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Lily stepped forward through the line of trees barely visible in the night. The light she was met with had nothing to do with the moon high above her. Despite the darkness, the intensity of the bright colors all around her made her eight year old brain vibrate with excitement. Blues, purples, yellows – every color in the rainbow was visible inside this forest. Neon blue butterflies circled around her head, causing her to giggle and turn in place. She reached out not to swat them away, but to give them a place to perch. The birds in the trees sang different tunes to her as she walked. A red one would fly towards her, flap their wings right in front of her. She’d inch close enough to think they might actually be smiling. The next one would be orange, or green. It was a welcoming of sorts, she felt. Like they were inviting her into their home, greeting her at the door.&nbsp;	Up ahead, she heard water running. She would pass sections of fluorescent flowers, take a moment to stop and smell them. Her senses overwhelmed with amazement, relief, happiness. She’d never seen any place like this before. Was this place in the backyard of their home all this time? Had she just now stumbled upon it? Maybe she had woken in the night and gone exploring, or sleepwalked. It had to be sleepwalking, because she didn’t remember exactly how she got here. Either way, she never wanted to leave. The more she walked, the dizzier she became. She began to feel sick, sitting down against a tree to take a break. The rustling of leaves startled her, and she looked down next to her to see a small bunny staring at her. It nudged her hand, jumped ahead of her, then looked back. It wants me to follow, she thought. She stood up carefully, wiped at the sweat building on her forehead, and drug her feet. One in front of the other. The bunny didn’t seem to mind the slow pace, stopping every few hops to turn and check on her, waiting until she caught up.	The distant flowing of water she’d heard earlier grew louder and louder the further they walked, until she could see the glowing of the water through the trees ahead. It was so close but still seemed so far away. Her vision went blurry again, and she tripped. Couldn’t find the strength to get back up. And just as her eyes began to close, feeling more tired now than she’d ever felt, one of those blue butterflies landed on her nose. The smiling birds swooped down to sing in her ear, keeping her awake. The bunny and his family tugged on her hands, encouraging her to move. And so she stumbled back to her feet and together they all trudged to the stream, where they waited for her to take a sip of the electric blue water. She cupped some in her hands, and brought it to her mouth.	“Knock knock.” The doctor tapped his fingers on the door, bringing Lily out of her imagination. She dropped the crayon on the paper where she’d been drawing a forest – filled with glowing butterflies, neon birds, energized water and helpful bunnies. Her parents had dozed off next to her on the couch until the doctor announced himself.	“I have great news. The radiation was a success,” he proudly stated and looked at Lily with a comforting smile. “Your cancer is gone, Lily! Would you like to ring the bell?”&nbsp;	She gave a quick, excited nod while her parents cried, holding each other in relief. She grabbed her stuffed animal bunny from beside her and hopped off the bed.&nbsp;	As they walked towards the ward doors, Lily remembered the world she left behind in the hospital room. She ran back and grabbed the drawing from the bed, but stopped at the doorway when she thought about all the other sick kids who might visit this room. She looked down at her bunny and backtracked to the bed, sitting it down with the drawing for the next kid just like her.

The Glow Forest

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The Glow Forest

xndeadahead

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Ricky Hollow

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