“The War of 1812 came from residual tension after the…” the teacher drones on in class. Cora tunes him out quickly. She wants action and thrills—she wants out of school. The teacher continues talking; Cora continues ignoring.
“Hey, Arlin,” Cora whispers to the seat behind her. “Can you hear me?”
“Yeah,” Arlin responds. “Wanna go out into the woods later today?” he asks.
“You know it,” she responds with a wink.
Arlin and Cora were the best of friends. They love adventuring out into the woods at times and will often build small forts to play in.
“Mr. Trevino? Ms. Stallard? Do you have something you would like to share with the class?”
The teacher's voice catches them off-guard.
“No, Mr. Smith,” Cora says as quickly as she can.
“Mr. Trevino, do you have something you would like to say?”
“No sir,” Arlin says quickly. He doesn’t want to get in trouble. When Mr. Smith gets angry, detention follows quickly after.
“Good. Keep it that way.” The teacher continues his lesson.
Tick, tick, tick—the clock is almost at three. Tick, tick, tick. Riiiiiiiing!
“No more school!” a boy shouts next to them.
“Freedom!” another girl shouts, already in the hallway.
Cora grows a small smirk on her face. “Are you ready to go?” she asks excitingly.
“Oh yeah,” Arlin replies, a huge grin on his face.
They both run out of the hall, excited for the summer break. Cora had always been a little faster than Arlin, but he could keep up with her well enough. They run out of the school back to their houses, drop off their stuff and dash into the woods. The trees stretch familiarly down at them and cast a calming and beautiful shadow. Cora thought it never got old; Arlin always wanted to explore deeper. They both run into the woods deeper. School is finally out. Arlin’s and Cora’s parents gave them permission to spend a few days in the woods as long as they still kept in touch. They continued running in, full of energy after sitting in a chair all day. They run and run until their legs grow sore and their houses are out of sight.
“Day one: Exploring day,” Arlin pants between breaths. “Are you ready to go?”
Cora just gives him an excited grin in response.
They walk through the woods. The trees around peer down mystically. They aren’t entirely sure which way to go, but something about the place makes them feel… different. They feel like they are supposed to go in a certain direction. The trees also give off a strange glow around them that seems like they are leading them somewhere. Arlin and Cora push forward into their woods. After a few hours, they find themselves inside of a strange grove of twelve trees. Every tree is marked differently and has a different shade of wood: oak, spruce, maple, pine, birch, acacia, and others that they don’t recognize, but they all give off the same eerie yet calming glow around them.
“Strange… these trees aren’t supposed to grow this big—they aren’t supposed to grow here for that matter either,” Arlin says, staring at the circle of trees.
“Very strange…” Cora says back, staring into the trees like Arlin. “What do you think it is?”
“This, my friends, is the entrance into Treasure Forest.” A mysterious voice comes seemingly from within the trees.
“Treasure Forest?” Arlin says, repeating the voice’s words.
“Indeed. We want to welcome you here. Over the past few decades, there haven’t been as many… explorers coming here.” The strange voice comes again, echoing through the glade.
“Treasure Forest?” Arlin says again, this time repeating himself.
“Yes. As we were saying, over the past few decades fewer and fewer people have come through these words longing for an adventure. People have become more and more obsessed with their lives at home, and they never take the time to go exploring anymore. I’m glad to see there are still some people out there who will take the chances and the dangers of exploring the wilderness,” the mysterious voice says. “Now, I want to give you a gift, but only if you truly long for it. It is a gift of adventure, thrills, and grave dangers. But make the right choices, and you may find the greatest treasure of all.”
“Really?” Arlin stares around him, wondering.
However, Cora is more intrigued than awestruck. “Who are you? What treasure are you talking about?” she asks. She is in shock, the whole thing is happening so fast, and so unexpectedly.
“We are the Guardian Trees, we guard the entrance to Treasure Forest. We give admittance to any whose wills are strong and pure, and whose spirits yearn for adventure.”
Cora suddenly realizes it is the trees that are talking. Arlin still doesn’t figure it out. “The trees are talking?” Cora shouts at them.
“Indeed,” they respond in unison.
Arlin feels like he’s about to faint. “Talking trees, what are the odds?”
“Now, please, answer us this question: Do you long for adventure?” they ask.
“Yeah!” Cora shouts—Arlin is still staring in disbelief. “When can we go? We have all of today and a few more days! When can we get the map?” she asks. “That is, assuming we get a map.”
“You may receive the map when tonight’s sun has set,” the trees say. “Then you will be transported to Treasure Forest.”
Night comes as quickly as they hoped. Very soon, every tree is humming a faint and beautiful song. Cora closes her eyes and focuses on every note of it—Arlin is just as moved. The trees continue humming their strangely—familiar?—song as the leaves around Arlin and Cora rise. They start slowly, spinning in a circle, then they swirl faster and faster, rising higher and higher as the trees hum louder. A small hidden hole in the ground appears and grows larger as the leaves fly higher.
“That is our ancient song,” the trees begin to explain in a soft, sing-songy voice. “It is as old as this forest. Its mystical powers can do almost anything. We do not use it lightly. Walk into our portal. That is where you will find the map. When you have retrieved it, return to the surface. You have precisely five minutes down there. Our song only lasts for so long, and we are only capable of singing it once every moon.” The tree's voice becomes harder. “In the underground, you will find two doors. One leads to the map, and a way of escape, the other to pain and terror. If you travel without haste, you will be trapped down there, and a great horror will be cast upon you. You must return quickly, do not be distracted by the underground’s pleasures, and do not listen to its lies. Everything it offers or tells you is false and will lead you only to ruin. Do we make ourselves clear?” the trees ask in unison.
“Yes,” Cora says clearly.
“You may go now. But make haste, you have only four minutes of your time left.
“Come on, Arlin!” Cora shouts.
Arlin snaps out of his daze and runs towards the hole quickly. They scramble down the stairs, hoping not to trip. The twosome enter a cavern, the walls around them seemed to be about fifty feet wide, and just as tall as it is wide. They walk through it, marveling at the huge crystal stalagmites and stalactites. At the end of the cavern are two doors, one looks wide and easy, the other narrow and difficult. "Which door?" Cora asks.
“Well…” Arlin starts to say, but he doesn’t know what to do.