Chapter One - Alexa

By CATE BARKER

For as long as Alexa could remember she had lived on a farm.  

Sure, it had its ups and downs, but the one thing she didn’t like,  was that on the farm she did not have any friends. She had some friends at school, but nobody to play with since she didn’t live by many people.

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​Also, she had to feed the chickens, clean their coop and many other chores, But, there was one thing she liked about the farm. The forest.  

Today was a great day to go to the forest. It was always easy to find the forest because her family’s farm was surrounded by forest. Except for a dirt path leading to the market and the city. 

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​She walked across the edge of the forest separating it from the farm. She finally found a path leading into the forest. It was narrow and dark, but she didn’t care. It finally led into an empty spot in the forest. It was more than an empty spot, it was a magical place. It had a bustling stream with fish jumping in and out of the river. There was a big rock where she could sit on a patch of sunlight streaming in from a crack in the thick canopy, and an animal den. Alexa’s curiosity grew.

What animal lives in this den, she thought. She stepped toward the den and looked, but nothing was in it. 

“Honey, time for dinner,” she heard her mom holler. 

“I’ll see you later animal den, she thought, as she was leaving.