Into the rainforest, her inner fairytale came true.
The heavy rains fell on the roof of the cabin, an exceptionally melodious sound.
It was around 7:45 AM, the sky was still a little dark, weak streetlights shone in a tiny town – Forks, Washington. She was driving, windshield wipers clearing the light mist from her view, trees in thick fog along the way, she was on a long and curving wet road, so quiet, the whole environment seemed to suggest that something unusual was going to happen. The magic and moody vibe came to her mind, she was going to unfold the endless unknown within her curiosity.
Without any cell signal, she slipped far from the real world. In front of her, the giant moss covered trees, like people, lined both side of the road, bowing in greeting to her. Mist covered their green clothing, and some tall, some short, but all smiled at her. She wanted to get closer to them, but she was a little afraid at the same time, wondering who are they?
The heavy rains dripped on her body and the ground. A tall giant delivered a sweet message to her, only she could hear it. Wow! Other trees, like elves now, wore green clothes, speaking and laughing, some adrift in tiny boats on the long green river. They saw each other, an old elf with a long green beard and tall, old hat, smiled at her, and said with a soft voice “Welcome to your wonderland!” At that moment, the whole rainforest came alive for her.
The sound of heavy rains, a flowing river and blowing wind created a beautiful melody, and she danced with a group of cute elves. Woohoo!
She followed a tiny elf who wore a mini hat, entered a magic forest with a sign “Hall of Mosses”. Hundreds of mosses and other species showed in every corner, moving in different directions. She passed the mosses above her head, smiled at the scent of freshness in the air, her red outfit covered by raindrops.
The tiny elf disappeared, leaving the girl in this moist and mossy land. She looked around. A man in a green robe extended hand to show his playground, and brought joy and mystery to this girl.
“Was I dreaming?” The thought stayed on her mind.
In a very short time, she transited to the other-worldly wilderness of infinite surprises – full of a sea of “species,” jelly fish and rays, in a whole green ocean, the “waves” whispering to her. A child was wandering and playing, an area full of unique mushrooms and ferns of the world, feeling happy and content. That was her fairytale world.
“Di, Di, Da, Da, Di, Di, Da, Da”…. The steady rain sounded like a ringing clock whispering to her.
She opened a small mysterious door, she was obsessed with this wide and magic wonderland. The rabbits were playing hide and seek under the grass. She used her favorite binoculars to observe the shape of twining and spiral of those special giants, they performed different magic tricks to make her smile. She lost track of time, lost and immersed fully in this dreamy wonderland.
The clock was still running….
She immersed and enjoyed the giants’ fantastic magic trick performances: their noses changed to different shapes, sometimes pointy, sometimes bigger, sometimes the roots spoke. The biggest surprise then happened: A beautiful “unicorn” passed by, within 10 feet of her, so close that their eyes caught each other at first sight.
She was excited to see the deer and cheered, “Hi, unicorn, nice to see you!”
The unicorn replied, “Hi, my sibling and mom are here! Let’s play together!”
Her eyes turned to see the three of them in the tress, and they saw each other again. The most beautiful thing was the mother unicorn made a magic wish to her, “Meeting you is my greatest adventure! Now, I give all the grace, gentleness, heart, intelligence and devotion to you and your adventures. We are always with you. Love.” After that, the three of them disappeared in the rainforest.
The girl believed this was not a dream. She was in a real wonderland.
Heavy rains continued with a chill in the air in this unknown land full of surprises and enchantment. She discovered it was a one-way magic “maze,” the huge rainforest looked the same, but it could change: sometimes it was circle, sometime it was straight.
Unexpectedly, a huge wood suddenly blocked her way so she could not pass at all. She turned back to try another direction, but with the strong mirrors with mosses around her, she failed to make any progress. She decided to go forward, her feet broke the mirrors with her strength, like a warrior breaking a spell. Her rainboots were soaked by the green cold water, her hands turned numb from climbing and the moisture from the old wood, with odd ferns below. Her body stepped across those crowded mosses and dead red leaves, taking all efforts to pass the obstacle.
All giants, ocean species and mosses in this wonderland faced to her, applauded her bravery! Mother Nature was speaking to her: “Da, Da, Da, Da”, the rains and the winds in rhythm, using its unique language to express admiration for this adventurous girl. She received all wishes and compliments.
She stood there and looked back awhile, found the original giant wood, which disappeared, and a new and huge wood door appeared instead, fully closed. A normal world, transited. Magic!
The beautiful long green river still flowed, quietly, old trees, dead woods, mosses and leaves were there, too. She walked over the small wood bridge, observed the beautiful moment of the raindrops on them.
“Was it just a dream? Was that mysterious world real? Or surreal?”
“Hi, my dreamy wonderland!”
She brought the wishes and wonderland dream back to the road again. The sky slowly cleared, the light mist still on the windshield. The smile on her face and eyes shined again, deeply.
Another beautiful adventure continues….
She opens her adventure book, sits next to the warm fireplace with a soft blanket and lights on in a tiny cabin. She closed her eyes, “Wow! Quite a sight and adventure! Magic.” Her eyes shone.
The rains still pound outside the cabin. Di, Di, Da, Da, Di, Da, Di, Da…..
Noted: The inspiration of this wonderland story was a visit to Hoh Rain Forest in Forks, Washington. Forks is a tiny populated town and the rainiest place in the contiguous U.S., it receives an average of 120 inches (10 feet) of rain each year! The town is out of the way, surrounded by forest. It was a primary setting for the fiction “Twight” films. When you visit Forks, you can see a lot of movie scenes anywhere, like Bella’s truck, the restaurant where Edward and Bella had their first date, the food menu, the Cullen House and Swan House, La Push, etc…
Being in Forks was one of the most incredible and magical experiences for the author, inspiring her to create and achieve her inner fairytale and wonderland. The word surreal gets overused, but visiting Forks really was like walking around inside of a dream. If possible, the author would like to stay in Forks, WA for an entire month, to complete the full story.
STEPHY 