“I saw it once when I was a child,” Nana told the children sitting before her.
“Was it as big as a house?” asked the child.
“It was a house, my dear, and in it lived an amazing woman,” answered her grandmother.
“Papa told me the Forest House was a story. Parents tell their children this to keep them out of the deep wood,” said the boy.
“No, child, that is what adults want to believe. They fear the truth and so blind their eyes to it,” said Nana.
“Tell us about when you were there, please, Nana!” cried the children.
“Alright, but you must sit and not fidget so Nana can think,” the old woman said.
The old woman bent closer and whispered, “When I was your age, I ran away into the deep forest. I was mad at my parents.”
Nana told the children they talked and laughed for hours when she met the woman. “Soon, it was time for me to return home so my parents wouldn’t worry,” said Nana.
“I asked her if I might revisit her. She told me those who look for her never find her,” said the old woman.
“What did she mean, Nana?” asked the children.
You cannot search for the Forest House. You must find it anyway,” their grandmother explained.
“That’s how you found it when you ran away. You were hiding from your parents, not seeking the Forest House,” said the child.
“You’re a wise one, no doubt,” said Nana.
The woman explained that she had returned many times to find the house but could never return. “I even blindfolded myself in hopes of stumbling upon it but never did,” said Nana.
“Well, my little rabbit, it’s time for Nana’s nap and for you to play hide-and-seek. Who knows, when hiding, you’ll meet the woman in the Forest House?” said the woman.
“If we do, what will we say to her?” asked the children.
“Tell her I miss her,” said Nana, who shooed the children out the door.
“Time to dream. Today, I will dream of the Forest House and my friend,” Nana said, then closed her eyes to rest.
For More Fun:
Folksburywoods Story Blog 
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