Follow Your Nose

On the other side of that mountain where the sun disappears every night, is the Great Pine Forest. The pine trees are so tall in this forest that some of them almost touch the clouds. The trunks of the trees are so big that two people joining hands can barely put their arms around one tree.

So many pine needles have fallen on the ground that it feels as if you are walking, or sitting, on a soft pine cushion. Your nose is filled with sweet yummy smells. These are not just the sweet smell of pine. These smells are so yummy that when you close your eyes you can almost taste them.

No one asked how pine trees could make such yummy smells—no one except Misty, that is. Misty is a little girl who lives on a farm near to the Great Pine Forest. She understood why the ground was so soft, but she could not understand why the air was filled with such yummy smells. She asked everyone she knew how pine trees could make such yummy smells. None of the answers ever made any sense. So, one day she let her nose lead her to the answer.

Misty's nose led her straight to the Annan Woods, which is tucked behind the Great Pine Forest. Before she stepped out of the Great Pine Forest she stopped and leaned against one of the pine trees. There are two reasons why most people stop in the Great Pine Forest. First, it was, and is, such a great place for picnics that there is no reason to go any farther. The other reason is that most everyone had heard about the Annan Woods ghost.

Thinking about the ghost, Misty started to turn around and go home. Then, instead, she sat on the soft ground and thought. She thought about how some people said the ghost was misty white and small, like a rabbit. But other people said it was bigger than the biggest bear and had a long tail and huge feet. No one seemed to know exactly what it looked like, but everyone knew it was hiding, and ready to jump out and get you.

Misty remembered how her cousins had said that they would never go to the Annan Woods because of the ghost that lived there. As soon as Misty remembered that, a giggle slipped out of her mouth. She thought everyone knows that ghosts do not live anywhere. The next thought that popped into her head was that there probably was no Annan Woods ghost.

Misty stood up, stopped thinking about ghosts, and focused on the yummy smells. The yummy smells led her into the most beautiful meadow she had ever seen. It was so beautiful that she thought she must still be in bed, dreaming. To see whether or not she was dreaming, she turned around and walked out of the meadow. She took a deep breath, pinched herself on both arms, and then walked back into the meadow.

The meadow was still filled with more wildflowers than she had ever seen before in any meadow. You see, almost every wildflower you can think of grows in the Annan Woods, and most of them grow in the big meadow.

Walking into the big meadow, Misty also discovered that each flower had its own yummy smell. Standing there, surrounded by so many beautiful flowers, she began to pick them. She kept picking until her arms could not hold even one more flower. Then she almost dropped all of them, because she heard something moving in the bushes. She started to think again about the Annan Woods ghost. Her legs and feet stopped moving, and her breath froze in her throat

Then she remembered to remember something her dad had told her, and she let out a big sigh. He had said that birds and animals run away whenever there is any kind of danger. All the birds and butterflies were still playing in the meadow. She decided she had just heard the wind playing in the trees, so she relaxed and enjoyed the yummy smells of the flowers she was holding.

The next morning, Misty's mom said, "You brought home so many beautiful flowers yesterday that every room in the house is beaming with light and smells wonderful. I just hope that you left enough for the birds and butterflies."

Misty's mom laughed as she walked away, but Misty's stomach began twisting upside down. She had forgotten to remember that the flowers provided food for the butterflies and birds.

Misty ate her breakfast so fast that the strawberry jam slid past every one of her taste buds. As soon as she had put her dishes in the sink, she was out the back door and running. By the time she hit the field, she was running at top speed. She ran straight through the Great Pine Forest and did not slow down until she was in the big meadow.

The minute Misty stepped into the big meadow, her feet came to a full stop. She stopped so fast that she almost fell. Instead of falling, she closed her eyes and said, "Flowers, I'm so sorry if I picked too many of you. You are all so beautiful that I forgot to remember not to pick too many of you. If I did, I will put some of you back."

Misty then whispered so quietly that only the breezes heard her, "I don't have the slightest idea how to put back flowers, but I will. I really will. I promise."

When Misty opened her eyes, her breath froze in her throat. The meadow looked the same as it had when she first saw it. It was not missing even one flower, let alone the whole armload of flowers that she had carried home. Something felt wrong, so she turned around, went back into the Great Pine Forest, and pinched herself. Then she walked back into the meadow, but it was still filled with flowers.

Misty did not pick any flowers that day, but she kept coming back to the big meadow. Sometimes she picked the flowers. Sometimes she just sat and watched the birds and butterflies playing with each other while they flew from flower to flower.

There were no farms close to where Misty lived, so she had never made any special friends. The flowers were always so beautiful, smelled so great, and listened to everything she said. They began to feel like her special friends.

The meadow felt like Misty's secret place. A beautiful, secret place in a land where almost no one goes is the perfect place to play. She let go of any worries she had about the Annan Woods ghost and simply enjoyed being with the flowers, butterflies, and birds. While Misty had stopped worrying about the Annan Woods ghost, she was being watched.

The animal watching Misty, like her, had no special friends. He walks and talks, like the other animals. He even likes to run through the meadows on sunny mornings, like the other animals. On the other hand, or paw, he is not at all like any of the other animals.

This animal, who a very wise old owl named Ve, would sit in the shadows watching other animals play. He wanted very much to be playing with them, but it was very hard for him to make friends. Every time he would decide to go play with another animal, it would happen. He would try to walk over to be with the other animal, and his legs would simply refuse to move.

Ve thought his legs were telling him that his brothers and sisters were right. His brothers and sisters said that because of his secret he could never let anyone see him. It is hard...