Chapter 13: Sylvan Glade

          Brandon hadn’t necessarily been scrounging around the neighborhood purely for a chance meeting with Finny. He’d also been working on calming his nerves down before having to head back to town once again. The whole dang reason he moved to Willow Creek was so that he could get away from all the pressures of home; now he was traveling back there almost every other day! He couldn’t stand his stiff suit and he really couldn’t stand being called a hero. Just wasn’t right.

          Luckily for him, he did manage to find his friend before he had to catch his plane. “What’re you doin’ out here so early?” he asked with a grin.

She checked behind her back and moved in closer. “You really want to know?” His curiosity multiplied.

“Sure do.”

“I’m going to go exploring in that tree there. I think it’s magic or something!”

“Uhhh,” he rubbed the back of his head. “What do ya mean? Like climb it?”

“No, inside the trunk! I think it goes somewhere.”

          Brandon couldn’t help but laugh. That Finny! She cracked him up real hard sometimes! She could be so loony, but in a sweet way. While he had his eyes off her, Finley climbed into the mysterious tree. His friend was no longer in front of him, when he finally settled himself down. She wasn’t anywhere he could see! “Finn?”

          Finley had been keeping track of all the wrong steps that led her astray from inside the tree. That day was the day she was finally going to make it through! She followed the water downstream and then walked into the creepy warm mist. When she was several yards into it, light filtered its way through. She walked towards it and came out in a new land.

          Beautiful! That was the only word she could think to describe it at first. It was an outdoor enthusiast’s dream. Perfect lighting, brilliant colors, fresh scent, and all backgrounded by the alluring sounds of moving water and singing birds.

          After she got over her amazement at actually having been right about the tree being some sort of gateway, Finley realized that there wasn’t a whole lot to actually do there.

           She found a fishing spot with a sim-made sign that read: Welcome to Sylvan Glade’s fishing hole. So she wasn’t the first person mindful enough to find the secret area. Finley shrugged and then got to work on improving her fishing skill. Since having the kids, she hadn’t spent much time fishing. She’d almost forgotten about how much fun it could be. And the so called Sylvan Glade really was the ideal spot. There was a lovely waterfall in front of her that created the first rainbow she’d ever seen.

          Finley caught the most fish she’d ever had in her life. Most of them were fairly common, like tilapia. By the end she’d captured something she’d never seen before. It looked like a fish that was part plant. Very interesting. She’d have to ask Manu about it next time she bumped into him.

          After spending the better part of a day in the pretty area, Finley wasn’t sure if it was the kind of place she ought to take her kids. She was sure they’d find it lovely, if perhaps a bit boring. She felt as though magic was in the air. This could mean danger though as well.

          Hoping that it would simply lead her home, she ventured into the tree once again. Coming back was much faster and easier. Almost like walking through an archway. There was no stream, no mist. Curious.

          “Where have you been!” Quinn grouchily greeted her when she returned home. “I’ve had to watch them all afternoon, and make dinner, and clean up. I’ve barely had time to work on my extra credit assignments!”

          Finley plopped the proof of her adventure into a fish bowl she picked up on the way back. She had to stop into the store and sell off her other catches anyways. All three of the kids were impressed by the strange fish, and Quinn’s mental struggle to identify it calmed his frustration down.   After a quick family vote, they decided to name their new pet Leif. Not very original, but it made Frankie laugh.

          Once she had them gathered around the table, she told her family in full detail of where she’d been. “We’ve talked about the Sylvan Glades in history!” Quinn exclaimed. “Supposedly this land was settled by fairies decades before we ever came along.  When humans started to get closer, they fled, sealing up one last area with magic. They made it so that only people who respected the nature they loved could get through.” Quinn took a deep breath, having rambled his information out rather quickly. “That was just a story though. It’s intriguing to think that someone must have created this area to resemble the folklore! We should all visit it.”

“Yeah, I wanna see it!” Frankie agreed.

“I’m not so sure. Something about it seems like it might not be appropriate to bring children.” Finley said and was given dirty looks by both of her girls. “You’d probably just be bored anyways. There’s not a whole lot to do there.”

“We could explore, duh!”

“Or just bring toys,” Sasha agreed like Finley was an idiot for not having thought of this.

Three pairs of eyes stared impatiently at her until she finally relented, “We’ll see.” Cheers broke out around the table and her redheads began to eagerly plan out their trip. “At least they’re interested in the outdoors,” Finley thought to herself.