The little girl walked out of the door that led into the forest, the door being in the middle of nowhere and leading from her room into the dark green of trees. The sunlight casted onto her hair, the red becoming a vibrant orange color as she walked. She was around 8 years old, blue eyes with long flowy hair that went down to the middle of her back. The sticks and leaves cracked under her as she walked, looking around. She always visited this place, making her feel warmth all in her body anytime she came here. 

The wind blew her hair around, the trees dancing as leaves fell all around her. A whistle sounded through the trees, her eyes wandering around the area. She whistled back as she walked towards the sound, a green light came from the area the sound was coming from. Shadows casted onto the ground as the trees were stretched long and high into the air. The whistle was heard again, the little girl sped up her walking to get to the holder of the sound. She’s done this many times before, and the holder hides in a different spot each time. 

She feels as if she’s being taunted. Like the holder is saying, “It shouldn’t take this long for you to find me!” or, “Come on, I’m right here.” This is an example of what always goes through the girl’s head anytime she sets out to find the holder, even though that’s never how the holder acts. 

“Where are you?” The girl calls out as she walks, stumbling over a branch but catching herself on a tree. The bark feels solid and cold, its rough surface touching her hand as she holds herself up. A whistle sounded again, but it was closer this time than the others. Her eyes darted around, trying to find the green light again but it was gone. No sign of them other than the whistles that sound in the air, echoing in the forest. She lets out a soft sigh as she walks forward, her skin getting goosebumps as the wind caresses her arms. Everything is fuzzy as she walks, a little bit blurry but that’s how it always is when she comes here. As she comes into a clearing the whistle sounds again, as a man steps out from the trees. 

“Hey, little one.” The man says as he bends down to her level. The girl giggles, looking up at him, her legs bouncing slightly. His green eyes are soft as he stares down at her, the wind rustling the bangs of his blonde hair. A hood is draped over his head, which shadows some of his features. After a few moments of looking at each other the little girl giggles again. 

“Green light, green light!” She says excitedly, bouncing up and down. The man chuckles softly and after a few moments his eyes glow green as his hand starts to light up. Little sparkles of green come out of his hand, the glow lighting up the little girl’s face as she smiles down at his hand. His fingers move a little and a sparkle comes up and boops the girl, her eyes lighting up as she laughs. 

“Wanna see more?” He asks and she nods excitedly. His eyes glow brighter and he moves his hand around, the light creating streaks in the air, kind of like sparklers that kids play with on the fourth of July. 

After a while the man starts walking the girl back to the door she came from, she doesn’t wanna leave but she has to. 

“How’s your mother doing?” He asks her, looking down at her with kindness and care in his eyes. He always asks this before she leaves, no matter what they do. Its a daily routine at this point. 

“She’s doing good, we got a new car.” The little girl smiles and nods, her small hand holding his. 

“That’s good.” The man says as he looks at the door and then picks her up, holding her in his arms as her arms go around his neck. “Gonna be good for your mom?” He asks her and she giggles and nods her head. The man smiles softly at her and ruffles her hair before putting her down. “I’ll see you soon.” He says as he goes back into the shadows and walks off, the little girl smiles and walks through the door, her eyes opening as shes now laying in her bed. 

“Lanie, wake up sweety.” Her mom stands over her and Lanie rubs her eyes. “How’d you sleep?” Her mom asks. 

“I miss Dad…” Lanie mumbles out and looks up at her mom. She smiles sadly and sits on the bed with Lanie, putting her arms around her small frame and holding her against her chest. 

“I know, but he’s watching over us from above.”