Later that night after aunt Chris tucked all the girls in bed, Ava was wide awake. She swore that she heard the whispers of the wind calling to her, asking her to come to the waterfall. She needed a plan to escape, but now wasn't the time because Derek's truck was still in the driveway and the TV downstairs still vibrated through the walls. She knew her aunt and Derek were down there watching a movie, so she waited.

The sound of the door on Derek's truck closing startled her awake. Ava looked around at her sisters. When they were here they all shared a room upstairs. Aunt Chris had a trundle bed set up for Kate and Sophie, while Ava spent the night on a small comfy cot under the window.

After the TV was off and it had been a long time since aunt Chris shut her bedroom door, she knew she was safe. She stood on the bed and looked out the window. The tree outside waved her on, and she smiled knowing exactly what she had to do.

Ava quietly using all of her strength lifted the window. She climbed out onto the roof under the window, then scurried over to the tree. The branches reached out to her and wrapped around her small body like hands. Gently, the tree placed her down onto the ground. She giggled and curtsied to the tree, it bowed back at her then pointed towards the woods where the waterfall was.

Ava ran barefoot through the dirt path. As she ran the trees lifted her, tickling her with the long thin twigs at the end of the branches. They pushed her further along the path towards the waterfall. Ava was so close she could hear the falls and smell the water. It smelled like the Earth after a rainstorm. That was her favorite smell.

In the distance the waterfall was well lit under the full moon. She happily skipped forward towards the colors. Just beyond the trees she could see the rainbow that crossed the falls. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

As she cleared the line of trees everything came into view. The animals that were gathered around the falling water stopped and turned to her. She swore they all smiled when she came forward. Ava stood next to a small brown deer with white spots on it's back, it reminded her of that cute deer from a movie she'd seen with her mom.

She then sat at the water's edge allowing her feet to soak in the magic water piling into the crystal clear lake. This place really was magical, she could feel it in her bones.

Another young deer came sauntering over to get a drink, it stood right next to her as it slurped up the water.

"Hello baby deer," Ava says reaching her hand out.

The deer lifts its head from the water and stares at her. It seems unsure of her and slowly backs away.

"It's okay baby deer, I'm a friend," she kindly says.

The deer sticks up its nose to smell her. A few moments later it comes forward and curls up in a ball beside her. The night is still young and Ava looks up at the night sky. It's perfect out here and she's in the best spot for stargazing. The stars twinkle above her and even they seem magical to her.

Magic you say... the wind speaks to her. Ava nods but keeps her head to the sky. Wind takes the stars and makes them into shapes just like the shapes she finds in the clouds on a sunny day. The wind makes all sorts of beautiful creatures and even crafts a deer out of the north star and what Ava thinks might be the planet Venus.

Ava knows she needs to head back, but she's not ready yet. The magical wind sores around her and she giggles. It feels like someone is tickling her all over. A swirl of dust from the ground below swoops up and creates an arrow. Ava follows it with her eye to a small opening underneath the waterfall. Her eyes widened in excitement. She knows she has to get back to aunt Chris's, but she can't help wonder what lies beyond that entrance.