Excursion into the forest

"Kris." Asriel quietly whispered.

His little brother was still in bed. Asriel's heart would always melt at the sight of his small angel still grasping the warm bed sheets with his tiny hands. Normally he would leave him be, dreaming of the happy fantasy that his puerile mind could conjure up. Today, however, was a special day and he would need to wake him.

"Kris, wake up." He repeated, his voice still as delicate as silk.

He noticed that his face scrunched up a bit, but nothing else. He decided to get on the bed. With the same care and love a Gardner treats his fragile and beautiful flowers, Astiel put his arms on Kris's shoulders and proceeded to swing them in the hypnotic rhythm of a lullaby.

"Wake up, Kris!"

Asriel couldn't help but smile at the sleeplessness of his brother. Yesterday they had played video games together all night long. He could understand how tired he must have been, for he too remembered when he was his age. In some sort of way, he was nostalgic of when he had such an infinite curiosity for everything despite having such a small and clumsy body. Still, he was grateful that he was grown up so that he could share what he had learned with his brother and hope he would do better than he had.

Kris sighed and attempted to turn around, but he could not counter the weight that was laid upon him. Asriel inched closer and kissed him on his soft cheeks.

"Wake up, sleepyhead, today is the day we've planned out for so long."

Kris, at last, got up. He rubbed his eyes concealed behind his bangs and stretched his mouth in a long and satisfying yawn. Asriel could no longer control himself and braced his brother in a tight and warm hug. He released him and smiled.

"Well, here you go. I'll wait for you in the kitchen while you dress."

He kissed him again before heading downstairs. He was careful not to make any sounds in order to not wake his parents. Like usual, they were passing the Sunday morning by sleeping after an exhausting week of work. They weren't light-sleepers, but Asriel decided to play it safe. He reached the kitchen and put on the table the backpack he had already prepared. He checked its contents. There were plenty of sandwiches, some bottles of water and a couple of bandages just in case. He heard small footsteps approaching him and turned around. Kris was wearing his yellow boots, his blue jacket, and a straw hat, just like he had instructed him to do.

"That's perfect Kris. Let's go!"

He grabbed his hand and led him through the doorway. They closed the entrance and proceeded through the street. It was still very early and the sun had not yet risen up. There was only a faint twilight. After a stormy night, the town was bleak and cold. The streets were silent, but the two brothers were more than happy to fill that void. They competed to jump on as many puddles as they could find and then race from pole to pole to determine who was the faster. Naturally, Asriel would slow his pace down to ensure they would always both reach the goal at the same time. Through all these playful games they played, they finally reached the end of the town. They stood before a dirt path which would lead them to the inner parts of the woods. Asriel looked at Kris. He felt that he was uneased, so he pinched his cheek.

"Oh, don't worry. I know the forest like the back of my hand. I'll show you all the cool places. Come on!"

He pulled his hand and made the first step towards the woods. He could feel the mud crumbling under his weight. It must have rained really hard during the night if it was this slippery, but it posed no problem. The brothers walked deeper and deeper into the heart of the forest. It was silent, but not in the same way as it was in the town. They could hear the soft rustling of the leaves. Occasionally, some bird would chirp in the distance, but they could never figure out from where. The disorientation only got stronger as the trees gradually became bigger and taller. They could feel the forest breathing the fresh humid air upon their exposed skin. Kris could do nothing, but admire his surroundings as if it was sacred. Asriel recollected the fuzzy memories of the first time he ventured into the woods alone. He too at that time had considered it holy. Indeed, there were many myths and legends about this place. Could some of them perhaps be true? He pushed that silly thought aside and went on to guide his little brother through the bushes. They could see a cabin.

"There it is!" Asriel exclaimed, "That's my hiding place, let's go there."

They ran towards the shelter. After getting past all the trees, they could see a wooden table. There were three short tree stumps at its side, providing a place to sit. Asriel put his backpack onto the table and rubbed off all the water that had collected itself on the chairs.

"Take a seat, Kris."

Kris sat down beside him. He looked up. Asriel realized that the table was too tall for him.

"Well, how about this!"

Asriel picked him up and placed him on his lap. Kris grinned widely, making Asriel fluster with joy.

"You must be hungry," He reached for his backpack and pulled out two sandwiches "this will be our breakfast for today, enjoy!" he offered one to him.

Kris grasped it. He stared at it as if he were a wolf contemplating its prey. He then attempted to munch it. His mouth was a bit too small and his teeth slipped and bit only a meager amount of bread. Not discouraged he tried again, this time managing to munch on some of the content. By the voracious way he was chewing the meal, Asriel could judge that Kris was really enjoying it. He himself began eating, albeit with much more discreet nibbles. He was about halfway there when he noticed a weight lifting off him. He looked down and saw that Kris had gotten off him and was now crouching. He bent over to see what he was looking at. A convoy of ants was marching to gather up all the crumbles they had made. Asriel could see that Kris was really fascinated by the orderly fashion by which the small insects wandered through the rough terrain with their tiny legs.

"Hey!" Kris looked up, "How about we find out where they come from?"

They followed attentively the black line. Not long after they discovered a clump of dirt where the ants seemed to come from.

"That's an ant hill," Asriel explained, "that's where ants live."

Kris marveled at it. Asriel's instincts told him that his little brother was thinking of grasping that pile of dirt to feel its touch and to see its texture.

Before he could do that he prompted "You sure are interested. Come! I think I've got a book just about it!"

They returned to the cabin and went inside. Asriel opened an old drawer. Inside where many books: most of them were horror comics. Toriel had forbidden them, and so he had hidden them here. He shuffled through the pile until he pulled out a big book. It read: 'The wonderful world under our feet'. He closed the drawer and went outside. Once they finished their meals, Asriel took the book and began reading it. He let Kris sit on his lap so that he could see all the marvelous illustrations. Having uttered the last sentence, he closed the book. He looked up into the sky. The sun was directly above them.

"Oh oh, it seems it's getting late. We should start heading back now, otherwise, mom and dad will get worried for us."

Kris yanked his arm. He looked sad. He would have liked to spend more time with his big brother.

"On second thought," Asriel added, "while we return we could go on a little detour."

Kris's expression reignited into a bright and cheerful smile. Asriel hugged him again, before guiding Kris back into the dense woods. While walking, Asriel noticed a change in Kris's attitude. He no longer seemed overwhelmed by the nature around him, but rather joyful because of it. He muttered to himself a nursery rhyme he had learned in school. His steps beat the ground by its rhythm. His head oscillated from side to side almost as if he would suddenly free himself from Asriel's grasp and run around the bushes, the flowers, and the leaves. Asriel held his hand just a little tighter. He looked by his side and saw a stream.

"Let's stop here for a moment."

Asriel laid down his backpack against a tree. Kris was already heading towards the creek. The water was very low, but also fast. It swerved around and splashed against the rocks which obstructed its flow. Once Kris reached it, he began jumping and jumping. Soon, he was joined by his big brother. The two of them sprinkled water all around them. It was cold. They quivered a little whenever the little drops would splatter against their skin. They did not care, however, for the feeling of absolute unrestrained freedom was way more than they could ask for. Suddenly Kris stopped. He was observing something. a group of small fish was attempting to swim down the stream. Kris ran after them. His hand was already protracted forward in order to grab them.

"Kris, you're going to hurt yourself!"

Kris did not listen to his warning. He accelerated his pace. He was just about to catch them when he stepped on a mossy stone. He tripped and fell on his side. He began crying.

"Kris!!" shouted Asriel.

He caught up with him and immediately hugged him. Kris, however, was still sobbing. Asriel let go of him and grabbed his hands. They were bruised and a little bloody.

"D.d. don't worry Kris! Wait here!" He ordered him.

Asriel rushed back as fast as he could to his backpack. He stuck his hand in and pulled out the bandages. He turned back, ready to dash to Kris. But something strange had occoured. A dense mist had appeared. A little while before everything was in clear sight and now he couldn't see more than five meters ahead of himself. This all felt very unsettling and mysterious to him. That, however, wasn't what sent chills down his spine. It was instead when he realized that he could no longer hear his little brother.

"Kris?"

He waited for a response. None came.

"Kris!?" He repeated with the same result.

He gulped and went forward. His pace was slow and uncertain. He felt as if some kind of presence was observing him. He was now where Kris previously had fallen. He looked around, but there was no trace of him. Asriel nervously scratched his arm. His own cold sweat gave him goosebumps.

"K.K..Kris, where are you?" he stuttered.

The thought that he could lose his brother forever terrified him. He was trembling. He began to lose hope, but a familiar object temporarily relieved him, if only a little. He inched closer and pulled it out of a bush. It was Kris's hat. Beside it, there was a dirt path that Asriel had never noticed. He figured that his little brother must have gone that way. Asriel gathered all his courage, gulped again and ran through it. The forest around him was horrifying. The trees had turned black and its branches pointy and sharp. When they brushed against his fragile skin, they felt like bony long fingers that were attempting to capture him. Asriel's breathing got sporadic. The only thing keeping him from collapsing was his determination to save his brother. He stopped. There was a crossroad. The two paths were separated by a boulder. He looked up. A hooded slender figure was on top of it. Asriel stepped back. The figure looked straight into his eyes. He could not see the face concealed behind its hood. Asriel wanted to run away. He wanted to drop down and cry. He wanted to shout for mom and dad. But he did none of these things. He loved his brother more than anything else. He would fight to save him.

"Are you the one who took my brother?"

Silence.

"I..i.iif s..so," Asriel grabbed a nearby stick and pointed it towards the hooded figure, "I..i will not.. hesitate.te t..to strike y..you down"

No response. Not even the tiniest movement

Asriel's heart pounded like a war drum. He was frightened to the bone. He could feel his soul being dragged down by fear, but he wouldn't stand down, even if his life depended on it. Before, however, he could commence the attack, the figure finally moved. It slowly raised its arm and pointed down to the right. Asriel's sight followed its direction. The mist had gotten a little less opaque. He could see a clearing. In the middle of it there was a mighty black tree and slumped over it was his little brother.

"KRIS!" Asriel yelled.

He dropped the stick and darted towards him. Kris was whimpering tremendously. Without a second thought, Asriel braced him as tightly as he could and caressed his head.

"It's ok, Kris I'm here I'm here, you don't have to worry anymore, I will never leave you alone, I promise."

While comforting his little brother he looked back at the strange figure. It had removed its hood. It was examining them. He could see a small grin on its face. Asriel wanted to thank it, but as soon as he made a step forward, it made one backward and disappeared into the fog. It was as if it had turned into mist like it was never there, to begin with. Asriel turned his attention back to Kris. He was weeping on his sweater. Asriel crouched and wiped his tears off with his delicate finger.

"Let's go home"

Asriel let Kris mount on his shoulders and headed back. He picked up his backpack and returned on the path to home. His pace was hurried. Both kids were still scared of their surroundings and just wanted to be back. When they reached the town. They immediately saw mom and dad looking for them. Both were embraced by bone-crushing hugs from their worried parents. Toriel, however, was then quick to berate them for going into the woods alone and grounded them for a whole week. Asriel wisely decided not to tell her their misadventures in order to not upset her even further. The day passed and now Asriel was staring at the ceiling from his bed. He was still perplexed at his encounter. He struggled to remember its appearance. It looked like a human. Its demeanor had some sort of feminine quality to it. What Asriel could, however, remember most clearly was its smile. It stretched to both its blushing cheeks. It was unsettling, but in a strange kind of way also familiar and reassuring. It was the type of smile he himself would give to Kris to comfort him. Asriel eventually stopped his reflections and drifted to sleep. He would need to rest for the following day at school.