Leo stands at the edge of the shimmering forest where no one goes. He steps past the old wooden sign and pushes through a curtain of silver leaves.
A soft hum greets him, like wind chimes made of glass. Leo walks deeper into the glowing woods.
Leo hears tiny sobbing from behind a mossy log. He crawls under and finds three bluebirds tangled in sticky spider silk.
The birds chirp soft thank-yous as Leo carefully peels the silk free, one strand at a time.
Further in, Leo hears a loud CRASH. A young fox is stuck upside-down in a thorny bush, its tail caught tight.
Leo tugs and pulls but the thorns hold fast. Then he notices the bush is trembling — it's not angry, it's lonely.
Leo sits down and gently strokes the bush's leaves, telling it a silly joke about a dancing mushroom. The bush giggles, uncurls its thorns, and the fox tumbles free with a surprised 'oof!'
The forest suddenly goes dark. The shimmering light fades from the trees, the birds stop singing, and everything turns gray and still.
Leo hears a small voice whispering from the ground — the forest itself is sad because no one ever came to visit.
Leo sits beside a mossy stone, takes out his last apple from his pocket, and shares it with the forest, breaking it into small pieces and leaving them everywhere.
Golden light bursts from the ground, blooming through the moss like dandelions. The trees sparkle again, brighter than before, and the bluebirds swoop down to dance around Leo's head.
The fox sits beside him and rests its chin on his knee. Leo walks home with glowing fireflies following him like a trail of stars.