“Careful!” Mae whisper-hissed as she held a dangling Basil by a ratty old hoodie.

Basil could hear Mae’s angry facial expression, she was not just upset but insulted. Why, Basil, why? Why couldn’t you just listen?

Scenes flashed back and forth in Basil’s mind, an angry Mae, the bottom of a cliff. Back and forth, back and forth, as if his future was still undecided… until finally Mae placed an ever so fragile Basil on the forest ground.

“Follow me closely, Base.” A surprisingly gentle, almost pleading tone from Mae. Basil opened an eye. She seemed just as shaken up as he felt. Basil nodded in silent agreement, in sacred pledge, and got back on his feet.

They carefully made their way through the Forest of Need. It was a rough and tricky terrain but it was the only way to the Wishing Tree. A tree of great power which exacted an equally heavy price.

If you could get past the Forest of Need you could have your wish. But the forest was a hungry, demanding thing. They said each life it took would give another their unmet needs. Like his hands, or his feet, or his leg. If he had fallen off that cliff, theoretically a handless boy should wake up with a hand, a footless girl with a foot, and a legless dog with a leg. But that’s just in theory.

Even if you made it through physically unharmed, witnessing the faces was price heavy enough. All the trees seemed to wear faces. Sunken eyes and cheeks, although lacking in clarity and definition, a clear sense of agony and withering away.

“Mae!” Mae wobbled in place, trying to regain her balance, and keep from falling down a deep hole that definitely wasn’t there before.

Finally balanced, she turned to glare at Basil. “Are you concentrating, Basil? You can’t give in to the forest. It’ll suck you right in. Please don’t make this any harder for me. Remember your mental state affects my chances too.” Basil nodded, ever obedient, ever receptive.

Yes, of course. He could do this. Right?

One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four. Basil counted and stepped and followed Mae. Checking his surroundings but not really taking them in and certainly not thinking about all the need in the world or even his wish.

He was being so careful, he was being so good, and then he felt it. A tug at his leg. He froze. Mae had walked only a few steps in front of him when she felt the gap. She turned and almost rolled her eyes. Basil could see her silently fuming.

Mae walked back to Basil, bent down, and took his jeans off a fallen tree branch. It had been just a branch? But of course. Why would it have been anything else? How could it have been when Basil was concentrating so well.

“It’s right over there Basil, look. We’re basically there.” Mae grinned an honest grin, excited, relieved, earned. Basil followed her eyes. A bit forward and to their left, there it was. Glowing, waiting. It must be one of the most patient beings in all of existence because it rarely ever got a visit.

Holding hands now, Mae and Basil made their way over. And slowly but surely, they had made it. There it was. Right in front of them. And in front of the tree a pond. Crystal clear water.

“This is clean!” Mae tugged at Basil excitedly before bending to drink. Basil’s mouth was dry and needy. But he could not take his eyes from the glowing, naked tree. Skinny and twisted, almost concaved. Shouldn’t a wishing tree be lush and green? Why did it look just the same as the others? Just the same only it glowed.