There was a little girl. She had wispy red hair and sparkling blue eyes. Constellations of freckles dotted her pale cheeks. She lived in the middle of the deep, dark woods with her mother, far away from the townspeople. Her mother, with the same wispy red hair and sparkling blue eyes, kept her safe and snug in the middle of the deep, dark forest. She never let her leave the house, for it was far too dangerous.

“Mother, could I just go outside for a little while?” the Forest Girl pleaded. “I will be alright.”

“No, darling,” Mother answered. “It isn’t safe out there for a little girl.”

The Forest Girl peered out the window and wondered what was out there that was so bad. Were there big, green monsters and fire breathing dragons? Were there hungry, gray wolves that would gobble a little girl right up?

All day long the Forest Girl read books about the forest. She knew all the names of the trees and their leaves. She knew all about the animals, where they live, and what they eat. She knew more about the forest than any kid in the town school, without ever stepping outside, in the deep, dark forest.

One night, after the sun went down, and the moon shined bright in the sky, Mother was fast asleep, and the Forest Girl laid there not able to sleep. Suddenly, she felt a cool breeze against her cheek. She got out of bed and looked around. A fire was burning in the fireplace to keep them warm. It pierced its light into the dark corners of the cabin. She followed the flickering light trying to find the source of the cool breeze. That’s when she saw the door of the cabin wide open.

The Forest Girl tip toed over to the open door. “Who left this open?” she wondered. She peeked outside the door, too tempted to resist. “Oh, I’ll just go out for a little while. It will be alright.” She put on her coat and hat, grabbed a lantern, and shut the door behind her.

She ventured forth into the deep, dark forest. The snow crunched underneath her heavy boots. It was dark. The only light came from her lantern and the moon that hung high in the sky, but she was not afraid. She knew everything about the forest.

As she walked, she saw a brown, furry squirrel scampering up a tall tree. It flicked its long tail at her. A white rabbit peeked out curiously from behind a tree. She had never seen animals in real life before, only in her books.

Suddenly, she heard a sound she had never heard before. Ka-kaw! Ka-kaw! She looked up into a tree and saw a black crow sitting on a branch. “Hello crow,” she said and continued walking into the deep, dark forest.

As she walked through the deep, crunchy snow, a green snake with a long tongue stretched down out of the branches of a tall tree to take a peek at the Forest Girl. “Hello snake,” the Forest Girl said. The snake slithered back. The Forest Girl kept walking further into the deep, dark woods.

She walked through the forest until she saw an orange fox. “Hello fox,” the Forest Girl said. The fox looked back at her, and the Forest Girl kept wandering into the deep, dark forest.

The Forest Girl kept walking until she heard the sound of crunching leaves on the Earth. “What could that be?” she thought. She walked toward the sound, not scared at all, and saw a big, furry, brown bear. “Hello bear,” she said. The bear softly growled in response, and the Forest Girl walked on. The bear followed behind. She turned around.

“Bear, are you following me?” she asked.

“Yes I am,” replied the Bear. “Hop up on my back and let me take you on a ride.”

The Forest Girl climbed up onto the bear’s back. “How can you talk?” asked the Forest Girl, curiously. “My books didn’t say bears could talk.”

The bear just laughed with his deep bear voice. “I am taking you to someone who will help you get the Soul of the Forest. It was stolen by the king and queen.”

“What is the Soul of the Forest?” asked the Forest Girl.

“It is the life of the forest,” said the bear. “Without it, the forest and all life within will die.”

As they walked, two gray wolves peered out from behind a tree with their big, yellow eyes.

“Don’t be afraid,” said the bear. “They won’t hurt you.”

“I am not afraid,” said the Forest Girl.

Suddenly, the Forest Girl heard a rustling noise. She turned to see an archer standing behind a tree.

“Watch out!” said the Forest Girl to the bear. “He will hurt us! Run!”

“Do not worry,” said the bear. “He will not hurt us. He is the Protector of the Forest.”

The Protector of the Forest smiled. “I will not hurt you. I am here to help you get back the Soul of the Forest.”

“But how?” asked the Forest Girl.

The archer replied, “You must go with my son to take the Soul of the Forest from the king and queen and return it to the forest.”

A boy came out from behind a tree, with red wispy hair, big green eyes, and a constellation of freckles dotting his pale cheeks.

“Hurry now, go!” said the Protector of the Forest.

The Forest Girl followed the boy towards a big leaf sitting upon the ground. The boy and the Forest Girl climbed into the leaf. Then they went high up into the night sky. They flew so high, the trees in the forest looked like tiny ants. Black, deep water was surrounding the forest with its waves crashing against tall cliffs and upon the sandy shoreline.

“Look, there’s the town!” the boy exclaimed.

“I have never seen it before,” admitted the Forest Girl.

They got lower and closer to the town in their leaf balloon.

“The castle is on the edge of town, so we have to go down there.”

“We have to go into the town?” the Forest Girl asked with fear.

“Yes,” said the boy. “But it will be alright. Do not be afraid.”

Soon, they were directly above the town. The Forest Girl shook nervously. They lowered the leaf balloon down to the ground and got out. The Forest Girl looked around at the great, big town with its hundreds of houses all tight in a row. There were no trees and no animals in sight. She had never seen anything like it.

“Look, there’s the castle wall,” pointed the boy.

“The Forest Girl shined her lantern up to look at the stone wall and saw a creature.

The Forest Girl gasped, “What is that?”

“That is just a bush carved into an animal,” said the boy. “Look, here’s another one. It’s a bear.”

“Why don’t they have real animals?” she asked.

“The townspeople are afraid of the animals, so they make fake ones instead.”

“How sad,” sighed the Forest Girl.

Soon, they arrived at the castle gate. The Forest Girl shined her lantern up to get a good look. “How will we get inside to find the Soul of the Forest?” she asked.

“I have the key,” said the boy. He took off his acorn necklace, then stuck the acorn into the key hole. Then, he pushed open the big, heavy door. “My father said the Soul of the Forest is up at the top of a tall tower,” said the boy. “That one must be it.” He pointed to a tall, stone tower with a red pointed top.

The boy and the Forest Girl climbed to the top of the tower. When they reached the top of the tower, they entered a tiny room with open windows on all sides. Suddenly a girl appeared.

“Who are you?” asked the boy to the girl with jet black hair and green eyes.

“I am the Soul of the Forest,” she replied.

Suddenly, a fire breathing dragon appeared, blowing steaming hot fire from its mouth filled with razor sharp teeth.

“The dragon has been guarding this tower, keeping me locked inside,” said the Soul of the Forest. “We have to escape!”

The dragon roared, smoke fuming from its nostrils. The Soul of the Forest and the boy started to run down the long flight of stairs out of the tower, but the Forest Girl stayed behind.

“I have to defeat the dragon,” she said, ready to defend.

Fire poured from the dragon’s mouth just as a bird flew over the Forest Girl. The fiery blast hit the bird, then bounced back unexpectedly and hit the dragon. He fell straight to the ground, defeated by his own weapon.

The Forest Girl ran down the long flight of stairs to the bottom of the tower to the boy and the Soul of the Forest.

“Hurray!” shouted the boy. “You were so brave.”

The boy, the Soul of the Forest, and the Forest Girl, escaped the castle, and the town, and climbed aboard a boat made from leaves. They sailed back to the forest.

Finally, they returned to the deep, dark forest where the tall trees grow and the animals roam. A wolf howled from the distance and the Protector of the Forest appeared.

“You did it!” he shouted. “I knew you could!”

The Forest Girl turned to look at the Soul of the Forest, but she was gone. Only a ball of white light was in her place. The Forest Girl was confused. The Protector of the Forest handed her a glass jar. The Forest Girl scooped up the white glowing light and held the jar in her hands.

“What do we do now?” asked the Forest Girl.

“I will show you,” said the Protector of the Forest as he took the jar.

He sat the jar down upon the ground, and one by one wolves appeared around the Soul of the Forest. They howled in unison up at the dark, starry sky.

Hoot hoot! went the sound of an owl. The Forest Girl looked into the deep blue eyes of the brown forest owl. “Hello owl,” she said. Then, the owl disappeared and a woman took its place. It was mother!

“My beautiful darling, you have returned the Soul of the Forest to its rightful place. I am so proud of you, but now we must go home, for it’s getting late. Climb up aboard my back, and we will go home.”

The Forest Girl climbed up onto her Mother’s back as she rose into the starry sky. They returned home to their little cabin in the deep, dark woods. The fire was still burning in the fire place.

“But mother?” the Forest Girl asked. “Who left the cabin door open?”

“Darling, it was I,” mother replied.

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