2 years later

Treegap, New Hampshire

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"How is Luke?" Ilios asked her sister anxiously, "Any word?" 

"He's still in school," Winnie sighed hanging upside down on her bed a book in hand. "He doesn't want to be. He wants to be with his Father." 

Ilios gave a smile of relief, "At least he's alright." 

"Ilios," Winnie said eagerly snapping the book shut and sitting up. "There's a fair in town tomorrow." 

"Oh?" Ilios said with a small chuckle picking up her knitting. 

"Do you think, now that i'm older-" Winnie started hopefully. 

"Winnie," Ilios said firmly, "You know why you have to stay here. We have the whole yard to play in." 

"Only to the fence for me," Winnie huffed. 

"Winnie please," Ilios reasoned, "You know Mother is frail, the best thing we can do is try our bests to live on her terms. She worries about you, Winnie. You're of little sense sometimes."

"I know," Winnie sighed, "But I've been waiting forever. Forever for August! Forever to turn 11. I just might get Mother to say I can go. Getting out Ilios, even to the woods, happens- well... never!"

"Don't be dramatic," Ilios laughed. "Don't be like me, Winnie." 

"I know," Winnie groaned, "Be good. I am good. I spend all summer wishing for school, and all of school wishing for summer. Can't father oblige to some in-between." 

"Please," Ilios laughed, "By school you mean Fathers Music lessons. Those hardly count as work."

"They're hard!" Winnie said softly, "Music doesn't come easily to me."

"You don't know what the worlds like out there anyway," Ilios said with a shiver, "Especially since the war-"

"But how will I know," Winnie whispered to herself, "Unless I taste it for myself." 

"Ilios!" Erik called from the other room. 

Ilios set her project aside and rose, kissing her little sisters forehead and hurrying from the room. 

"It's like I'm trapped in here," Winnie moaned. "And why did we have to live on Main straight? Could there be a more boring name?" 

She thought of letting some friends in, but Father would forbid it. 

Besides, it wasn't like she had many. 

In realization of a secret she had been keeping, she ran hurriedly to a small wooden box beside her window sill. 

"There you are!" She yelped happily removing the small reptile from the box, "Hello Mr. Toad."

The toad looked up to her in a daze, if he understood anything, it was his captivity. 

He looked and attempted to jump towards the window. 

"Stop it!" Winnie scolded, "Not yet! But you just wait. I will go. Someday. Wait and see."

"Winnie?" Christine called creaking the door open. 

Winnie looked around frantically for somewhere to place the animal but could think of none. In a rush for safety, she shoved the frog into her dress pocket and giggled as its wet skin ticked her leg. 

"Winnie," Christine laughed seeing her daughters startled face. 

"Yes Mother?" Winnie chided. 

She closed her eyes as her pocket gave a rather large ribbet. 

"Winnie," Christine snipped with large eyes, "Why did your dress just croak?" 

Winnie blushed red and drew the toad from her pocket, holding it proudly in front of her Mother. 

"Meet my new friend toad," She said hopefully. 

Christine withdrew in surprise, "Winnie you know better!" 

Winnie kicked her feet on the floor putting her frog back into her pocket. 

As she listened to her Mother lecture her on why they didn't bring animals inside she couldn't help but let her eyes fall upon the tattered and small suitcase that rested under her bed. 

Packed she knew, she had packed it. 

When one is thirsting for adventure it almost certainly comes to you. And by all means, she wanted to be prepared for it. 

"Mother," Winnie laughed with a face of serious inquiry, "What are you afraid of? Let's not argue. Please pretend you like him, you'll understand in time." 

Christine stared blankly at her daughter, a faint memory resurfacing. 

"Mother," Winnie said softly, "Should I take toad outside?" 

Christine snapped back to attention and nodded furiously, "Take it outside." 

Winnie grinned, "Outside the gate? He'll come back in if I don't." 

"Yes!" Christine ordered putting a hand to her chest, "Winnie please." 

Winnie grinned and nearly knocked her Mother over rushing out the door. 

Christine followed more slowly to find Eli, tall and brooding. His arms were crossed and he was laughing furiously so that his eyes glasses nearly fell off his nose. 

"She's a funny girl isn't she?" Eli cackled, "Good girl, but strange." 

"I don't understand her," Christine sighed with a faint smile shaking her head. 

"I don't think we're supposed to," Eli noted knowingly giving his Mothers cheek a small peck. 

"How is the factory?" Christine asked with great interest. 

Eli shrugged, "The cotton comes in, we fix it, we turn it out. Hardly remarkable. I wish I could do something. Grow a bit of earth the way Gustave always talked off." 

"All in turn." Christine smiled, "Your father is so proud of you. I am too." 

Eli smiled softly then gave a small frown. 

"Now Mother about Winnie-" 

"Christine!" Erik bellowed rushing into the hall, "Where's Winnie?" 

"Outside," Christine stated simply pointing to the window, "Just outside the fence, she had this toad." 

"Christine," Erik shuddered, "There's people in these parts this week." 

"What's going on?" Ilios asked nervously following after her Father. 

"They might try to- Should they know- Make a spectacle of her. I won't have her laughed at. I won't have that angel broken." 

"The fair," Ilios nodded, "She was talking about it this morning. But then again she's always talking....about everything." 

"I'm sorry," Erik said softly, "I'm probually overreacting." 

"No," Chrsitine nodded putting a soft hand to his face and smiling. "I'll fetch her. Better safe than sorry." 

As the older ones conversed, Winnie happily undid the latch and exited the gate. 

"Here we are toad," She moaned, "I can't go any further." 

His black unblinking eyes stared back at her. 

"Stop it!" She exclaimed as if in response to the poor creature. "I couldn't do that. I've never been in trouble a day in my life. It would kill Mother." 

The toad gave a leap from her hand and one more toward the woods that lined the entire small house. 

"You're from the wood then," Winnie said curisously, rising to her feet. "I've never seen the wood. Wade has, he tried to climb a tree, got poison Ivy." 

Toad, of course, said nothing. 

Winnie gave a glance backward, her eyes shifty and gears of her mind spinning madly. 

"Stop!" She exclaimed, "I can't Toad. You're right though, it isn't fair that I'm good and Ilios is bad and she still gets to go everywhere." 

Ilios looked to the window and took another step forward. 

She practically expected lighting to come down and strike from above, instead, the birds chirped and the sky shined bluer than before. 

"Wow," Winnie laughed hysterically, "I can't believe I did that." 

Toad couldn't wait any longer, he took off leaping into the woods. 

Winnie bit her lip and drew the other foot forward. 

There are moments that define us, and Winnie knew right then and there this was one of them. 

"I need to see that fair," Winnie said tears brimming her eyes, "I need to hear the music." 

Slowly she took her hair ribbon and as she made her way to the wood, tied it gently around a branch that hung low enough for her reach. 

With that, her bare feet slapping the warm August mud, she took off after the rest of the world, wherever they were hiding. 

"Winnie!" Christine called coming out through the front door, "Winnie come in." 

Christine's eyes scanned across the large lawn, "Winnie?" 

Erik followed close behind, "Christine?" 

"She's not here," Christine stammered, "She was, but now she's not I-" 

"Mother," Ilios said from Winnie bedroom window pointing out to the woods, "The blue." 

Erik burst through the front door, nearly knocking it from its hinges and jumped the fence, running to the edge of the wood. 

"Winnie!" He called frantically taking the hair ribbon into his hand, his eyes scouring the trees for signs of the girl. "Winnie? Come inside." 

Winnie faintly heard her Fathers cries but hadn't the heart to turn back. 

Not now, with everything to win. 

"I will come back Father," She said dreamily, a smile plastered across her young face, "I will. once I've seen it." 

Over and over in her innocent little mind. 

"I will. I will. I will."