The Way It Is [#OpenNovellaContest2019]

• Chapter Three •

Anna was standing in a forest. The forest. Where it happened.

Except it was different.

Instead of the towering leafy trees Anna remembered, there were barren branches that crisscrossed and blocked out the night sky. Instead of lush green, overgrown grass, there were rocks and pebbles that layered the ground. Instead of gorgeous wildflowers that speckled the area, tall twisted weeds grew in between the rocks.

Anna slowly turned around, observing her surroundings. She felt... uneasy.

"Anna!"

Suddenly, she heard a voice. A young girls voice, calling to her...

Ember.

"Ember?" Anna cried frantically.

"Anna? Anna!"

Anna whipped around and ran through the trees, slipping, sliding, and tripping over the rocky terrain. She had to find her...

Crashing through a group of bushes, Anna entered a clearing.

"Anna!" There was the voice again, giggling. "Stop being silly."

Silly?

She noticed a puddle in the middle of the clearing. She ran towards it.

"Come on, Anna, I'm hungry. Let's go home already."

On her hands and knees, Anna stared into the puddle. It was almost like a movie, or a shivering mirage. Two girls stood there in the forest; one short, one tall, both blonde, both young.

The shorter one tugged on the others arm. "Come on! We have enough flowers, it's almost time for lunch, and I want food!"

The taller one laughed, picked up the bouquet of wildflowers laying on the ground, and followed her impatient sister. "Ember, not so fast! You're going to trip and break your neck."

Ember giggled, and jumped over a fallen branch.

"I hope Mom and Dad like our present."

And with that, rain started to fall, and the shimmering memory started to fade.

Anna tried to grab at the water, but with no luck. The memory movie was gone.

The young girl was left sitting in the rain, staring at a puddle, and wondering if it was rain or tears running down her face.

And with a jolt, she promptly woke up