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Authors: Blair Aaron
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stopped crying for a brief moment, looking at Elsa for help. “Lili, you're back here with us. Everyone loves you. We're going to help you get better. You're alive. Be happy.”
“Do you think,” Lili said, contemplating how to put her question to Elsa, as she would pose a request for advice from someone wiser, stronger, and more knowledgeable than she was—in other words, someone she could trust—”Do you think that if a good person makes a mistake, a grave mistake, they can ever be good again?”
Elsa stopped, realizing there was more to the story about Lili's venture into the woods. “What do you mean?”
“I made a grave mistake when I went into those woods.” Lili looked at Elsa, trying to convince her she was being earnest and truthful. “But dear Elsa, I could not stay. I had no one. First it was the father of my son. Then it was Ennis. I was all alone. I had to go. If it meant I could bring my little boy back. Don't you agree?”
“Of course,” Elsa said, getting nervous now. She knew, along with every other member of the town, that very few people had ever been able to come back from the forest, and the fact that everyone so quickly assumed Lili had not been changed for good, concerned Elsa. Not a single person had mentioned the possibility that Lili was no longer…Lili. Elsa suddenly became very uncomfortable at this realization, and frightened to be in her presence. She decided to choose her words very carefully. “Did you...see…something? Was it that blond man who followed you back?”
“Oh no,” she said. “He was my hero,” she said, smiling. Elsa found herself becoming somewhat jealous, even though she could not control that.
“What happened when you stepped into the forest? How did you find Ennis and bring him back?”
“At first, there was so much darkness. I was so scared. I couldn't see the hand in front of my face. The air was different. It felt like I was breathing electricity. Does that even make any sense?” Lili asked.
Elsa nodded, urging her to continue with her story.
“I don't remember much. And it all happened so fast--”
“Fast? Lili, you were gone for three months,” Elsa said, interrupting her to make sure she had not disorganized the story after the fact, a possibility, considering the stress on her mind. Lili put her hand on her forehead, thinking.
“No, I was there for around an hour, if that.”
Elsa sat up. “How can you be so sure all the danger you were in didn't make it seem like time just passed faster?”
“If I was there for three months, I would have starved or died from dehydration. Much more would have happened,” she said, looking concerned about the state of her sanity.
“But you were missing for that long a period of time,” Elsa said, pressing her on the matter. She wanted to make sure the girl was not lying and had not lost her grip on reality. “You were gone precisely 21 days, and every last person can attest to that fact.”
“Oh, my my my,” Lili said. “I just wish it were all a dream. I knew I will never be able to escape him.”
“What happened in the forest, who did you see that has frightened you so?” Elsa asked.
“He's here, Elsie. I know it. I can feel him outside my walls at night. I see him in my dreams. I can't get him out of my head,” she said, growing uncontrollable. Elsa grabbed her by the hand, trying to stabilize her anxious fidgeting.
“Look at me, Lili. I'm right here, and I won't leave you.” Lili began to calm down. “Now,” Elsa continued, “tell me what happened. Who are you talking about?”
“The black wolf. When I walked into the forest, I got so scared, everything was so dark, and all I could think about was how much I wanted to see my little boy again,” she said, growing hysterical. “So I cried out, 'Ennis! Ennis! Ennis!' as loud as I could.” Ennis, hearing his mother calling his name from the other room, came storming in.
“I'm right here!” he said, a wooden car in his
“Do you think,” Lili said, contemplating how to put her question to Elsa, as she would pose a request for advice from someone wiser, stronger, and more knowledgeable than she was—in other words, someone she could trust—”Do you think that if a good person makes a mistake, a grave mistake, they can ever be good again?”
Elsa stopped, realizing there was more to the story about Lili's venture into the woods. “What do you mean?”
“I made a grave mistake when I went into those woods.” Lili looked at Elsa, trying to convince her she was being earnest and truthful. “But dear Elsa, I could not stay. I had no one. First it was the father of my son. Then it was Ennis. I was all alone. I had to go. If it meant I could bring my little boy back. Don't you agree?”
“Of course,” Elsa said, getting nervous now. She knew, along with every other member of the town, that very few people had ever been able to come back from the forest, and the fact that everyone so quickly assumed Lili had not been changed for good, concerned Elsa. Not a single person had mentioned the possibility that Lili was no longer…Lili. Elsa suddenly became very uncomfortable at this realization, and frightened to be in her presence. She decided to choose her words very carefully. “Did you...see…something? Was it that blond man who followed you back?”
“Oh no,” she said. “He was my hero,” she said, smiling. Elsa found herself becoming somewhat jealous, even though she could not control that.
“What happened when you stepped into the forest? How did you find Ennis and bring him back?”
“At first, there was so much darkness. I was so scared. I couldn't see the hand in front of my face. The air was different. It felt like I was breathing electricity. Does that even make any sense?” Lili asked.
Elsa nodded, urging her to continue with her story.
“I don't remember much. And it all happened so fast--”
“Fast? Lili, you were gone for three months,” Elsa said, interrupting her to make sure she had not disorganized the story after the fact, a possibility, considering the stress on her mind. Lili put her hand on her forehead, thinking.
“No, I was there for around an hour, if that.”
Elsa sat up. “How can you be so sure all the danger you were in didn't make it seem like time just passed faster?”
“If I was there for three months, I would have starved or died from dehydration. Much more would have happened,” she said, looking concerned about the state of her sanity.
“But you were missing for that long a period of time,” Elsa said, pressing her on the matter. She wanted to make sure the girl was not lying and had not lost her grip on reality. “You were gone precisely 21 days, and every last person can attest to that fact.”
“Oh, my my my,” Lili said. “I just wish it were all a dream. I knew I will never be able to escape him.”
“What happened in the forest, who did you see that has frightened you so?” Elsa asked.
“He's here, Elsie. I know it. I can feel him outside my walls at night. I see him in my dreams. I can't get him out of my head,” she said, growing uncontrollable. Elsa grabbed her by the hand, trying to stabilize her anxious fidgeting.
“Look at me, Lili. I'm right here, and I won't leave you.” Lili began to calm down. “Now,” Elsa continued, “tell me what happened. Who are you talking about?”
“The black wolf. When I walked into the forest, I got so scared, everything was so dark, and all I could think about was how much I wanted to see my little boy again,” she said, growing hysterical. “So I cried out, 'Ennis! Ennis! Ennis!' as loud as I could.” Ennis, hearing his mother calling his name from the other room, came storming in.
“I'm right here!” he said, a wooden car in his
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