Thanks everyone for reading! Hope you enjoy it!
Later, Ari skipped out of her room and knocked on Sam's door. There was no answer, and she put her ear against the door. No snoring. So he couldn't have been sleeping. Then she banged on it harder, and half a minute later the door flew wide open.
The bear poked his shaggy head out, fangs poking out of his mouth. "What do you want?" he snarled.
"I've got a question for you!" Ari declared, putting her hands on her hips. "What's outside?"
"'What's outside?'" he repeated incredulously, squinting.
"Yeah!" she exclaimed. She gestured widely with her arms, trying to convey the scope of her question. "Outside, I mean, like out-outside! Outside the trees where the mountains are, and even outside of that. What's outside?"
"I dunno," he snapped. "But whatever it is, it's a lot better than it is here. Because you're not there."
"Not for long!" she exclaimed, stamping her foot. "Because I got an idea. I'm gonna go and explore the mountains one day, and the world even outside that! So take that!"
He made a face. "And why do you wanna explore the world all of a sudden?"
"Because, I was playing with puppy and birdie, and they wanted to go outside to the mountains," Ari explained, "but they didn't know how to get out, and I realized I didn't know how to get out, either! And I wanna go outside now and meet the different bunnies and deers and cute animals and explore the mountains with them!"
"Sure, you go ahead and do that," he yawned. "Run into the woods and sneak out. I won't tell Dad. Now maybe we can finally have some peace around here."
"No, Sam, you've got to come with me!" Ari squealed. "Remember what Dad said about big mean wolves being in the forest? You've got to come and protect me if they try to eat me!"
"Boo-hoo," he said, all fake-crying. "Let them eat you up. They should get paid extra for a job well done."
"Meanie!" she growled. "Then let me push you into the lake and we'll be equal!"
He snickered. "Yeah, I don't think you'll go very far. Good luck trying to find a lake around here. But hey, don't give up on your dreams, am I right?" And then without another word he abruptly slammed the door right in her face.
But even if Sam was going to dismiss her, Ari wasn't going to let go of her question that easily. She was going to get it answered, sooner or later! That evening, they gathered around the table for dinner with the rabbit meat Dad had prepared from his hunt, along with some roasted squash and leftover pasta. As Ari helped herself to some pasta and squash, she asked the very same question to Dad.
"Dad, what's outside?"
"Outside?" he repeated, smiling, while Sam rolled his eyes.
"Yeah!" she said excitedly. "Outside, and I mean, out-outside. Outside where the trees are, and the mountains, and the sky, and the castle and lake…" she waved her fork around, her loops getting bigger and bigger with each word, "what's outside?"
He chuckled. "Well, I think you've just answered your own question, didn't you, kiddo? Trees, mountains, the sky… that's what's outside. Would you like a leg, Sam?"
"But I mean more than that!" she protested as Dad speared a piece of rabbit leg onto Sam's plate. "What about the people? There's got to be other people out there, right? Living in the woods, just like us! Like the people in my dream! Or the girl from Goldilocks!"
"Hm," Dad said, a small crease appearing in his brow. "But your dream was just that, right, Ari? A dream. And Goldilocks is just a character from a story — she's not exactly real, either. Nobody is. They're just make-believe characters in fables, that's all."
"But!" Ari protested, her mind spinning. "But someone must've come up with the stories, right? Someone real, like us?"
Dad made an indistinct noise in his throat. "I'm not sure," he said, shrugging. "Your guess is as good as mine."
"Or what if Goldilocks is real," Ari gasped, suddenly thinking of something, "and she wrote her story about the three bears, and she's out there in the mountains, waiting for us to say hi to her! Both her and the bears! Maybe we can go out one day and say hi to all of them!"
Dad laughed lightly. "Well, aren't you just so full of excitement today, Ari?" he said. "Is it because of that dream you had with the lake?"
"I guess so. It did feel really exciting… really wide and open. Like I was on the top of the world."
"Well, if you want to see the lake that badly, maybe I can bring you to see one someday," he said, and Ari perked up. "But until then, it's better to stay here and stay safe. The world is a dangerous place, cubs." His eyes darkened suddenly, and it was a strange look on his usually happy face. "There are wolves everywhere, and not just in the forest."
Ari gasped. "Really?"
"Really," Dad said firmly. "And they'll be all there to hurt you the moment you step foot outside. Just look at the rabbits and squirrels in the forest. They're small and have nobody to look after them, no real home to go to. They're defenseless. And what happens to them? They get hunted down and shot."
His words were as sharp and haunting as those gunshots, and Ari let out a squeal. Dad quickly said, "I'm sorry, Ari. I don't want to scare you. I'm just saying that the world is a dangerous place, and it's all the better that you two are here. Nothing can hurt you as long as you're here and I'm watching over you. I just want to keep you all safe. You know that, right, Ari?"
She nodded solmenly. "Yes, Dad."
"And you, Sam?" he turned to Sam.
"Mhm," he said through a mouthful of rabbit leg.
"Good," Dad said, his face relaxing. He smiled again, looking much like the happy Dad Ari knew him to be. "I'm sorry. I know you want to go to the mountains… I do, too. But it's just too dangerous, and not worth the risk. The mountains might seem fun, but there are already lots of fun things we can do together, right here in our cozy home. We can plant vegetables, we can cook, we can talk together like this… don't you like that, Ari?"
She nodded. "Yes, Dad."
Yes, Dad was right… he was always right. There were already lots of fun things they could together in their home. Ari really liked helping her dad in particular and seeing the proud look on his face whenever she did something good. She liked being able to help with cooking and make something yummy that her whole family could enjoy. That was the most important thing. Family. As long as they had each other, someplace they could call home, that was all that mattered.
But then she thought of the birds chirping outside and the poor bunnies Dad brought back home. And when she looked out her window again she could see the last rays of sun dusting the top of the mystical mountains, turning their snow peaks orange, like flames. Even if the birds and bunnies were in danger of dying and being hunted at any moment, at least they were free. They could do whatever they wanted, go wherever they wanted. They had the whole forest to explore, the entire mountain range, and they could run to the ends of the earth if they so chose.
Ari wasn't sure how big the earth was, or what the ends of the earth even looked like. Maybe there were just a huge, sprawling forest, millions and millions of trees, until they abruptly stopped growing and dropped off into a steep cliff into a big black hole. Or maybe it was something like her dream… maybe there was a lake at the end of the earth. Maybe there was a boat you could take to cross the dark, peaceful waters, feel the wind whip through your hair in the closest way you could get to flying, a way to feel truly free. And then at the end of the lake there would be that huge, mystical castle and its inhabitants looming out of the darkness to greet you.
Maybe that castle was the final destination, the very ends of the earth, the place where all the bunnies and birds and puppies traveled to. The place where you could do whatever you wanted and make all the friends you wanted. Just like those people who had been inside… they had all seemed pretty happy, pretty together. Just like true friends. She could just feel the power and warmth and welcome that flooded her being as she soared down the lake and gazed up at the imposing castle. And at the same time, there was a sense of danger coming from it, too, a cool sort of mysteriousness. Just like Dad had said, it was the risk — the risk of the foreign and unknown that made it feel dangerous and scary. And yet it was the unknown that made it even more exciting, the unknown that made her want to explore it even more. And it was waiting for her to come and set her mark upon it, just like everything else in this world. And she could feel it, weighing down her bones with a whole, heavy certainty.
When night fell, a hush descended over the house and the land beyond. A strange sort of solemnity filled the air and left Ari feeling awake and alert, even when she was supposed to be sleeping. Her heart was pounding with a sudden franticness, like a bird trying to get free. She slipped out of her bed and peeked out her window, and glimpsed the round, luminous moon peeking out from the inky night sky. The darkness unfolded over her head like a never-ending cloth, as velvety and brilliant as the night sky in her dream. Millions of stars dotted the sky and twinkled like diamonds, as though they were all winking at her and saying hello. What she would do to soar up into the sky and join their ranks… or perhaps she could row to the lake in her dream and visit all the mysterious people in their castle home. And there it was in her mind again, clear as glass — the lake unfolding upon the landscape, its quiet, calm waters reflecting the night sky above, like the most beautiful mirror in the world.
A moment later, Ari found her feet walking out of her room and down the stairs. She couldn't stop herself, wasn't even aware of her actions, almost as if she was being possessed by some outside force. Perhaps it was that strange resolve that had stayed with her since dinner, tugging at her bones like a deep itch she couldn't scratch. Maybe it was the castle, calling her name and pulling her closer like a moth to a flame.
Next thing Ari knew, she was standing before the front door. It was the same old door Ari knew for the past eleven years, but tonight, it felt rather different. No longer was it something that kept her safe and warm, but now, it felt like a barrier that she needed to get out of. She stared at the door for a few moments, her breaths coming out in sharp pants. She could see the lake projecting in her mind more vividly than ever, smell the water and feel the wind on her face. And the castle, yes, it was still calling for her, still waiting for her. All she needed to do was to cross the doorway and follow the tugging on her heart, follow it until she reached whatever was calling for her.
Ari placed her hand on the doorknob. It felt cold and smooth. And then she turned it. Or at least tried to. It wouldn't budge, no matter how hard or what direction she jiggled it in. She bent down and inspected it, and saw a lock clipped to the doorknob. Ah, right… she forgot about those little locks that Dad put around the doors. But upon closer inspection, she saw the lock had a bunch of dials with numbers you could rotate. Maybe there was a code Ari could use to unlock it? And so Ari tried fiddling with the dials for a moment, until she heard a booming voice behind her.
"What are you doing?"
Ari jumped and whirled around. Her heart racing harder than ever, she saw Dad looming out of the darkness, his face unusually grave. "Dad!" she exclaimed.
"What are you doing?" he repeated, his voice harder.
"I… I was looking at the lock!" she stammered. Her tongue felt numb, and her head was spinning.
"And why were you doing that?" he asked softly, taking a step toward her. She gulped, her eyes darting between the lock and her dad's shadowy face.
"'Cause I wanted to get out!" she blurted.
"Why?" he asked. His voice was calm, yet his eyes glinted with a strange hardness, which looked even more eerie in the darkness.
"I…" she swallowed. She wasn't sure how she could properly explain the beauty of the lake imprinted into her mind, or the magnet on her heart leading her forward, or the desire to take off to the ends of the earth and never look back. So all she could settle for was a, "I was just curious, that's all."
"But why?" Dad said, and she could suddenly her a slight tremor crack his voice. Ari's heart trembled along with it. He stepped forward so that the soft moonbeams between the window blinds cast their glow upon his face, flickering it between light and shadow. "Even when I told you it's not safe, and that bad things will happen to you, you still want to get out? You want to knowingly subject yourself to that kind of danger? Or maybe…" he said, taking another step toward her, "you don't like me and Sam? Maybe you're not happy living with us and you want to get out?" He advanced on her closer still, and Ari began to back away. She could suddenly hear a pleading note enter her dad's voice. "If you don't like it here, Ari, just tell me. Tell me how I can improve. Tell me how I can make you happier. But please… don't run away. It makes me so sad."
She backed away until she felt the door hit her back, and she couldn't hold herself back anymore. "I'm sorry, Daddy!" she burst out, and he stopped in his tracks. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad. I was just curious. I don't wanna run away, honest! I like it here, really!"
"Really?" he said quietly.
"Yeah," she said, her mouth dry. "I like living here. There's nothing wrong. I just… I'm just curious about what's out there."
She gestured vaguely toward the door, and Dad sighed. "So this is what this is about? What you were talking about earlier, about being outside?"
"Yes, Daddy."
"Silly goose," he whispered, and he sounded more sad than anything. "There's nothing out there. Nothing worth looking at. You've already got everything you need right here. Food, water, clothing, shelter, me and your brother… why would you need anything else?"
She swallowed again, suddenly thinking of the lake, and the magical power and warmth emanating from the castle. A feeling she couldn't explain, but it felt good, and she knew deep in her bones, it was calling for her. "There… might be something else," she stammered. "S-something out there, waiting for me."
"No," Dad said, and his voice had turned as hard and unmovable as the door. "There's nothing out there, Ari. Nothing."
Her heart plummeted. "But—"
"No buts," he cut in, bending down to look at her eye-to-eye. His face was stern and unyielding, no trace of his usual friendliness. "You don't know because you're too young, but trust me, Ari, I know. I've been out there, and I'll tell you, there's nothing but danger. You'll get hurt. And it would break my heart to see you get hurt. My beautiful princess…" he cupped her face with his rough, warm hand, his eyes shining. "I just want you to be safe. You know how I feel, right?"
"Yes, Dad," she said softly, her heart twisting. Yes, Dad wanted to keep her safe… but what if that wasn't what Ari wanted? What if she wanted to go out and explore the trees and the mountains and the lake — regardless of whether it was safe or not? Maybe it wasn't always about being safe, but following that tug on your heart and living out your dreams in real life. But if it came down to doing what she wanted and making her daddy happy… which one would she choose?
"Good girl," Dad whispered. "I love you, Ari."
"I love you too, Daddy."
His soft, glowing smile was a relief to see. Ari smiled back before he scooped her up in his arms. Ari couldn't remember the last time she had been carried, but it felt nice, like she was a baby again. She buried her face in her father's warm shoulder that smelled like smoke and pine and she continued breathing it in as he carried her back up the stairs and laid her down in her bed. He tucked the covers up her chin and he just sat at her bedside for a while, stroking her face with his calloused fingers. The rhythmic motion lulled Ari into drowsiness and her eyes slid shut, the castle and lake slipping away from her mind like water trickling out of a bucket. The last thing she remembered was the feel of her dad's warm hand before she slipped away into the darkness.
