A bedtime story

"May I have a bedtime story?" she asked sweetly, all tucked down in her big bed, comfortable and warm.

The man sighed. No doubt, she would want the same story as last time. Fortunately, he knew it by heart. He began:

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl who often, just before she fell asleep at night, liked to imagine a dark forest just over the hill from her home. Many times she had approached this dark, dense forest in her mind, but never, ever did she penetrate it for fear that she might get lost and not come back. Night after night, she returned to this forest. It seemed to beckon her, but never did she step beyond its shadowy borders.

"liiiiiiiiittle girl....liiiiiiiiiittle girl.., its winds that blew through the branches seemed to say..."

She began to drift off. Ever since she was a very little girl, she had dreamed of the impenetrable forest. In her mind, as she began to succumb to slumber, the forest beckoned her. In her mind's eye, she stood at the outskirts of the forest, wanting so much to go in, but afraid to take the risk.

The dark shadows scare her. Yet, step by step she is coming to understand that the forest may be the right place for some little girls. In the forest, a little girl could perhaps be herself. In the forest, she could feel settled and secure and at peace. If she dares to penetrate the forest; if she has the courage to take the first few steps into the forest, it is possible that she may be lulled into a deep peace. It is possible that she may wish to stay in the forest for longer and longer periods of time.

This is the thought that the girl thinks as she drifts into sleep.

She has fallen asleep before he has finished the story; again.

When she wakes, she will wonder to herself,again, 'How does the story end?'