Getting Back To The World✔️

Daylight left bugging my eyes to open. I slowly got out of my "sleeping mode," but not opening my eyes just yet. I wasn't in my room.

My eyes flew open.

I wasn't in my room at all. I was laying on the ground, of, well. I'm not too sure. I sat up. My back hurting and my hands hurting now. What happened to me?

I looked around. I was in a plain open field. I saw one tree in the distance, but nothing else as for as I could see.

I scanned my memory for what happened.

I had been on a plane. I was going to Canada. I was visiting my dad, with Bryan. I stood up quickly. Where was my brother?

"BRYAN!!!" I yelled. My voice echoed around. I waited a few minutes, but got no answer. My hands started sweating. I rubbed them on my dirty jeans and started thinking of what to do. What do you do?

What did they teach us in Girl Scouts? I tried remembering every lesson I had learned from when I was younger.

Call the police or a trusted adult, I remembered.

I felt my pocket, where I always kept my phone. Empty. My brain hit the panic button. I never went anywhere without my phone. I checked my sweatshirt, jeans, every little pocket. No phone. Nothing. Back to Girl Scouts lessons.

Wait for an adult to come find you.

Yeah, I don't think that's going to happen any time soon.

I walked around in a small circle. What in the world do I do. This whole Girl Scout thing wasn't helping me too much. I don't know what to do.

"BRYAN!!!!!" I yelled on the top of my lungs. I waited, crossing my fingers for a response. All I got was my own voice back in an echo. I started tapping my legs, like I already did when I was stressed or scared.

"Just walked to the tree." I told myself. "Just walk to the tree." I repeated.

I walked to the tree. Nothing. Nothing. I decided to climb the tree, that's what Bryan would do anyway. I climbed all the way to the top. I looked around to see where in the world I was. All I saw was nothing. Not even another tree for miles. I leaned back into the tree. What do I do, I thought for the millionth time. I started climbing back down. A small sheet of paper. A blue one. The kind Bryan always had with him. I grabbed the paper and jumped to the ground.

Dear Person Who Found This,

If this is Haily, keep reading. If it isn't, you will gain nothing from this. Haily. We crashed. I don't know where we are. I don't know where you are. To be honest, at the moment I'm thinking I'm writing to a dead person. Remember that game we used to play? That game that I would leave letters around the house and you would have to follow them to find the treasure? Time to do it for real. From this tree, see the big branch, the one that half of it gone. Struck by lightning. Follow the way it's pouring and I'll leave another note.

~Bryan

I folded up the letter, remembering how happy our childhood had been before our parents got divorced. I looked for the branch Bryan had told me to look for. I found it. I started walking the way the branch pointed.

Small letters of blue went down the path, hidden under rocks.

As I traveled more, the letters got more and more depressing.

Dear Person I Am Writting To While Gling Crazy,

I'm going to the river. I'm going crazy. I'm going crazy. I don't know what to do.

I keep thinking my dead sister will find these, and find me. I'm going crazy.

Bryan

If only i could tell him that I wasn't dead. It took me a while, but I finally reached the river. I pulled off my shoes and started walking through the river bank, letting my feet wander into the river at times. I heard a movement ahead. I knelt down and scanned my surroundings.

Another movement.

This time I crawled carefully to where the sound was coming from, like I had leaned from an old Indian movie. I hide myself in the bushes, and quickly climbed a tree as quietly as I could. I peeked over the branches.

Then I fell out of the tree.

"Bryan!" I cried. Bryan's head snapped around.

"Haily!?" He cried in surprise.

Then he passed out.

•••

After a few hours, Bryan got up again. I explained how his notes really did help me. Then, together we set off to find our way home.

But we never did.