[At heart, Emily would prefer to think there was a reasonable explanation for everything. Forests aren't haunted just because someone says they are. Monsters are things from... bedtime stories. Folklore, urban legends. But preferring to think that way doesn't make it true. Not all the time. Maybe... maybe not this one, too. Monsters might be real. Forests might be haunted.
But kids might be stuck out here, all the same. And taking the easy solution--- well, she's not going to do that, either.
She would've climbed the thing herself, if it turned out he wouldn't. If he needs a boost, well, she can do that too. Helping hands, and all that. Just like looking for lost cats at home. Nothing to it. After a suitable tree climbing induced pause, she'll ask:]
See anything yet? [The ground floor of a forest like this-- it's no place to stay.]
that's fine!
But kids might be stuck out here, all the same. And taking the easy solution--- well, she's not going to do that, either.
She would've climbed the thing herself, if it turned out he wouldn't. If he needs a boost, well, she can do that too. Helping hands, and all that. Just like looking for lost cats at home. Nothing to it. After a suitable tree climbing induced pause, she'll ask:]
See anything yet? [The ground floor of a forest like this-- it's no place to stay.]