It was during the late hours of that summer afternoon that her family decided to go out on a picnic.
She couldn't have been more excited! She had always liked going out on picnics. It was a nice break from the boredom of homework and ballet classes and bedtime. She liked those things sometimes, too, but the simple joy of eating with her parents was a feeling that couldn't be matched.
Today, her friends couldn't come, though. She felt sad. She asked them all before, but they were all busy with homework and other such things. Such a shame, they could've played Cowboys and Indians together… But it's fine. She could go out on an adventure all on her own! What secrets did the forest hide? She was going to find out!
The trip there was boring. When they finally arrived, while her parents were setting up the blankets and food and everything else, she thought it would be a good idea to explore the wilderness. It was so quiet! The tall trees were all that surrounded her, and the forest seemed to go on forever the further she wandered.
She stopped. Uh oh! She couldn't hear her parents anymore. She was lost!
It was okay though. She was a big girl now, she wasn't scared. She could hear dad’s voice from far away, asking that she'd come out. She couldn't see him, though. The trees were so tall! Maybe she could find him by climbing up on top.
And that she did. It was easy! Once she found the right branches to place her feet on, getting to the top of the tree was a piece of cake. Once they'd see her up there, her parents would be so proud of her!
The sky was so blue. She felt like the princess of the whole forest! Why was she feeling so tingly? She looked down and saw her mom and dad running and reaching out for her. Why is it getting dark? Why does he look so scared?
She blinked.
She was the princess now! They all cheered and sang and danced around her. Hooray! It was time to celebrate. She was surprised and they were happy. They got to work, taking her around and taking turns having fun and singing and dancing. She couldn't help but feel a little sad, though. She even cried as they tugged and pulled and tore, like a doll being passed around and broken. When was she coming back down? This was all so sudden…!
But it was a celebration! This was no time to cry. There was laughter and joy and only so much time she could spend with them. Her new friends made sure she would have the best time ever!
And once it was finally time to say goodbye, they decided to let her back down.