14

Hey,” Pearl said. “What happened?” She tried moving the branches out of the way, but they wouldn’t budge. She was about to holler for help when the doctor peered over the top of a shrub.

“Pearl? Why aren’t you following?”

“I can’t,” she said. “The path disappeared.”

“Ben, did you try?”

“No,” Ben said. “Pearl went first.”

“Go ahead and step forward,” Dr. Woo told him.

With a shrug, he stepped in front of Pearl and—voilà—the undergrowth bowed and bent, moving aside to form a little path. “It’s working again,” he said. “Does this forest use some sort of motion detector? Maybe there’s a glitch in the system.” He started walking, his sneakers crunching twigs and dried leaves. “Our four-car garage back home had a problem with its motion detector. It nearly squashed our neighbor’s cat.” The forest continued to open until Ben reached the doctor. They both turned and looked at Pearl.

She stood in the grass, just outside the forest, her face clenched with puzzlement. Why had the plants blocked her but not Ben? “Come on,” Ben urged.

Pearl took a step. The undergrowth snapped shut. Huh? She clenched her fists. What is going on?

Dr. Woo peeked over the shrub again. “I think I know what the problem is. The Tangled Forest will only welcome those who are pure of heart.”

“I’m pure of heart. I’m totally pure of heart,” Pearl insisted. She scratched her neck. “What does that mean, exactly?”

“It means you harbor no ill will.”

“I don’t harbor any ill will.” She folded her arms across her chest. “What does that mean, exactly?”

“Are you angry with someone?” Dr. Woo asked. “Do you wish for something bad to happen to anyone in particular?”

“No,” Pearl blurted.

“What about Victoria?” Ben said, poking his face over the shrub. “You’re mad at her, remember.”

“I don’t like her,” Pearl said, tightening her arms. “But that doesn’t mean I want something bad to happen to her.” She looked down at her pink leprechaun shoes. She had tons of reasons not to like Victoria. Everybody in town thought Victoria was perfect. To make matters worse, that night she’d be getting a crown and a special party. She’d probably become the queen of Buttonville. “She doesn’t deserve that crown,” Pearl grumbled under her breath.

Dr. Woo nodded. “Close your eyes and clear your mind, Pearl. When we wish the best for others, then we make possible the best for ourselves.”

Pearl closed her eyes. She tried very hard to wish the best for Victoria. But when she imagined Victoria wearing that crown, she got a tight feeling in her stomach. You can do this, she told herself. You can be happy for Victoria. Pearl remembered how great she’d felt when Dr. Woo gave her the first certificate of merit. She’d read and reread it a hundred times that night. It had made her feel special. That was how Victoria would feel when she wore the crown. Everyone deserved to feel proud.

The undergrowth trembled, then bowed and moved aside. Pearl looked at the path with uncertainty. Would she be able to keep these positive thoughts, or would the trail close around her, leaving her stranded?

“Pearl?” Dr. Woo called.

“I’m coming.”

They walked for a long while with Dr. Woo in the lead. The forest’s dense canopy hid the sky from view, but light trickled between gaps in the leaves and branches. Ribbons of light cascaded down Dr. Woo’s black hair. “Don’t you think you should tell us about the dangers in the Dark Forest?” Ben asked. “So we can be prepared?”

“One thing at a time, Ben. First we must reach it.”

He scratched his head. “How long will that take?”

“Patience is a better guide than haste,” Dr. Woo replied.

“If the Tangled Forest won’t allow anyone in who’s not pure of heart, then how could Maximus Steele get in?” Pearl asked.

“He could enter the Dark Forest by way of the sky or through an underground tunnel. But we do not know that he has done such a thing. He may or may not be the cause of the foal’s disappearance.”

They walked quickly, Ben’s sneakers crunching. The path continued to open a few paces ahead of Dr. Woo. “What are those things?” Ben asked quietly. He pointed to a swarm of glowing dots floating overhead.

“Fireflies,” Dr. Woo said. “They stay inside the forest, where there’s no wind. All it takes is a small breeze to extinguish them.”

“They’re actual fireflies?” Ben asked. Dr. Woo nodded. “Are they dangerous? Can I catch one?”

“That is doubtful,” Dr. Woo said.

Ben reached up, but each time he tried to grab a fly, it darted away. He jumped, but missed again and again. “I want to see what they look like,” he told Pearl.

She’d been wanting the same thing. Standing on tiptoe, she managed to grab one on her first try. Maybe being a head taller than Ben had given her an advantage.

The little bug felt like a warm kernel of popcorn. As Ben watched closely, Pearl slowly opened her fingers. The firefly sat in her palm. It looked like a fly, with a black body and black antennae, but its belly was on fire. Somehow it didn’t burn Pearl’s skin. “That’s so weird,” she said.