It was a sweltering afternoon when Aiden left school. The hot dry air was smothering. Sweat beaded on his forehead and he wiped his brow with his dirty t-shirt.

Aiden was taking the long way home, like usual, to avoid his older brother and their friends. Aiden was a small, scrawny boy with dishwater blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes. he wasn’t the same as many other kids and was far different from his brothers.

It was so hot that day that the only sound was the buzzing of mosquitoes and a few birds in the distance. everyone was inside retreating from the sun’s penetrating rays.

Aiden made his way past Crystal’s Dress Boutique and Sam’s Beer and Liquor. A lone car zoomed by and a cloud of dust exploded from behind it, stinging Aiden’s eyes. The hot ground burned the soles of his bare feet. His brothers and their friends had stolen his sneakers at lunch time and thrown them up into the tallest tree in the school court yard.

Just as Aiden felt that lump of sadness in his throat rise again, he heard familiar voices. He ducked down behind a dumpster to see who it was. as he peered around the side he saw it was Jeremy, the oldest of his brothers and two of his dead beat friends, Casey and Riley, and his three other brothers; Isaac, Travis, and Keith. The boys were leaning up against the side brick wall of the grocery store smoking cigarettes. Jeremy spat on the ground.

The four brothers came from Aiden’s mother’s previous marriage. The boys despised Aiden and their step father, but never showed this in front of their mother. They had tormented him ever since he could remember.

Another car drove by and a small cloud of dust made its way over to where Aiden was crouching. It tickled the inside of his nose, as he tried his hardest to stifle a sneeze. It was too late. The six boys turned their heads. Jeremy took three long steps forward. Aiden turned and leaned his back up against the dumpster. His heart pounded so hard in his chest that he was sure they could hear it. Then suddenly, out of panic, He took off running.

"HEY!" One of the boys yelled.

"After him!" Another cried. And at that the six of them jumped on their bikes and chased after Aiden.

The only sound Aiden could hear was his blood pulsing simultaneously with each long leap he took. He didn’t hear screams and hollers from the boys or the rattling of the chains on their bikes as raced through the dirt and gravel streets. Sweat poured down Aiden’s face. He could feel them getting closer and closer behind him. Suddenly, he took a sharp left and made his way around and down past the apartment complex. He then spotted a small shed near the edge of the woods. Aiden looked behind him and didn’t see the boys, but he could hear them coming. Without wasting a second Aiden flung open the door and jumped inside the shed.

Inside the shed was completely dark. It smelled of old shoes and rotting wood. It was only moments after Aiden had been inside the shed that he heard their voices outside. His heart raced and his palms were slick with sweat. At the same moment, something odd began to happen. The shed started to quiver, then it began to shake. The few tools hanging on the walls crashed to the floor. Aiden crouched in the corner arms folded over his head. The shed was moving so violently that it felt like an earthquake. Then, as quickly as it began, it was all over. Aiden poked his head out and looked around. It was absolutely silent. He pulled himself up slowly. Very cautiously he tip toed over to the door and pressed his ear against the cool wood. Silence. What happened? He thought to himself. Was everyone alright? What about mother? Was she safe? Aiden was concerned and wanted to get out of the shed and see if everyone was okay, but he was afraid to open the door. Maybe they were still waiting for him. He waited a few minutes and it was still silent. He worked up the courage and finally cracked open the door. He peeked one eye out and looked around. Astonished, it opened it all the way. He was surrounded by a thick, lush woods. It was cool, and the air smelled sweet and aromatic. Aiden carefully stepped out of the shed. His feet touched the soft, spongy soil. A slight breeze whistled through the tops of tallest trees he had ever seen. This forest was so peaceful, it felt like a dream. Aiden rubbed his eyes and took a few more steps into the open. There was not a person or house in sight. Instead there were bright and exotic looking flowers the size of a boy’s face. As Aiden was taking in his new surroundings, he heard a faint sound in the distance. He strained to hear it. He then followed the direction from which it was coming. He gingerly stepped through the forest, taking care not to disturb any of the plants, which looked so perfectly placed as if someone had individually planted each and every one.

The sound became clearer as Aiden searched through the forest. He stopped and listened closely. It sounded musical, almost as if someone was singing. He continued walking. Getting closer and closer, Aiden soon could hear it was a woman’s voice, the most beautiful singing voice he had ever heard. As he got closer he realized she was singing in another language. It sounded lilting and other-worldly.

Then, he saw her. It wasn’t a woman who was singing. It was a bird, the most magnificent bird imaginable. She was perched upon a thick, low branch. Across her body her feathers were a rich, shimmering royal blue, and her breast was a deep ruby color. She had a crest atop her head of many colors and a long tail which almost brushed against the ground. Her eyes were sharp and golden. She spotted Aiden but continued singing. He just stood in amazement listening to her beautiful song.

It wasn’t until she was finished that she looked directly at him. Aiden was nervous.

"Hello" The bird said gently.

"Hi-hello…" Aiden stammered.

"Don’t be frightened dear. By what means did you arrive to these parts?"

"I…I don’t know, where am I?" He asked.

"You’re in the Forest of course."

"I was escaping from my brothers and now…I’m here."

"Hahaha." The bird laughed. "You won’t have to worry about them here then won’t you. However, you will need some protection. To the East of the Forest is Zardenzia. It is becoming a cold, dangerous place. For this I am going to give you these."

The bird handed Aiden a tall white candlestick and a small silver spoon. Aiden looked at them with dismay. The bird looked at him.

" These objects appear to mean nothing to you now Aiden, but the power of such items exists from you’re believing. We’ve been awaiting your help for sometime now."

"My help?" Aiden looked confused

"I don’t even know where I am, I just ran into a shed. Am I dreaming?" The bird just gazed at him with her powerful golden eyes. She seemed to ignore his confusion.

"Now keep these safe and hide them from anybody. You’ll never know when you’re going to need them."

"What? I don’t even know what they are for!"

"You will. I must leave now but you need to begin your journey to Zardenzia. Follow this path through the entire woods and then head east down through the valley. Someone will be there who will help you." Then before Aiden could ask any questions, the beautiful bird had vanished. He was alone. He stood there a long while. The forest was enchanting and beautiful, but its unfamiliarity was frightening. The branches of the trees beckoned him to the path and the soft rustling of the leaves seemed to whisper his name. The warm sunlight looked welcoming as it peeked through canopy of the forest and danced across the ground.

Aiden began to follow the path. His fear soon subsided and he felt peaceful as looked around him. Robins and finches sang to each other in the distance. As Aiden walked, all of his troubles melted away. He had forgot about his brothers and his old neighborhood. The only thing he could think was how he wanted to stay in the place forever.