Alan was bored. He was sitting on his tiny rocking-chair, in the middle of his bedroom, holding his favorite book loosely in his hands. He had read it about 1000 times already and knew it by heart. It was the story of an enchanted forest inhabited by spirits and fairies and leprechauns, and Alan liked to daydream of his adventures in that forest, where he would join the Fair People’s dances and play hide-and-seek with the dryads. 

But now, his eyes were fixed on the wall of his room without seeing it, his dreams all but faded, and he was desperately bored.

Suddenly his eyes lit up, and a new determination filled him : he was going to meet them all, all his imaginary friends, and dance and sing and feast with them until the sun rises. Alan got on his feet, took his backpack with a few cookies for the road, put his precious book inside it and aimed as quietly as he could for the door. 

He knew exactly how to avoid being detected: he had escaped his room more than once to stargaze on the rooftop when everyone thought he was asleep. This would be easy, but at the same time, it was quite an adventure!

His little heart, that grown-ups said was too small for his body, was beating fast as he carefully made his way to the big front doors, his eyes wide open and searching every shadow for a sign of trouble. 

He made it! He was at the door! Now, open it slowly, not too much because it creaks, just enough for Alan’s tiny body to reach the outside world. Free! He was out! Alan took deep breaths, each filled with smells and fragrances that he had rarely experienced before, and a sense of adventure filled his entire being.

He knew from his stargazing nights that around here was a forest, not too far away. He would perhaps reach it in a couple of hours if he didn’t stop to rest, and that would be time enough to be certain that nobody could know where he was. One little foot in front of the other, at his own slow but steady pace, Alan headed for the forest. 

He knew how to follow the stars, his lifelong companions, and managed not to get lost. Alan was not a very athletic child, he couldn’t be, but he was very clever and knew a lot of useful things. He had spent a lot of time reading a lot of books, after all, even if he always came back to this particular one.

When he got to the edge of the forest, he was panting from the effort and had to rest for a few minutes. He sat down against a big tree, catching his breath, filling his nostrils with the scents of the forest, and took a cookie out of his backpack. He would need some energy for what he had planned: his friends would be hidden in the depths of the forest and would be hard to find. 

As he waited for his heartbeat to slow back down to a normal pace, he closed his eyes, wishing very hard upon every star he knew that the Fair People and the spirits would show themselves to him.

Suddenly, a tiny tree that Alan could swear had not been here before appeared before him, its branches extended to him as if asking for a piece of his cookie. Alan rubbed his eyes in wonder. Was he dreaming? No, his eyes were open… 

He extended his arm to gently touch the tree, hoping it wasn’t rude. To Alan’s surprise, the tiny branch he was aiming for moved on its own and came to rest on his own hand, slightly shaking it. The tree was saying hello.

The child’s eyes couldn’t grow any wider, and they started to light up with joy and relief : he had found a friend! They shared a cookie while the tree flipped through the precious book, pointing every now and then to indicate that he knew a fairy, a leprechaun, a nymph… 

He explained, by movements of branches and trembling of leaves, that Alan had been expected for a while now, and that he, to his great honor, had been elected to show him the way. 

It was too much for Alan’s little heart, so many emotions at once, he couldn’t contain them all and burst into tears of happiness, his new friend awkwardly patting his shoulder.

As soon as the child had calmed down, he put the book back in his bag, which the tree offered to carry for him, took one of his new friend’s branches in his tiny hand, took a deep breath and the both of them turned to the forest. 

Alan was a naturally slow walker, but at that moment it served him : he had all the time he wanted to look around and discover the unknown wonders of the forest that surrounded him. He felt incredibly small, and yet, a sense of belonging was growing bigger by the minute in his heart.

He gaped at the sight of a deer peering at him between the leaves, illuminated by a ray of moonlight. He laughed when a fox suddenly jumped right in front of him, and let him touch its soft fur. The fox joined them on the trail, moving fallen branches out of their way so as to make things easier for Alan. 

As time went by, more and more animals joined them, and a few fauns started to follow, playing a jovial tune of their panpipes and dancing. A couple of tree spirits, much taller than Alan’s new friend, but oddly graceful, could be seen accompanying them from the sides of the trail, waving every now and then to the child.

They were nearing the end of the trail, and Alan could see a clearing with a little lake and a couple of naïads playing in the water. Beautiful dryads were laughing in the shade of a majestic oak tree, their bodies brown and green, leaves in their hair, twigs as fingers. Near them were smiling small women, who suddenly deployed pearlescent butterfly wings of hypnotic colors. This was even better than his book, even more magical that his dreams, and so very real!

Alan, with a bright smile on his face, with a joyous tune in his head, with a panpipe in his hands, advanced to the middle of the clearing. He got on his knees, put the pipe to his lips, and despite his short breath, he started to play. He had never played music before, but in this magical place, it didn’t matter. 

The melody he produced contained all his loneliness, his sorrow, his fear, and his hopes. It was a slow, melancholic tune, and so filled with emotions that he saw a nymph wipe a tear away from her golden eyes. At this sight, Alan changed his melody, going at a faster pace, with more joyous notes : he was describing his encounter with his new tree spirit friend and the joy he felt as he entered the forest.

Alan played for a long time, still on his knees, and when he was done all the creatures of the forest applauded. They had learned of his life, of his hardships, and they were accepting him as one of them. He was lifted to his feet, felt a tugging on his hand, and was swept away to join the endless dance of the forest. 

Alan would never be sick, never be weak, and never ever be bored again.