Adrianna had never actually seen it.

She had been told stories of it since she was a little girl, and had walked miles and miles of the forest, but had never found it.

The tunnel. Could it really be that she was standing in front of the one thing she had wanted so badly? As a child she would visit it in her dreams, and it looked exactly as it did now. Was she dreaming at that very moment? She pinched the tender skin on her arm and winced in pain. This wasn’t a dream.

The very air around here seemed to shift. The forest held its breath as she stood and beheld the aged stone draped in ancient moss. She knew what would happen if she crossed the threshold. Did she dare make that step?

Yes. Yes, she would.

Adrianna closed her eyes and went inside. All at once darkness enveloped her. The air was instantly sharp and made a shiver run down her body. Slowly she began to notice the appearance of snowflakes drifting down around her as a soft light began to rise. In the distance there was a child’s giggle. Adrianna’s heart leapt. She knew that sound.

Trees came into focus, silver and stark against a winter sky. She was in an open, snow laden field. In the distance a small child was running toward her. A bright yellow woolen hat bobbed as the child ran, a spot of gold in this snowy landscape.

“Timothy!“ Adrianna exclaimed.

She knew where she was. As soon as it dawned on her, a stone dropped in her stomach. This was the day. She had to stop him.

“Timothy! Stop! Stop running!” She screamed.

The little boy stopped. Confusion clouded his face. He took a step toward her.

“No! I’ll come to you.” Adrianna said.

She trodded through the pristine snow toward the boy. On the way she stepped over a ditch. It was a ditch that had filled with water and had frozen through completely. It had killed him. One little foot had landed on that ice and had sent the boy flying forward, where his head had struck a large black rock lying a few feet away. His eyes had never opened again.

When Adrianna reached the boy, she fell to her knees and wrapped him in a tight hug. He began to giggle and try to pull away.

“Let me go, Adri!” He exclaimed.

“Never ever.” She replied with a smile.

Suddenly her world was black again.

She heard her name being called from very far away.

She rubbed her eyes and slowly the world came into focus. She was sitting on a large, moss-covered bolder in the middle of a forest. She had the strangest feeling; a feeling as if she had just awoke from a dream.

“Adri!” The voice called again. A young man came into view. He was gripping a hiking stick.

“Where did you go?” He asked.

“I…I don’t know.” She answered her brother.

All she could remember is leaving that morning to go on a hike with her little brother, and then she was waking up.

She rubbed her arms.

“I’m cold.” She said.

He looked at her and laughed.

“Cold? It’s eighty-five degrees.” He said. “Come on, let’s head back.”

She nodded.

“Yeah, let’s head back.” She replied.

“Oh hey, Timothy. Did there ever used to be an old stone arch out here somewhere?” She asked her brother.

He looked at her quizzically.

“No, I don’t think so.” He said.

Adrianna shrugged and together they headed home.