Natures Light

Claudia Estel had lived her life clouded in mystery. Her parents homeschooled her, she never saw any other kids, and her house was hidden away deep within the forest. She wasn't even allowed to go on the computer her Dad used for work.

The only escape was the Forest. The lush green leaves of the bushes and trees, the soft squish of the moss underfoot. The vines that lead her to new highs and lily pads that allowed her to cross the river.

Even the animals of the Forest were kind. The beautiful song of the birds, the rabbits that came out to nuzzle her hand. The fish in the lake she fed and the frogs that jumped out to play in the summer. The snakes didn't bite, but instead curled sweetly around her arm. And she never did get mosquito bites, even in the peak of the summer.

But whenever her parents found her they always brought her back to the big house. She gave here an injection that gave her a slight rash. But the forest stayed forever in her mind. She drew scenes of it in her coloring book and talked about it ceaselessly even in the confines of the dark house.

It was almost as if something in the forest wanted her, and she wanted it.