THE ENCHANTED WOOD

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1058, 23 August 1930, Page 29

THE ENCHANTED WOOD

It was Mary’s birthday, and she was having a party in the wood. After lunch the children agreed to play hide and seek. Alary and her friend, Joan being the seekers. The two girls were determined that they would catch somebody, so they hurried on until they oume to a place where the path branched off to th«left and to the right as well. “You go to the left. Joan.” said Alary, “and I will go to the right.” Alary hurried on. and even so she noticed many things that were new to her. She was sure she had not seer that large tree before, nor that pretty flowering creeper, but still she did not guess that this was part of an enchanted wood until she came to a clearing. Here she saw rabbits and squirrel? playing together and as she approached she was surprised to see that they did not run away. Mary looked back to see if anyone was following her, but. to her dismay the path which she had come by had disappeared completely. “Where am I?” asked Alary, addressing the I'abbits. “Why,” they answered in chorus ‘You are in the enchanted wood.” “Oh,” cried “is this really an enchanted wood? Why, I have been longing to come here.” The birds showed her the wonders of the wood and told her many things about their lives that she had never heard before. She spent a glorious afternoon with tho various birds and animals, and she was not at all anxious to return home until she 3aw the setting sun and realised it was very late. “Oh, I really must go now,” she said to the rabbit next her. “Will you please show me the way out?” “Why,” lie replied, “you came in the way you go out.” “That doesn’t help at all.” said Mar? , “because I don’t know where I cam* 5 So she went on arguing until a bird above her, realising she really was anxious to get home, said he would show her the way out if she would not come back again. Alary promised, for, although she had enjoyed her visit, she wanted to go home again. When she reached the spot where they had the picnic, her friends asked where she had been. She told them of her experiences, but they did not believe her and said she must have been dreaming. —Alargery Wells, aged 14.