the Magical Forest

      “We have to get home!” cried Steven. “There’s no way out of here!” The seven year old clung desperately to his older brother, who could barely hold onto the tree trunk any longer due to the sudden harsh winds holding them horizontal to the ground. “I hate this forest, Frank!”
     Frank’s face winced in pain; his fingers had just slipped on the tree bark, and he was sure blood was staining the trunk. Dust flew in his eyes the moment he opened them again, and he immediately shut them tight. “It’s your fault for getting us here!” he yelled as he tried to blink away the mild yet heavily bothersome irritation.
     The wind stopped. The two boys plummeted to the hard floor. “See?” began Steven as he sat up. “These woods are horrible.”
      “I already told you. It’s your fault.” Frank groaned at the sight of his bloody fingers. “See what you do?” He pushed his hands into his little brother’s face.
     Repulsed, Steven drew back. “Don’t show me your bloody hands!” he shouted. He pulled his dirty blonde hair in front of his eyes as if they were a curtain.
     Frank laughed, for he could still see the shining blue color of his eyes through the strands. While brushing pieces of brunette hair away from his face, he turned in the direction that the wind came from, searching.
      “What are you looking at?” inquired Steven.
      “The source of the wind.”
      “Why would you do that? This is the forest. Nothing in here is supposed to be reasonable.”
     Frank glanced back at his brother. He’s only seven, he thought. Not everything he says has to make sense. A smile curled on his lips.
      “What are you laughing at?”
     Frank looked away. “Your sentence.”
     Steven became confused. “What’s wrong with my sentence?”
     Frank kept his back to his younger brother. “Come on.” The siblings lifted themselves off the ground and patted the excess dirt off of their clothing and continued walking through the forest. Steven stayed close to his brother, who was two feet taller and seven years older. They were both residents to a large kingdom, but mysterious events led them both to wake up in the forest, and they had been lost ever since. Steven didn’t have anything to do with their getting lost; Frank just enjoys blaming everything on him.
     The minutes passed slowly. Steven was beginning to trail behind while Frank searched every detail he could see in the forest for a clue as to how to get out or which direction to take.
     Steven spoke in the silence, almost as if he was whining. “Nothing’s happened yet.”
     Frank moved a vine dangling in front of him out of his way. “Let’s hope it stays that way. I’m not dealing with another—”
     A deep rumbling reached their ears, and the floor began to shake violently. Steven lost his balance and fell on his bottom. Frank put his brotherly gaze on Steven to ensure he was unharmed, but the animal making the earth shake worried him more. He turned in the direction of the sound, and all of his strength nearly left him.
     From the midst of the trees came a rampage of large, gray creatures. Each of them had a large horn planted at the front of their head, and they were heading right for the boys!
      “Get in the tree!” Frank hurriedly reached for the nearest branch and pulled himself up. The stampede of rhinos seemed to be passing through the trees since there was no sound of falling lumber, but that didn’t ensure that he and his little brother wouldn’t become crushed. He continued climbing, and the rhinos were almost at their location.
      “Frank!” Steven’s voice was terrified. Frank immediately looked down, expecting to see the small boy right behind him or in another tree, but he was still on the ground.
     And time had already run out.
      “Steven!”
     The pack of mad beasts trampled over the helpless child. Their heavy feet shook everything in sight with each step. As the rhinos continued to come in a gray river, Frank couldn’t feel his heart pound in his throat anymore. He stared at the place where his brother last sat, wanting to shake his head and wake up from this horrible nightmare.
     The large crowd cleared away, and Frank stared.
     Steven sat completely still on the ground, in shock, and he blinked several times. “They went right through me!” He looked up to Frank with still-shocked eyes.
      “God, I hate this,” murmured Frank under his breath. He dropped out of the tree. “Too many changes in here.” As soon as he knelt down to his brother, he raised his voice. “Are you alright?” He nodded, and Frank helped him up. “You know, I thought I lost you.”
      “I thought I’d die.” Steven’s whole body shivered with terror. They wrapped their arms around each other, a gesture of safety, and small drops of water seeped into their clothes and hair.
      “What now?” groaned Frank as he released his brother. Rain began to soak their bodies cold instantly.
      “You seem to hate this forest, don’t you?”
     Frank turned away from the sky, surprised at Steven’s calmness. “I thought you hated this forest too.”
     The blonde shrugged. “I did. But I kind of decided to just live with these problems until we get out of here.”
     Frank turned away suddenly while Steven couldn’t see his expression, and water lashed off his swinging mane. “Well, I’m tired of this! This stupid forest can’t make up its mind about what it wants to do with us!”
      “Well, maybe we should just take it,” Steven suggested.
      “And let the forest kill us?!” He gave a small laugh as if he was trying to ease his emotions. “You nearly died! And quite frankly, I’m tired of this rain—!”
     Bright sunshine burned his eyes, and he immediately doubled over and shielded his eyes. Steven only squinted. Covering every inch of space around them was sand, and the sky was painted clear blue.
     Frank dropped to the ground and sprawled on the hot sand. “This forest is crazy,” He lifted his sand covered arms to his head and held them there. “It’s not even a forest anymore.”
     Steven bit his lip and quickly scanned the surrounding area for any sign of life. “Maybe…” The excessive heat dried his throat. He swallowed, but it didn’t do him any good. “Maybe you just have to accept the crazy forest.”
     Frank’s voice drifted up with the heat currents. “You’re kidding.”
     Steven shifted his weight. “No. But it’s worth a try, right?”
     Frank sighed and concentrated on his breathing. “Perhaps.”
     The seconds passed slowly. The sun’s warmth burned like fire.
     “Well?” pressed Steven.
     “I’m working on it.”
     Feeling like his brother would take an eternity accepting the forest, Steven sat on the heated desert floor and held his head in his hands. He closed his eyes, for he was tired from the long journey, and slowly the temperature started to lift. The dead air gradually grew with life, and the familiar scent of pine trees tickled his nose. The sound of birds chirping became inviting, and it lulled him to sleep.
     “Come on,” came the soft whisper of his older brother.
     Still drowsy, the seven year old got to his feet and absentmindedly followed his brother by holding onto his hand. A light babble of talk soon reached his ears along with the sound of horses’ hooves trotting on cobblestone. Steven opened his eyes, slightly more awake, and realized he was home.
     He smiled.