumpsuit, the exact shade as the grass, with a white tophat.

“What are you?” the man asked her.

“What am I? What are you?” she replied pointing at him.

“My name’s Mr Oak. They call me that because I live in an oak tree down by Wood Nymph Waterfall,” he chimed looking proud of himself.

“My name’s Bree. What’s a Wood Nymph?”

“You’ve never heard of one? Oh, but you must have!” he exclaimed.

??Bree shaked her head.

“Oh, wood nymphs are beautiful creatures, just like you, who live by the waterfall. They care for the animals in the wood. Oh my, I’ve forgotten! Oh Aurelia, forgive me!”

“What?”

“I was in the middle of playing hide and seek with Aurelia. She’s a wood nymph too! You’ll love her! Would you like to play too?”

“Oh yes! I love hide and seek.”

“Magnificent! Come along then.”

??Mr Oak swung Bree’s hand through his and ran with her through the wood. They ran so fast Bree felt she was flying and the little green creatures moved out to create a path for them. They ran for as long as they could until they could no longer feel their legs and eventually collapsed onto the ground together laughing.

“Don’t worry, I hear Aurelia’s laughter. She can’t be too far.” Mr Oak said turning on his back.

“But we’re not hiding!” Bree laughed.

“Oh, but my jumpsuit blends perfectly with the grass. That’s why I wear it. Hey, your brown dress is such a beautiful colour, it matches beautifully with the trees!”

“Oh yes, it does!” Bree stood up and ran to shield herself behind a tree.

“Can’t be long now!” Mr Oak called.

??Bree hid quietly behind the tree and from the corner of her eyes, saw a fair skinned, tall and beautiful woman walk to where Mr Oak was lying down and pretend to not see him. She wore a long and flowy dress made out of dried leaves and had a crown of thorns and dead flowers and never would anyone have thought that withered and dead things could become something so marvelous. She had long wavy auburn hair which was complemented perfectly by the crown she wore and on her back, had little wings that fluttered a little as she walked and looked so fragile that if she touched them they would break.

“Hmm, I wonder where Mr Oak has gotten to,” she said stroking her chin and then looked down and acted surprised. “Oh, there he is.”

“Your acting’s gotten rather exceptional lately,” he said.

“Why of course it has. Hang on, there’s someone else here, isn’t there?” she said as she walked over to the tree I hid behind.

“I can tell by the soft giggles I hear,” she said as Bree struggled to control her laughter.

??And then, without any warning, Aurelia popped behind the tree and wrapped her arms around Bree tightly and lifted her off the ground. Bree heard the sound of Aurelia’s wings fluttering as she was lifted higher and higher into the air. Before long, they were high enough to touch the yellow clouds and Bree could see the enchanted wood as a whole. It was a stunning sight for sore eyes to see the mixture of the shades of greens and turquoise from so high up.

“Hello, Bree! My name’s Aurelia. I absolutely love your braids, you must teach me how you do it sometime,” Aurelia chimed.

“Hello Aurelia! You have awfully pretty hair. Mine’s black and boring so I can only make it pretty by braiding it. I’ll show you how if you make me a flower crown just like yours!” Bree said.

“Oh, no Bree! Your hair’s exquisite. I’ve only seen ravens as shiny as a black as that. It’s a deal!”

“Hey guys!” a voice yelled.

??Bree looked to her left to see that it was Mr Oak. He was up in the air too! He was riding a pegasus. A pegasus! It was big and just as stunning as she always taught it would be. It was white in colour and had a blonde tail and big gold wings. It looked like an angel to her and she couldn’t help but beam with joy.

“Would you like to ride on one, too?” Aurelia offered.

“Oh yes, Aurelia! Do you think I could?” Bree exclaimed.

??Aurelia whistled a piercing whistle and, almost in an instant, another pegasus appeared next to her. She placed Bree onto the pegasus, making sure she held tightly onto the creature before letting go of her.

??Bree held onto the elegant creature she’d always dreamed of riding, appreciating every little detail about it. She loved its white fur that was whiter than snow and so white that it seemed nonexistent. Its big gold wings looked as if they were carved of marble and felt so feathery and light that they seemed too delicate to hold a whole body in the air. It was everything and more that Bree had ever dreamed of.

??After countless hours of flying and laughing at the jokes Mr Oak made in the air, they had landed onto the grass and smelt the familiar smell of apples they were so used to. The three unlikely friends sat down in a circle while Bree braided Aurelia’s hair and Mr Oak talked about one of his brothers who lived where the pegasus’ did.

“Bree, have you had a wonderful day?” a voice said.

“Bree, do visit us again soon,” another said.

“We’ll miss you too much, Bree. You can’t leave!”

“Oh no, it’s those voices again. They keep following me!” Bree trembled.

“Voices?” said Mr Oak.

“Oh, no Bree! Those are the trees. They don’t talk very much usually. They must like you,” said Aurelia.

“T-t-the trees?” Bree stuttered.

“Yes, of course! Look at them, they’re waving their braches at you. They don’t want you to go.”

??And just as Aurelia had said, if you looked closely enough, you could very much see the trees waving their braches at Bree, upset that she had to leave.

“Do you have to go?” Aurelia said.

“I must. Mother’s probably worried sick,” Bree replied.

“Promise you’ll come back? I must take you to the waterfalls someday,” Mr Oak said.

“I will, I promise! I still need to teach Aurelia how to braid her hair!” Bree said.

So Bree left the enchanted wood and went home to a very angry mother who was upset she stayed out for too long. She said goodbye to Aurelia and Mr Oak and the tress, not forgetting the little green creatures and promised she would return before long. But she never did. She soon forgot all about the enchanted wood she loved so much. The magical memories she built in the wood never came back to her nor did she try to recall them. She grew up, became successful and lived in a world where such lands only existed in books and pictures.