Her dad had been suggesting she go out and explore for a while now. He kept telling her about how big the property was and how even he still didn't know everything that was on it. Apparently, he had spent every summer here as a kid, not just one.

"This summer here will become one of the best summers of your life," he promised, despite Tali rolling her eight-year-old eyes at him. She couldn't imagine having enough to do here that would last the whole summer, let alone every summer.

She wandered around the back, always keeping Pabi's house in sight. The backyard had been cleared of trees and laid with sod, so it was rather nice and large enough to run around in. But Tali didn't feel like running around, at least not right now. There was always beyond the backyard, where manicured lawn became dense forest and wild plants, but she didn't really feel comfortable leaving the sight of the house. She didn't really see the point. Why was Dad so convinced that she would have the "best time of her life" in this backwater bunch of trees?

"Hey, Gnat."

Tali groaned while fighting a smile. Her second cousin Ethan was two whole years older. He was ten and unattainable, but she still couldn't help crushing on him a bit. He was cute and handsome, even if he did always call her Gnat.

So she wasn't exactly faking her irritation when she said, "What, Ethan?"

He grinned, showing off one of his missing teeth. "Wanna see something cool?"

Tali narrowed her eyes. "You're not going to show me another wasp's nest, are you?"

"What? It was cool." Ethan grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward the forest.

"Hey! Where are we going?" Tali resisted, although not too much. She was bored enough by now that even another wasp's nest would be exciting.

"You'll see." He led her deeper into the forest, his bare feet pit-patting against the soft dirt and snapping the occasional twig. Tali wondered how he managed to go barefoot without hurting his feet.

As they went deeper in, Tali felt more and more uneasy. She could no longer see the house; the forest was eerily quiet. Insects hummed and unseen animals rustled in the foliage, but it was still far too quiet. Despite growing up in a small town, she was still used to the sounds of cars and people in the distance. This kind of quiet pierced into her center, as if digging into her darkest secrets.

"Ethan, we're really far. We should go back." She glanced back, trying to catch glimpse of the house.

"Don't be such a baby, Gnat. We're almost there."

Tali bristled. "I am not a baby!"

He stopped at a fallen log, letting go of her hand long enough to hoist himself up. "Yeah, you are. You're going to start crying any minute because you can't see the house."

Tali stamped her foot, cracking several twigs. "Am not!"

Ethan squatted down, his spindly legs jutting out and showing off his mud-crusted knees. He held out his hand. "Come on. I'll help you up."

Tali hesitated, then realized she didn't know the way back. She huffed and took his hand, letting him pull her up onto the fallen log. He jumped down and held out his hands. Tali jumped, and he caught her and set her down.

Ethan grabbed her hand again. "This way."

Tali stumbled behind. Worry gnawed at her as they went further, but she was also flustered by his consideration for her.

Tali noticed the gurgle of a small stream only a short time before Ethan stopped. "We're here." He let go of her hand.

Tali peeked around from behind Ethan's back to see what was so "cool" that he had to drag her out to the middle of the forest.

She gasped. There it was:  a small wooden arch bridge that stretched to the other side of the stream. It was simple in design, but the quiet of the forest, the sunlight weaving through the leaves, the noise of the stream, and the glint of light reflecting off the running water all combined to give it a magical feeling.

Tali breathed out in awe. "It's..."

Ethan grinned. "Cool, huh?"

She wandered over to the bridge, placing a hand on the smooth wooden rail. "How'd you find this place?" she asked.

Ethan picked up a small rock and threw it into the stream. "Pabi showed me." The rock fell into the stream with a tiny plop.

Tali frowned. "Why not me?"

Ethan shrugged, picking up another, slightly larger, rock. "I don't know. But I'm showing you, and it's cool, right?"

"Yeah." Tali looked at the other side of the bridge, wondering what was so important on the other side. "It is."