She trudged through the snow until she couldn't walk anymore. She collapsed against the innocent looking powder white ground. The wind howled through the hooked branches that formed menacing faces, frowning at her presence in the woods.

She looked around, desperate for shelter. She spotted a hollow trunk of an old great oak. She slowly crawled her way over, sure she would freeze to death before she got there. The poor little girl didn't know important things, such as how to make a fire.

Suddenly a shadow appeared on the dark woodland path. Janine stole her way deeper into the shadows of the hollow tree. As the figure got closer she could make out a face. It was a soft, gentle, welcoming face. She darted out of her hollow into the arms of the figure. "Mama!" she shouted. She looked up to see the confusion etched into every line of the suddenly unfamiliar face.

"Hello little one." the stanger spoke with a voice like honey, "Are you lost?"

"You're not my mommy." Janine said defiantly, backing away.

"No, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you freeze to death." She smiled and offered her hand. Janine reluctantly put her hand in the stranger's. "See," the girl said, "that wasn't so hard, was it?" Janine smiled sheepishly up at her. "Oh, where are my manners?" the girl exclaimed, "I'm Holly, Holly Clearwater, nice to meet you.... Uh..?"

"Janine, Janine Moram."

"Nice to meet you Janine. Now, I may not be your mother, but I hope I can manage a big sister?" She looked at Janine quizically. "Sure Holly!" Janine shouted into the howling wind. "Let's go home!" burst out of Holly, and they set off together.

Instead of going farther away from the woods, they went deeper in. They went down winding, dark paths pushing against the wind. Once they had traveled a few miles, they rounded a bend where they were met with a wall of gnarled thorns and tangled roots. So they had to stop. "Ummmm..." Janine mumbled, her voice barely audible.

"Yeeeessss?" Holly said in a singsong voice. The wind had died down now that they were so deep into the woods. "Where are we going?" Janine asked, tilting her head like a curious puppy would look at a bone.

"Oh!" Holly exclaimed once again, "Sorry, I lose track of things so easy, my house is in the middle of the woods, and believe me," she said with a wink, "you're gonna like it."