Dappled light played tricks on the eye near the back of the garden as it filtered through the thick leaves of the forest beyond the fence. Pia liked to sit in the shade of the big apple tree and peer deep into the wood to observe the shifting rays of light cast their spell and summon into being creatures so wonderful that she often found herself giggling with delight. There were odd-winged elfins and burly bruskhorns, and a steed that galloped with a mighty tread that shook the forest floor. There were packs of sprittling sell-sees, chasing each other among the trees, playing their incomprehensible games. And sometimes, when Pia was out late enough and the light was turning red, she would see the bendy movements of the crimsoirs, dancing their elegant dance in the falling dusk. Pia's delight was such that she would conceive endless tales of the adventures of the forest creatures and spend her dinner times sharing what she thought up with Mum and Topa, her grandfather. Pia knew that they humoured her when they took an interest in what she said, she knew that she was almost too old to lose herself in such fancies, but, Pia figured, she could have fun while it lasted. It was a sunny day today, and Mum was off to visit the market in town. Topa was left to supervise Pia for the day, but after lunch he had contently settled into his rocking chair on the porch and was gently snoring, much to Pia's amusement. Pia grabbed a pear from the kitchen counter, picked out one of her favourite books, and walked to her favourite spot under the appletree. She inhaled the smell of the apple blossom, a flowery version of the baked apples Mum would make when autumn came and the apples were ripe for picking. Pia sat down and wiggled into her favourite reading nook, where the apple tree's trunk was bent just right and she had a clear view of the forest, should any funny light-creatures show themselves today. Pia was quickly lost in the pages of her book, a story about a thief princess outwitting noblemen and dragons alike. A shadow fell when a cloud passed over the sun and Pia looked up from her book. Not even halfway through the afternoon yet, Pia thought with a smile as she returned to the story, but before she found her place on the page, motion caught her eye, near the forest. Pia raised her eyes again and sure enough, something stood near the edge of the forest. Another light-creature? Somehow this one seemed more... real. With a start, Pia realised this was no trick of the light. There, at the edge of the forest, just behind the fence stood a young boy, maybe half Pia's age. He seemed just as startled as she was, brown eyes wide in shock. The boy wore worn blue breeches and a dirty shirt, and had coarse, wavy shoulder-length hair. "Boy? Hello, boy, who are you? Are you lost?" The boy locked eyes with Pia, spun on his heels and bolted off into the forest with a cry. Pia put down her book and stood, walking to the edge of the garden, peering over the fence. "Boy?", she called. What if the poor boy was lost? What if he could not find his Mum and could not find his way back to town? Surely Pia should help him. At that, she made up her mind, climbed over the fence and strode into the forest. She would find the boy, bring him to her home and when Topa woke up, or Mum returned from town, they would help the boy find his home. The forest smelled much like their garden, an earthy scent heady with the aroma of late spring's budding blossoms, but somehow less maintained, less cultured. Wilder, Pia thought, that's it. Pia had never strayed beyond the fence before, she had always been content with watching and had always thought of the forest as a curious, and very interesting, live painting, rather than somewhere to go into. Topa and Mum never spoke of trips into the forest either, they were the homestead farthest from town and the road just ended at their property, no one really came here except on business with Mum. They grew most of their own food in the garden and anything else they needed they traded for on the market. The feeling of her feet on the damp moss covering most of the forest floor, perpetually shaded by a thick canopy of green, made Pia think of those times that Topa and she would go out into the garden at night to watch the stars - even now, the little specks of blue sky visible through the leaves above reminded her of some kind of inverted night sky in azure and emerald hues. The forest was wild, a strange place and much different from the view Pia was used to from their garden. Once she had walked a few minutes into the woods, it seemed as though there was a shift in the light. A gentle shudder went through Pia's whole body and left goosebumps on her arms and legs. The forest looked... older here. More dense too. "Boy? Are you still there?" Pia heard no reply, not a sound that betrayed the boy's whereabouts. Had she been right, she wondered. Had she really seen a boy standing there, near their garden? Maybe she should head back and wake Topa. He would humour her and smile, telling her how much he loved her stories. And that would be it, she thought. No. She was on her own, Pia decided. She would find this boy and she would help him get home. And so she walked deeper into the forest, in search of the boy. As the afternoon ended, Pia stood at a precipice overlooking a small clearing only a short way down, ground covered in moss and ferns and small flowers, shrubs growing between large, upright rocks. Pia stood, entranced, listening how the fluid tones of a bird song connected to the burble of water in a brook down below. There was still no sign of the boy, but Pia marveled at what an amazing place she had found. As the sky turned crimson, Pia picked a careful path down to the rocks that would provide natural shelter for the night. On her way through the forest, she had collected nuts and berries and even found some faebread mushrooms, so when Pia sat down and leaned her back against the cool granite, she had ample snacks to keep her hunger at bay. Soon enough, when night fell and a soft darkness cast the clearing in a blanket of shadows, she was dozing off under the stars and slid into a dreamless sleep. Dawn was still some time off when Pia woke up. Without opening her eyes, she was sure she was being watched. Something, or someone, was close by. Maybe it was the boy, Pia thought. Maybe he had found her. Pia slightly opened her eyes, just a crack, and just metres away, aglow in the light of half a moon, stood the boy. And the boy held a spear. "Get up. I know you're awake." the boy said. Pia sat up, wary of the spear. "Who are you? Why are you following me?" There was something about the boy's voice. "Boy? Why were you at our garden fence?" The boy barked a laugh, eyes sparkling. "BOY?! I'm just as much a boy as you are." Pia felt her cheeks redden, but also could not help but smile. Now that she saw the girl up close, it was pretty obvious she had made a wrong assumption. "I'm sorry," Pia said, "I... I thought..." "You saw a filthy kid, so it must be a boy. Yeah. Not the first time I hear that one." "I just wanted to help you find your Mum. You seemed lost!" "Ah, but my Mum," the girl leaned closer, "she died when I was a babe. Never knew her. Or my father." Pia swallowed. "I never knew my father either. It's just my Mum and Topa and me. What's your name?" A ghost of a smile slid over the girl's face, but she quickly hid her amusement. "You may call me Amaranth. You still haven't told me yours." "Pia." "Pia. You're not of the forest, are you?" "I guess not? I live at our homestead. Where you saw me in the afternoon." "Exactly. Where I accidentally saw you. And you accidentally saw me. Because I made a mistake and somehow ended up near your house. And now you need to leave." "But..." "You need to leave. Before the sun is up. We're not supposed to mingle, you know. It's the pact." "I don't understand." "You don't need to understand. You need to leave. Listen, I want to help you, but I don't know the way back to your... homestead." The last word sounded odd when Amaranth said it, as if the act of speaking it caused her pain. A lump formed in Pia's throat, one she could not swallow away. "Amaranth... I don't think I know how to find my home." Amaranth cursed under her breath. "Are you sure? You walked here, didn't you?" "I really can't remember the way... don't you remember how you found my house?" "I told you, I made a mistake. And I ended up at your house. I don't know what went wrong, it's not a place I normally end up at when I..." Amaranth faltered. "Never mind. I don't know the way. But I know someone who might, even though I'd rather avoid them. It's a long walk though, so you need to keep low and do exactly as I say. Can you do that?" Pia gave an affirmative nod. "Grab some dirt and smudge your clothes and your face. We're going to see the Face Tree." Amaranth hopped onto a boulder and turned around, searching for something. After a few moments of pulling intense faces, she muttered "North today it seems. Crap." Amaranth took a look at Pia, clothes now covered with smears of forest soil, face smudged and leaves sticking from her hair. "Much better Pia, you'll fit right in. Now keep up with me." Then Amaranth stepped of the boulder and made her way to the Northern side of the clearing. And Pia followed.