The forest looms over me, the trees seemingly patronizing me with every step. I shift my backpack on my shoulders and quicken my pace. Creepy as it is, this forest isn’t dangerous. Kids have been using it as a shortcut for ages, according to Luke. And no one has ever gotten hurt. As I move faster through the trees, the disapproving whispers seem to follow me, growing louder with every step. The wind blows into my face, attempting to push me back in the direction I came. I press on, carefully putting one foot in front of the other, until the wind reverses its direction. The leaves blow off of a tree next to me, and the wind plays with them, spiraling into one column of leaves and air. I can’t help myself. I stop. And I stare. As I watch, the column splits on the bottom. It becomes rounded at the top. Two more parts peel away from the middle. The wind shapes the leaves into natural curves, and the figure is… humanoid. Pine needles fall from the trees to form her hair, cascading down her green back much like human hair. She turns 180 degrees to face me, the leaves formed to make facial features. A nose, lips, and no eyes. The girl is about a foot taller than me. When she opens her lips to speak, only air comes out, whooshing past my face with the same patronizing tone I’ve heard since I first stepped under the cover of the trees. Then, the air moves, vibrates, forming nature’s voice. “Why…” She starts, her voice resonating, echoing, seeming larger than the forest itself. “are you here?” I’m stunned. I’ve left everyone far behind. This couldn’t be Luke’s prank. My brother should still be at home, asleep. All of my “friends” should also be peacefully sleeping, wherever they live. Could someone have set this up beforehand? Maybe to scare any unsuspecting kids trying to use this forest as a shortcut. “Why,” She says again, somehow even louder this time, “are you here?” “I’m just passing through,” I say, scanning the forest for where someone might have hidden a speaker, or some computer controlled contraption.