Paradise

Chapter Thirteen

"Ms. Albert!" My voice rang through the field. "Ms. Albert!"

I'd been at this for several minutes, and there was absolutely no sign of her. So, I guess that meant I had to go looking for her, myself. I mean, the woman may have been mute, but she definitely wasn't deaf. If she'd been in earshot, I would've known. She probably wanted out of this place just as much as I did.

Forest surrounded the field. Dense, dark, deep forest that probably held greater threats than a spooked stag. Still, I felt little fear as I looked around. There was no way around it. I had to go in there one way or another. I figured that it was better to follow the brook, because if I needed to come back, I could always follow it back to where I'd started.

So, I ducked beneath a canopy of leaves, and felt a small drop in the temperature (which was already comfortably cool to begin with). Sunlight cut through small breaks in the foliage, speckling the forest floor with bright green light.

I really hoped she was close by. As interesting as this place was, I needed to get back soon. My mother would be so mad if she came in and found me gone....

"Stop that," I whispered. "Just focus on finding Ms. Albert."

I could stress about going home later ... when I'd brought her back--

Brought her back! Crap!

My mind raced with thoughts. How would I explain Ms. Albert to my mother? Wouldn't she find it weird that I just showed up with some, random woman? What would I tell her?

I inhaled deeply, trying to lose myself in the varied smells of plant life, fresh soil, and water. It really was beautiful here with all these large, wide-branched trees with their lush, green foliage. Some even had a nice, thick carpet of moss on them, while others were overgrown with vines that bloomed exotic flowers.

I stepped over a fallen tree completely covered in green plant-life. Ferns hung around it, their color several shades darker, but just as lush and vibrant.

I'd been wrong about this place. It wasn't foreboding at all. At least not during the day. It was actually very soothing. I would have loved to just park myself on this fallen tree and just ... hang out. Stare up at the sky, watch birds-- or whatever. Just be here, in this moment. Maybe even take a nap.

This place was even lifting my mood. It had me thinking that maybe I didn't have to worry about my mother seeing Ms. Albert after all. Ms. Albert was smart enough to come up with a good excuse, herself. She'd bail me out for sure. And, of course, my mother would have no other choice but to believe her-- whatever the story was. Ms. Albert is an adult, after all.

Yes. Everything would work out. There was absolutely nothing to fear! I just had to keep telling myself that.

* * *

I couldn't say how long I followed that brook. Time felt different here. Everything seemed at a standstill, like there wasn't a need to hurry, because time, here, was infinite.

I wished it was like that in the real world. I always felt rushed, like I never had enough time. Sure, I wanted to goof around: play video games, talk on the phone or surf the internet, but I also wanted to accomplish things too. I wanted to do good in school. I even wanted to go to college someday.

It just sucked that I had to make all these big, life-changing decisions now. I missed being a child, just doing whatever I wanted without fear of running out of time. I missed having my parents look at my childish antics with humor instead of irritation. It felt like no matter what I did, I could never please them ... like they would have rather had someone else's daughter, instead of me.