She pushed through the underbrush, her heart pounding, her legs aching. The forest seemed to close in around her as she raced after them, barely able to keep up. Then, suddenly, the trees thinned, revealing a clearing bathed in faint light.
The children reached the spot first, gathering in a circle beneath the disc as it hovered directly overhead. The dark clouds parted just as quickly as they had formed, and beams of sunlight filtered down, illuminating the clearing. It looked almost enchanted, like a scene pulled from a fairytale.