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The Magic Tree
“I’m going to go out on a limb and say that this is the most powerful artifact in existence,” said Professor Pendleton. “And I don’t mean it’s just the strongest one we’ve found so far, but all of them combined.” He looked at me with an expression like he was trying not to laugh or cry. It made my stomach hurt.
We were standing outside the door leading into the tree itself. The professor had been right about how big it was; there wasn’t much room for anything else around its base except dirt and grass. We’d spent two days searching through every inch of the thing before giving up and coming back here. Now we stood staring at each other awkwardly while waiting for someone else to make the first move.
“So what do you want us to do?” asked Dr. Wells from behind me. She sounded nervous too. Maybe she thought I would be mad if they didn’t follow orders? Or maybe she was afraid that whatever happened next wouldn’t turn out well either way. Either way, her voice gave away nothing as she spoke again. “Do you need help getting inside?”
Professor Pendleton shook his head slowly. His eyes never left mine. “No. You can stay here.” Then he turned and walked toward the entrance without another word.
Dr. Wells followed him immediately after, leaving only myself and Mr. Fletcher still standing beside the tree. After a moment, I realized why: neither of us knew where to start looking. There weren’t any obvious clues pointing to the location of the keyhole—no hidden doors or secret passages. And even if there were, none of us could see them. Not because our vision was poor (though some people might have argued otherwise), but because we couldn’t look anywhere near close enough to notice something small. That meant we needed to find a way to get closer. But how?
Mr. Fletcher cleared his throat nervously. “Um…do you think we should wait until everyone gets here?”
My heart sank. Of course he wanted to leave! What kind of idiot did he take me for?!
But then I remembered that he hadn’t known who I really was when we met last week. So maybe he actually liked me now? If so, I definitely owed him an apology. “That won’t work,” I told him firmly. “If we’re going to solve this puzzle together, we’ll need to figure things out as soon as possible.”
He nodded quickly. “Okay. Let’s try it your way.”
Then he stepped forward and took hold of the handle on the door. Before he opened it, however, he paused and glanced over his shoulder at me. “Are you sure about this?”
I smiled reassuringly. “Of course!”
With that, he pulled open the door and disappeared inside. For several seconds, no one moved. Then finally, Dr. Wells broke the silence by stepping up to the doorway and peering inside. Her mouth dropped open slightly as she stared down into the darkness within. Finally, she let out a long sigh. “Well, that’s certainly different…”
She stepped past me and went inside. A few moments later, she emerged carrying a flashlight. She held it high above her head as she scanned the interior. When she saw me watching her, she flashed me a grin. “It looks pretty normal from here. No monsters lurking in the shadows ready to jump out and attack us.”
I laughed softly. “Good news, huh?”
Her smile faded somewhat as she lowered the light. “Not exactly. This place isn’t quite as empty as it seems.”
“What do you mean?” I asked curiously.
Dr. Wells pointed at the ground beneath her feet. “Look closely. See those footprints?”
Sure enough, there were three sets of prints visible on the floor. They seemed to lead deeper into the tree than anyone expected.
“Who are these people?” I wondered aloud.
As if summoned by my question, Professor Pendleton appeared suddenly behind Dr. Wells. He raised his eyebrows expectantly. “You know, I wonder if they might be related somehow.”
Both Dr. Wells and I exchanged glances. Neither of us had ever seen Professor Pendleton act like such a gossipy old lady before.
“How does that work?” I asked. “Wouldn’t whoever made the tracks also have to be able to use magic?”
The professor shrugged. “Maybe. But I doubt it. Whoever created this place probably used their powers to create illusions instead. In fact, that’s almost certainly what happened.”
“Illusions?” I repeated skeptically. “Like the ones we encountered earlier?”
His face grew serious. “Yes. Those were just simple tricks. Nothing more.”
I frowned. “Why not? Wouldn’t that be easier?”
Professor Pendleton shook his head. “Because it wouldn’t fool us. It would only trick others with weaker senses of sight and hearing.”
I bit my lip. “Oh. Right. I guess I forgot about that part.”
He chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll remember eventually.” Then he looked at me seriously once again. “Now come on. We’ve got a lot of exploring ahead of us. Let’s go.”
***
After following the trail of footprints through the dark for nearly half an hour, we came across a large wooden door set flush against the wall. The room beyond was pitch-black, but I could feel its presence all around me. As we approached, I heard voices whispering faintly in the distance. At first, I thought they belonged to other students, but then I recognized one voice in particular.
“…and then I said ‘No!’ and ran away screaming,” the girl whispered sadly.
I stopped dead in my tracks. My eyes darted back and forth between the two figures standing beside each other. One was tall and thin, while the other was short and round. Both wore identical white lab coats, which covered them completely except for their faces. Their hair was tied tightly back, and both of them kept glancing nervously toward the entrance.
“And then I said ‘No!'” the skinny one continued. “But he didn’t listen. Instead, he grabbed my arm and dragged me right into the woods. And I knew something bad was going to happen because he always does when he gets angry. That’s why I screamed—because I couldn’t help myself. But nobody came to save me. Nobody even noticed. Not until it was too late.”
“So you hid,” the fat one added quietly. “In case he found you.”
The girl shuddered. “Yeah. I tried to hide, but I wasn’t fast enough. So I waited…waited and watched him walk off into the trees. I hoped someone else would find me soon, so I wouldn’t have to see what he did next. But no one showed up. No one at all. Until now.”
My heart began pounding rapidly in my chest. I felt dizzy and disoriented, as though I’d been caught in some sort of nightmare.
“That’s terrible,” I murmured numbly. “Did you tell anyone?”
They both turned to look at me, startled by my sudden outburst. “We told everyone!” the skinny one exclaimed. “Everyone! Even the teachers. Everyone who works here knows how dangerous that man is. Yet none of them will do anything about it. Why won’t they protect us?”
“Because they’re afraid of him,” the fat one replied bitterly. “Afraid of what he can do. Afraid of losing control over everything. Of being forced to admit that they failed.”
I swallowed hard. “Are you talking about Professor Pendleton?”
Both girls nodded. “Of course. You don’t think we make this stuff up, do you?”
“Well…” I hesitated. “It sounds like you really believe it.”
The taller girl sighed heavily. “Believe it or not, we’ve never actually met the guy. All we know comes from rumors. Stories passed down among the staff. About what he’s done to other kids.” She paused, looking pensive. “Some say he killed his own parents years ago. Others claim that he murdered a whole family out in the middle of nowhere. Some people even swear that he ate their flesh raw. Whatever the truth may be, there are plenty of stories floating around. Most of them involve him doing horrible things to children.”
“What kind of person would do that?” I gasped.
She gave me an odd look. “Who says he’s a ‘person’?”
I blinked. “Excuse me?”
Her expression hardened. “Look, kid. If you want answers, ask somebody who isn’t already scared shitless of the man himself. Now get lost before I call security.”
With those final words, she spun around and marched back toward her partner. They disappeared behind the door without another word.
The End