Escape from Windenburg | 14

It wasn't until we were actually in the thick of the forest that Alejandro and I realized just how difficult it was going to be to feign an enthusiasm for the great outdoors long enough to avoid arousing Enji's suspicions. Our faux yoga practices earlier in the spring had been lax at best, which meant we were in miserable shape for hiking two miles to our intended campsite in Granite Falls National Park. By the time we arrived, we were both ready to collapse into a sore and sweaty heap, but Rahul and Enji seemed even more energized than they'd been at the start.

We tried to hold back our complaints until Enji had turned his back, heading off to the ranger station to confirm our reservation. The second he was out of earshot, we let loose. "Oh, this is going to be miserable," Alejandro moaned. "What were we thinking? We're not built for this!"

As I swatted a swarm of bloodthirsty mosquitoes away from my foolishly exposed arms, I was inclined to agree. But I knew we could survive this if we tried. "Parts of it are definitely going to suck," I admitted. "But less than a year ago, I was cuddling up in dumpsters to stay warm. Sleeping in a tent for a couple nights will feel like a luxury king-sized bed in comparison."

For all our grumbling, we couldn't deny that there was a certain serene beauty about the place that offered a refreshing change from Evergreen Harbor. As much as the atmosphere of Port Promise had shifted for the better since my arrival there, it still didn't hold a candle to the fresh, pine-scented mountain air of Granite Falls. Of course, almost immediately upon our settling in, a light rainfall started, which we could only cross our fingers wasn't a portent of doom for the rest of the trip.

While we waited out the warm, lazy trickle falling from the sky, Alejandro volunteered to cook us up some fuel for our future woodsy adventures while I stealthily worked on memorizing the directions to the most likely location of the portal I'd been able to pinpoint before we got any deeper into the forest and the signal died.

"Hey, this is a technology-free weekend!" Enji exclaimed when he caught me scrolling. "Put that thing away before I have to confiscate it." Despite his threat, his tone remained good-natured, which told me he would do no such thing. Still, it was best to play along. I shut Alejandro's phone down and showily buried it deep in my shorts pocket.

"Rain or shine, we're going to have a great time!" Enji promised in a sing-song voice as we chowed down on our burgers. He was always a cheerful guy, but he hadn't stopped beaming ear to ear since we arrived in Granite Falls. It was clear he was in his true element out here. I guessed that it was only Aarti holding him back from moving them into a shack in the middle of nowhere and living off the grid for the rest of their lives.

Despite the continued precipitation, Enji couldn't wait a second longer to officially begin the fun, so we dutifully followed him down to the edge of the river, where he doled out fishing poles and instructed us on the best angling maneuvers and most effective forms of bait.

Unfortunately, the fish simply didn't seem to be biting that afternoon, no matter our technique. Alejandro was left scratching his head as he reeled in an empty line time and time again, while I wasn't having much better luck, pulling up only soggy clumps of seaweed.

Even Enji, experienced fisherman that he was, kept hooking hunks of driftwood instead of fish. He tried to console himself with the idea that he could dry out the wood and incorporate it into one of his woodworking projects, but his disappointment still shined through. One by one, we all gave up. We'd just have to try our luck again tomorrow.

At least by nightfall the skies had finally cleared. We were able to light up a fire to warm our pruney hands and dry our soaked-through clothes, and our tents were blessedly waterproof in case another downpour arrived overnight.

For Alejandro and I, the best part of the entire day was without contest the s'mores and toasted marshmallows we got to enjoy around the campfire. They felt like a reward for the two of us willingly stepping out of our comfort zones for the good of our mission.

Speaking of the mission, as soon as Enji had zipped himself inside his tent for the night, grumbling about being a tired old man in the process, Rahul jumped on the opportunity to talk strategy. "So this thing you're after is a portal to another realm, eh?" he questioned me excitedly. "I can't say I've ever seen one of those before, but there's a first time for everything!"

I urgently cut my eyes at Alejandro. "Uh, dude," he piped in, taking ownership of the joint decision we'd come to back at home so that I wouldn't have to bear the brunt of Rahul's disappointment, "I hate to break it to you like this, but you're not coming with us."

"What?" Rahul spat, slipping Alejandro a dirty look before turning back to me with a pleading look in his eyes.

"I'm really sorry," I told him, trying not to let my people-pleasing side cave in and let him tag along anyway, "but it makes more sense this way. We can't all just up and disappear without a trace. Someone needs to stay behind to distract Enji."

"But we'll be back before he even notices we're gone!" Rahul protested. "You said it would probably only take a night."

"The key word there being probably. Who knows what obstacles we might run into, and we need to leave a man behind to cover for us just in case we're running late. The most logical choice is you."

Rahul knew I was right, but that didn't stop him from sulking off in disappointment anyway. He joined his dad in the tent, leaving Alejandro and I to go over the plan we intended to execute the following night alone. I felt bad for leading him on. He'd been so excited to have an adventure. But as much as I appreciated his willingness to help, it was simpler and less messy to continue holding him at a distance.

"Do you really think we can get there and back in a single night?" Alejandro asked. I could tell he was nervous, despite the brave face he'd been putting on all day. He was stress-roasting one hotdog after another like a chain smoker lighting up a whole pack of cigarettes.

"I have no idea," I answered honestly. "Remember, I'm not even sure there's still a there to get to. But I feel something, even from here. There's a difference in the way the air feels, almost like a magnetic force that grows stronger and stronger the closer we get. I think at a certain point my body will just go wherever it's pulled, and who knows what might happen then."

"Are you saying there's a possibility we might not make it back at all?"

I didn't want to scare him, but I also didn't want to lie. By now, we had ventured well past the bounds of my book learning. I was totally winging it, and predictable outcomes were entirely off the table. "Anything's possible," I said, and we sat in somber silence until finally heading into our own tent.

While I got a better night's sleep in the tent than expected, I was quickly reminded of the more unpleasant parts of wilderness living the next morning when I was swarmed once again with mosquitoes upon exiting the restroom, which itself didn't seem like it had been cleaned possibly ever. I spent only as much time as absolutely necessary inside it and hoped I could hold off on visiting it again for as long as possible. Then I headed back to our campsite to absolutely douse myself in insect repellent. It was too bad I didn't know a spell for keeping the bugs away.

Since most of our plans for yesterday had gotten rained out, Enji was determined to pack as much exploring into today as he could, and we decided it would be best to indulge him without complaint. After all, if we happened to be gone for longer than planned on our journey to the Magic Realm, it would be better to have him on our good side when the time came to make our excuses for disappearing. After a couple hours of hiking, he stumbled upon a thick wall of branches and leaves that seemed to be obscuring the entrance to a cave. Excitedly, he called us over to help him clear the way.

"You guys could at least try to pretend you want to be here," Rahul told us as we stood watching Enji pull down the thorny branches with his bare hands while hesitating to actually join him.

"I thought that's what we had been doing," Alejandro exclaimed in consternation, devastated to discover he'd been working so hard to keep up the ruse only for it to be entirely see-through.

"I don't see you rushing to help either," I countered, and Rahul rolled his eyes in annoyance. Ever since we'd broken the news that he wouldn't be joining us tonight, he'd done his best to avoid speaking with us.

To our surprise, the bramble wasn't just hiding a cave but a whole other side of the forest. It didn't seem like many adventurers had made it this far, as it was blissfully quiet and free of litter, boot prints, and other human detritus. Even Alejandro and I got excited about happening upon such a well-kept secret.

I made a beeline to the highest easily accessible point to take in the view. It was truly a sight to behold, miles and miles of pine trees stretching as far as the eye could see. As much as I'd internally complained about the less savory aspects of spending so much time out in nature, the scenes stretching out in every direction from where I stood certainly put into perspective what a breathtaking experience it could be at the same time. With everything I'd already seen and done since I left home, not to mention all that was yet to come, I knew this moment in particular would be etched in my memory forever. With the boys still lagging behind, I felt truly alone at the top of the world in a way that was both exhilarating and a bit terrifying.

Eventually, I was pulled out of my solitary reverie, and the three of us stretched out on the ground beneath a massive waterfall to admire the rainbow that shimmered across its rushing liquid streams at just the right angle. The sound of the water falling soon became a soothing white noise in our ears that lulled us into a strange state between waking and sleep that lasted the rest of the day. We just lay there soaking in our surroundings until Enji wandered over to tell us we should start making our way back to camp before the sun set.

Happening upon that hidden paradise boosted Enji's spirits tenfold. All of a sudden, he seemed content to stay up playing horseshoes all night long, which wasn't exactly optimal for us, considering Alejandro and I needed to get out of there as soon as possible if we ever wanted to make it back by morning. To his credit, Rahul did his part in trying to subliminally nudge his dad to bed, even if he was still annoyed about us leaving him behind.

Finally, he succeeded in subtly navigating Enji toward the tent, and the 30 minutes Alejandro and I then waited to be sure he was asleep had to be the longest stretch of time I had ever experienced in my life.

We eventually set out, trying not to think too hard about what a long and likely exhausting night we had ahead of us. Rahul had gotten us as close as possible to my best guess at the portal's exact location, but we still had several miles to cover to get there (not to mention retracing our tracks on the way back), that is, if my estimations even led us to the right place. There was also still the possibility that we could fail miserably, but I tried to push that thought out of my head entirely because it was far too disheartening to even consider.

As we ran, the campsite behind us eventually receding to a tiny speck in the distance before disappearing from our sight altogether, an eerie shroud of fog settled around us, casting the forest floor in a vaguely spooky haze. It probably didn't mean anything, but I took its almost instantaneous onset as a sign that we were drawing closer to magical grounds, escaping the mundane and crossing over into something far more mystical, where answers to my most pressing questions might finally await.