The grass was thick and the air cool near the brook. Ryan thrashed the reeds with his stick, and startled frogs plopped into the stream. Beth lobbed stones into the water, walking higher along the bank. 

"Quit it, you're splashing me," Ryan pointed his stick at Beth. She made a face, but stopped throwing rocks. Ryan trudged up the path as the stream bed carved deeper into the bank. The trees gradually became older and taller, looming high above them, blocking the afternoon sun. 

"Are we out of the park now?" Beth picked at the moss on a great oak. 

"Almost, up here at the fence, we jump over and into the woods." Ryan hopped up and swung on a lower branch, shaking the tree. "There's a path we can follow, you don't have to be scared." 

"I'm not scared, I was just curious," She trotted down the path quickly to prove it. As the trail bent away, they crept up a grassy hill. Climbing over a wooden rail fence marking the border of the park, they crossed a dirt road and came to a rusty barbed wire fence. Ignoring the shotgun speckled "No Trespassing" signs, they gingerly stepped over the fence where a great limb had fallen, crushing the wires to the ground. 

Now the great old trees crowded on each other and the forest floor was thick with fallen branches and leaves. Tiny patches of blue sky were the only sign of daylight. The forest was completely silent and still. Bumps stood out on Beth's forearms as she looked into the dark thicket of gray trunks ahead. 

"Council Wood," Ryan announced. "Do you want to go further, or have you had enough?" 

"I don't care," Beth said, trying to sound bored. "Whatever you want, it's just an old forest." 

"You don't believe the stories?" Ryan raised an eyebrow and picked up a pine cone. Just then a breeze stirred the trees and a rushing, clattering sound swept around the kids. Beth looked around nervously and Ryan chuckled at her unease. She set her jaw and squinted at him. "There's no such thing as ghosts, or any of that stuff, but…" "But what?" Ryan leaned against a tree and picked the bark off a branch. "We're not supposed to be here. You're gonna get us into trouble." 

"It's O.K. if you're worried, most little kids wouldn't even have come this far." He looked up to grin at Beth, but she had turned and was marching along a faint trail in the undergrowth, deeper into the woods. Ryan hurried after her. 

They hiked in silence, Beth tromping in front. Ryan followed her, his hands in his pockets. For a while they saw cans and bottles littering the way, but soon these signs of civilization disappeared, and the path became fainter. Ryan looked around, realizing this was the farthest he had been into the wood. Searching for a familiar landmark, he bumped into Beth. The path was gone. They stood in front of a massive, gnarled maple. Squirrels chased each other around the trunk, chattering. 

The trees were farther apart here, making a sort of clearing, and they saw gray clouds cresting the high crown of Council Hill, much closer now. A grumble of thunder rolled across the wood. "Let's head back," Ryan said. They had walked longer than he wanted to, now he wondered if they would make it back before dinner. 

"Sure, if you're scared," Beth mocked Ryan. "What's wrong? Worried about a little thunder?" 

"C'mon, Beth, it's getting late." He turned and started back down the path. Beth sighed, rolling her eyes as she followed him. Secretly, she was relieved they were heading back. The farther she walked into the forest, the more she felt as if someone was watching her. Several times, she had the urge to spin and look behind her. The thought of Ryan grinning and chuckling was the only thing that kept her going. The silent, heavy air made her feel tired and slow. 

They had walked for some time when Ryan stopped. "I don't remember two paths here," he knelt on the ground, rubbing his cheek. 

"I didn't notice that either." Beth said quietly, thunder trailing behind her. 

The tricky thing about following a path is while you're looking ahead, other paths may be connecting behind you, so when you make your way back, you find a split that wasn't there before. This is exactly what happened to the children. Beth and Ryan stopped, puzzling over which trail led back to the park. Ryan had given up on the idea of trying to get home by dinner, and was just hoping that they would still have daylight. 

"I think we came from the one on the right, this tree looks familiar," Beth laid her hand on a peeling birch. 

"All these trees look the same, are you sure?" Ryan rubbed his fingers in the loose leaves on the ground. "This path looks more worn to me, let's take the left one." 

"I'm pretty sure, Ryan, I'm going this way." 

"I'm telling you, more people have been down the other trail, we need to stay together." 

"Why? We're always together, I thought you were sick of me. Now you can be all by yourself, I'll find my own way." Beth stomped off down the path. Ryan just stood and watched her. A few steps later, Beth was sorry she had left him, and turned to see if he was following. She caught a glimpse of Ryan, shrugging his shoulders as he set off down the opposite trail. The wind began to pick up and the trees shook. Beth did not want to be alone, but she couldn't go back. She glanced through the heavy branches at the darkening sky. Sighing, she trotted off down the path. 

She wandered for some time following a small brook, and the path ended at a rocky pool. She could smell rain and the clouds above rolled by quickly. The wind made the leaves flip their pale sides up and Beth felt frightened. She rushed off back to the first path. Now it was getting dark and it was harder to see the trail. Several times she lost it completely and had to back track, bent at the waist, scanning the ground. By the time she had made it back to the familiar birch tree, she was sweating and scared. Everything was turning pink and gray as the sun began to set. She called for Ryan, but there was no answer. Her voice sounded thin and muffled, tiny and lost. 

When Beth looked up, she could see light in the sky, but it had grown gray and shadowy on the forest floor. She had to go slower, still slipping on hidden stones. She wasn't sure if she was still on the path, and she was very afraid. Actually, she was crying. She tried to do so quietly because she didn't like the way her voice sounded in these woods. The trunks of the trees had turned into shadows, and the shadows had turned into darkness. Pausing to sniffle, she heard leaves rustling and crackling behind her. Spinning around, she saw a dark shape looming behind her. 

"Beth?" Ryan's voice greeted her just as she was about to scream. 

"Ryan!" Her voice was happy and relieved. 

"Are you O.K., Beth?" 

"No! I'm lost! Where are we?" Relieved and spent, she leaned against him. He patted her awkwardly and was silent for a moment. 

"I was hoping you would know," he said softly. Snuffling, Beth pushed away from him. 

"This was stupid! Why did we come!" Beth shouted. "You said you knew these woods! Now, we're stuck! What are we gonna do?" 

"You went too far, nobody goes this deep into these woods. It's not my fault, I was just following you. You had to be the smart…" 

"Quiet! What's that there!" Beth pointed down the path. 

"What?" Ryan turned and squinted, following Beth's finger. 

"There! There!" A dark shadow slipped from trunk to trunk just off to their right. It grew, sliding silently nearer. 

--From The Secret of Council Hill, by Hap Arnold, Kieran Wathen(Illustrator). © September 1, 2000 , Hap Arnold, Kieran Wathen(Illustrator) used by permission.