Rainbows; mythical things they seemed to most of us as children. An arch of beautiful colors spread across the sky. As well, am I sure we were all told the same tale, that a pot of gold resides at the end of every one.

Silly—it was, yes—yet we never questioned it. I, for sure did not. It fascinanted me wholly, and being a poor child in an equally as poor town, seeing one right outside my window, glowing in all it’s multicolored glory, I rushed for my boots. Dashing out the front door, not caring about the muddy ground that newly laid across the forest floor, I followed the rainbow.

Deeper and deeper into the forest I ran, head towards the sky, until–BAM.

_Surprisingly_, not looking where you’re going can cause you a great deal of pain. Especially when you run right into a hard oak tree.

I didn’t let that stop me, though. Oh, no I did not. I got back up, looking upwards again, and to my great delight it seemed as if the end of the rainbow was near.

I started up again, running as fast as I could, and only a few feet later

there it was.

Or, so I thought?

I stood, looking forward at not the foot a rainbow, but a box.

The box wasn’t any normal cardboard box, no, but rather a tiny wooden chest. Of sorts.

Any smart person would probably turned back by now, or at least checked their surroundings before aproching it, but younger me didn’t have the patience or cognitive for such.

So, I walked up to the small box.

Despite all the recent storm it looked as if it was complete dry, not touched by a single drop of rain.

I bent down and picked up the box, and instantly I was hit with a strange, alluring, fascination with the object. Though, at the same time, *fear* of what could be inside.

Then, without a thought, I attempted to pry it open with my hands.

The chest—box—thing, didn’t seem to have any locks, yet it was very difficult to get it open.

In vain were my attempts to open this box.

Though, right as I was going to give up, the box popped open!

I fell back once again, box still in my hands.

I was ecstatic!

Beaming with joy, I looked into the box expecting to be greeted with a of golden coins.

But all that happiness was soon to be drained.

There, inside the box, was not gold.

It was far, far, far, from gold.

The box was instead full of

_teeth_?

To the very brim of the chest, were TEETH.

I threw the box onto the ground, yelping loudly.

I was horrified.

Then, only then, I snapped out of my wishful mindset and acknowledged the true setting of where I resided.

The dark, damp, forest floor is where I sat.

Apparently, neither did I realize how late it had become.

Fear.

Fear, was all I could feel in that very moment.

My breath quickened as I stammered to my feet.

Teeth, it was just teeth. But something was wrong.

So, so, so wrong.

I knew I needed to leave that forest, and never return.

I did just that.

I closed my eyes and ran.

And I didn’t stop running until I made it home.