MONIKA UNRAVELING, by Rebecca HouseMonika lifted her arms into the air and caught the maple keys that drifted from the tall trees. Her laughter rang through the forest that throbbed with life. Birds fluttered nearby, grasses rustled as nocturnal animals began to awaken. Each key held a certain kind of magic, the power to grow into strong, majestic trees. She squeezed her palms together until the keys broke and turned to dust. The particles floated to the ground. She stepped through them with bare feet and raised her face to the last filtered sunbeams that danced on the forest floor. Her eyes stung and she inched back to the safety of the shadows. The new spring leaves were not full enough to shelter her from the burning light, even at dusk.
Off in the distance, something caught her eye an
