Leo asked, walking up to them. His father flinched as if he’d been struck. “Nothing. Everything’s going to be fine.” He looked away, his hands shaking.
Susan returned with a large bag: cookies, water, bread—far too much food for a simple trip to Grandma’s. Usually, they only bought a box of chocolates as a gift. “Here, eat,” she said, handing the children some cookies.
The pavement ended, and the car began to shake on a dirt track. Potholes and puddles made the ride rough, and branches scraped against the windows. Ellie woke up with a jolt. “Daddy, where are we? It’s scary here.”
“We’re almost there, just be patient,” her father replied, but Leo could see his hands trembling on the wheel. Susan chain-smoked, glancing nervously in the mirror. All around them was thick forest, not a house or a person in sight.
The road narrowed until the car could barely squeeze between the trees, branches screeching across the roof. Suddenly, their father stopped the car. “That’s it. Can’t go any further. Everybody out.”
“What do you mean, out?” Ellie was terrified. “I don’t want to, it’s scary.” Leo put his arm around his sister and handed her the bear, which she clutched to her chest. Their father and Susan silently pulled a bag with the children’s things from the trunk.
A couple of old jackets, a little food, a bottle of water—Leo understood everything. “Dad, what are you doing?” he yelled, but his father couldn’t meet his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he forced out.
Susan was colder. “We can’t do this anymore. There’s no money. You’re strong, you’ll survive.” — “What about us?” — “We’re starting a new life.”
Ellie didn’t understand and clung to her father’s jacket. “Daddy, please don’t go! I’ll be good, I won’t be fussy, I’ll listen.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. The teddy bear slipped from her grasp and fell into the mud.
Ellie snatched it up, pressing it to her chest and smearing it with wet dirt. Her father pushed her hands away, quickly got into the car, and started the engine with trembling fingers. Susan was already in the passenger seat, turned away from the children’s faces.
“We’re just kids! How could you?” Leo screamed after them. The car turned around and drove off, leaving them alone in the silence of the forest. Only the wind rustled in the branches.
Ellie was sobbing hysterically. Leo hugged her, barely holding back his own tears. He tried to figure out where they were, how many miles it was to the nearest town. The bag held enough cookies for a day, some water, and two old jackets—nothing else.
The sun was setting quickly, and it was getting cold. “We’ll find our way home, Ellie,” Leo decided. He took his sister’s hand and started walking back along the tire tracks, but a light snow had begun to fall, covering the trail.
Soon it was dark, and they had no idea which way was home. “Leo,” Ellie whispered, clutching the bear, “are we really going to find the way?” “We will,” Leo answered, though he didn’t believe it himself.
Ahead of them was only the wilderness—wild, cold, and endless. And somewhere in that forest, two abandoned children were looking for a home they no longer had. The children followed a narrow path, hoping to find their way back.
Leo held Ellie’s hand, feeling her tremble. The little girl kept tripping over roots and rocks, crying from exhaustion. “Leo, my legs hurt,” she complained every few minutes.
“Just a little longer, Ellie. We’ll find our way home soon.” Ellie was completely worn out, her legs giving way. Leo knelt down, turning his back to her. “Climb on. I’ll carry you.”
Ellie wrapped her arms around his neck, the teddy bear dangling from her hand. Leo stood up and walked on. His sister was light, but his back began to ache quickly. It grew dark with terrifying speed. Wolves began to howl in the distance—far away, but still frightening.
“Leo, will the wolves find us?” Ellie shuddered at every howl. “No, we’ll hide from them.” The path suddenly split into three. Leo stopped, staring helplessly at the fork.
He couldn’t remember which way they had come. All directions looked the same—narrow animal trails disappearing into the darkness. “Leo, which way do we go?” Ellie asked, sliding off his back.
Leo examined each path: the left one went uphill between tall pines, the middle one led down to a marshy hollow, and the right one wound through a grove of birch trees. There were no tire tracks, no familiar landmarks. “I don’t know,” he admitted honestly.
He tried to remember the drive: as the car drove the last few miles, the sun had been on their right. That meant they were heading north, so they needed to go south, toward the sun. But where was south in this forest?
He chose the left path at random, as it seemed wider. But after half an hour, he realized his mistake: the trail was leading them deeper into the woods, further from civilization. The trees grew taller and denser, blocking out even the faintest light.
They were completely lost. A cold, sleety rain began to fall, soaking them to the bone. Ellie was shivering uncontrollably.
“I’m cold,” she whispered, her teeth chattering. Leo searched for a place to spend the night, looking under every tree and behind every bush. His first idea, shelter under a wide spruce, was too exposed; the wind blew snow right under its branches.
A second spot, under a fallen log, was damp and full of puddles. Ellie could barely stand, clinging to Leo. “I can’t go on. I want to go home.” Leo checked a dozen more trees.
Finally, he found what he was looking for—a small hollow under the roots of a huge pine tree. The tree grew on a small hill, its roots forming a natural roof. The ground inside was relatively dry and smelled of pine needles and moss.
“We’ll spend the night here,” he decided, crawling inside. The space was cramped but shielded them from the wind. Leo cleared the floor of twigs and pinecones, laid his jacket on the ground, and covered Ellie with his sweater.
He was left in just a wet shirt that clung to his skin. Ellie shivered, clutching the teddy bear. “Leo, I’m freezing.” Leo lay down beside her, hugging her, rubbing her hands and blowing on her frozen fingers.
He took out the last few cookies from the bag. He broke one in half and gave his sister the larger piece. “Here, eat.” — “What about you?” — “I’m not very hungry.”
Ellie couldn’t sleep, terrified by the sounds of the forest. Every snap of a twig, every rustle in the dark, sounded like an animal’s footsteps. Somewhere nearby, something large was crashing through the undergrowth, breaking branches and rustling leaves.
“Leo, is someone out there?” she whispered, trembling. “It’s just the wind. Don’t be scared.” But Leo heard the sounds too: maybe a wild hog looking for acorns, or a bear roaming its territory.
He held his sister tighter, ready to shield her with his own body. An owl hooted somewhere very close. The girl cried out and buried her face in the teddy bear. “Mr. Bear, protect us,” she whispered to the toy.
Leo told her the stories he remembered from their mom: about a brave boy who saved his sister from a big bad wolf, about a magic bird. “Remember how Mom said the bear protects you from all bad things? He’s watching over us.” Ellie hugged the toy tighter.
The bear was warm from her breath and smelled of home and safety. “Why did Dad leave us? We’re good kids,” she asked quietly. Leo didn’t know what to say; a lump of anger and hurt formed in his throat.
“I don’t know, Ellie. But we’ll be okay. We’re strong.” He didn’t sleep all night, listening to every sound, ready to protect his sister.
In the morning, the children woke up hungry and frozen…
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