Introduction
You sit in your second-story bedroom, gazing out of the window onto the garden below -- a garden you’ve known your entire life. In the center stands one large willow tree, tall with outstretched limbs and flowing branches, towering over plants and flowers on all sides. A few Very Small Tomatoes and Eggplants peek out along one edge of the garden like misshapen easter eggs, red, yellow and purple. A pond sits in the center of the garden, covered in lily pads. Once in a while, birds will fly down to visit the pond to bathe and sip the water and play, while dragonflies and bees buzz around. Creatures large and small buzz all around the garden; but from your window above, everything feels still and silent, with only flickers of motion here and there catching a corner of your eye.
It’s early springtime, and you were meant to go on a trip. You were really looking forward to this trip, but at the last minute, a Thing happened and the trip was canceled. You feel disappointed, stuck in your room, wishing you could see your friends. You rest your chin on your arms and stare out of the window onto your familiar garden below, sad and daydreaming. Will I ever be able to go anywhere again, you wonder? You were ready for an adventure, for a chance to see something new, a chance to see more of the big, exciting world! As you sit at your windowsill and let out a sigh, you lay your head on your arms, and you close your eyes...
When you open your eyes, you realize that you are no longer in your bedroom. The sun is shining overhead. You look around, and you are surrounded by a sea of green -- towering plants and grass -- and you smell a sweet, fresh scent. You hear all kinds of noises around you. You look up, and the sunlight peeks at you through the branches of what looks like a tree so large, you cannot even see the top. It sways gently, like a sleeping giant taking deep breaths. You look around, wondering where you could be. Weren’t you just in your bedroom, looking out at the garden? Suddenly, a Flying Being passes overhead, adorned with beautiful colors and shapes. You shake yourself out of a mesmerized state and try to call out to it. It flies overhead, and you say, “hello?” But it passes right by.
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Next, you hear a rustling sound behind you, and you turn to see a Small Fox, trotting towards the trunk of the large, swaying tree. You call out to the Fox, which looks back at you, smiles and nods, and then continues on towards the tree. It almost seems to be beckoning for you to join. You follow it slowly, and watch it slip through a small opening in the trunk of the tree. Hesitating, you take a deep breath and step into the opening yourself.
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It is dark inside the tree trunk, but you can just catch a glimpse of the Fox hopping over a maze of long, winding tree roots and disappearing around a corner of bark. You follow the Fox, climbing over the roots, and peer around the corner. There, you see a sliver of light coming from the other side of the trunk. The Fox looks back at you, smiles again, and squeezes through the opening into the light. You walk up to the opening, take a deep breath, and do the same.
