Part Three: Into the Woods

Jenny and Mimi Clarke loved adventures. Well, technically, Mimi liked reading about them, while Jenny did them. But nevertheless, they were stuck in the cottage, doing endless chores for their firm mother, instead of exploring the green universe spread out next to the house, a forest of animals and bursting buds, and blooming flowers. There were hidden caves and clear, cool waterfalls and lily pad lakes, ponds with goldfish and frogs in them, fields of yellow buttercups and sunflowers with towering, slowly-turning-yellow willow trees, slim and slender, and meadows filled with greenness, where flowers burst out of the bushes, trees and ground like jewels.

"I'm done, Mother," announced Mimi, suddenly. She had made the beds, pulled up the curtains, opened the windows, and, at last, picked all the weeds in the garden. "May I go and help Jenny?"

"No," replied Mother, sternly. "You must water the plants, especially that almost-wilted oak tree in the far corner, prune the hedge and bushes, and sow tomato seeds in that mound of soil next to the coiling ivy vine. Oh, and, speaking of vines, collect the grapes, too. And collect the eggs from the hens, and don't forget to feed them. Don't forget to feed the lambs, either, or the cat. And get that fresh milk from the lambs. They're in the grassy part of our ginormous garden."

"Okay," sighed Mimi, running a hand through her slick, glossy hair and picking up a watering can. She treated the garden with the upmost care, and was finally finished, again. At that time, it was evening, and Jenny had also finished baking the chocolate cream cake, without burning it.

"Well, to tell the truth, it only took me eight tries to get the batter like it said in the cookbook!" she declared, proudly. "Eight! Anyway, Mother, can we go explore now? Please?"

"You've done your chores well," smiled Mother. "You may go to the forest, but please be careful, don't get lost, don't take any risks and-" she paused as she saw the twins racing down the lane that connected the garden and the forest. "-and be back before seven, or I'll worry!"

Jenny grinned and looked at the watch on her wrist. It was six o'clock. "Hurry!" she called to Mimi, who was lagging behind due to a rather painful stitch in her side."Let's get to that treehouse!"

They ran past beautiful scenery. Mimi stopped to sketch every now and then, but Jenny, having eyes only for the strange treehouse, rushed past all the greenery, and skidded to a halt, gazing a a tall, wooden treehouse set on the tallest tree in the wood. It was a strange tree; one minute Jenny was sure it had broad boughs and deep green, spiky leaves with horse chestnuts hanging, (a chestnut tree) but in the next, it had pale green leaves that hung down from the slim, slender, drooping branches. It was a willow tree!

Jenny was puzzled. What sort of tree, exactly, was it? She kept pondering this, as Mimi caught up. They climbed the long, long rope ladder, into the little treehouse, high up the tree. There was a musty-smelling carpet, wooden walls and wooden furniture, and, right bang in the middle, was a small, pixie-like fellow who was sitting on a toadstool, frowning at them.

"What do you want?" he barked at them, harshly.

"We didn't know anyone lived here,"  explained Jenny, humbly. "We're terribly sorry. We live in the cottage next to the forest, you see, and we wanted to go exploring. What is the name of this forest, please?"

The pixie's face softened. "This?" he said, leaning closer. "This? This is the most magical forest ever. This, it's called...the Dreamlike Forest, because everything's so enchanted and magical it's like in a dream! This, now, is the Wishing-Top Tree, because it's so tall that, at the top, if you manage to climb to it, that is, you can make any wish you want, except from being able to get down again. It's really very queer, that little snag, and I can't understand it."

"We can't, either," Mimi's forehead creased, wondering what was about to happen.

"I'm Jennifer Clarke, and this is my sixteen minute, thirty-five second younger sister, Mia Clarke. You can call me Jenny for short, though. And you can call her Mimi."

"We're going to climb to the tippy-top, aren't we, Jenny?" asked Mimi, sighing. Jenny didn't even bother to answer, so she just grinned and questioned the pixie-like fellow of his name.

"Me? I'm Binky, Binky the Brownie," replied the brownie. "If you're going up the tree, I'm going, too! And we might meet others, like my dear friend Willow, up the tree. Some of them have treehouses. Others have houses inside the tree! It is most magical up in the highest branches, some say. I, for one, believe the sayings that Dreamworlds and Wishworlds come and go there, such as the Enchanted Garden, where every single plant you can wish for is there..."