Page 26 of Journey to Cheshire Bay
“Boy oh boy. I’m going to have two come back and visit these places – they have such fascinating names. Does BC seriously have a place called the Enchanted Forest? What makes it so magical?” Figured he’d be able to spout all sorts of random trivia, and if it kept him talking, it kept him awake. I had noticed a yawn or two from him not long after leaving Roger’s Pass.
“It’s a touristy place for families. I used to visit with my family on the way to Grandma’s house.”
“Ah, a tourist trap. Gotcha.” Those were a dime a dozen back in Toronto, and most weren’t anything to rave about.
“Do you want to stop, and check it out?” There was such hope in his voice.
“No way. I’ve already cost you time on this trip with my brilliant idea for a two-hour rest that turned into five. We need to get you to Victoria. You have big plans.”
“That’ll still happen, but if I’m going to be late, what’s another couple of hours?” He kept his eyes focused on the road as he pulled around a curve. “What do you say? Do you want to check it out?”
There was so much excitement in his voice, it was hard to turn down. Although I had all the time in the world, at least now I did, Holden didn’t. However, the offering of a stop and a stretch of the legs would be welcome. It had been an hour since we our last stop.
“Sure, why not? As long as you don’t hold it against me.”
He gave me a quizzical look. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Then let’s do it. Show me this Enchanted Forest.”
Chapter Nine
The vehicle slowed as he signaled and pulled into a parking lot flanked on either side by blue pointy buildings.
Tucked along the edge of the parking lot were small versions of castles, fairytale creatures, and quaint little cottages, as if brought to life from a children’s storybook and dropped into the forest.
“This will be great.” Like a child on Christmas morning, he was lit up from the inside out, and it thrilled me to see this side of him. “You’ll see.”
I tipped my head and followed him to the ticket booth. “If you say so.”
“It’s a quick tour. Think it takes less than an hour to see the whole thing, even if you’re lollygagging. At least it did when I was little.”
The Enchanted Forest certainly lived up to its name. After we paid, the hum from the highway died away as we stepped deeper into the thick, densely packed forest. The smell of earth and trees and nature surrounded us, calming me with each inhale. It was a far cry from the urban scents of a downtown metropolis.
“I used to love coming here as a child.” The megawatt smile on his face never faded. “My parents would have my sister and I hunt for the fairies, and we’d hang out in the world’s tallest treehouse thinking we were the greatest people ever. It was fun pretending we were ethereal.”
I didn’t know what that meant, although I assumed it was positive, but I mocked it with a teasing grin regardless. “Today’s word of the day isethereal.”
He returned the comment with a playful bump against my shoulder.
“Tell me more about this treehouse.”
The cool kids on sitcoms, with their perfectly involved parents, always had treehouses, and they were always built together over a weekend of smiles. I didn’t think they were anything more than something created for tv. However, if there was a real treehouse here, I wasn’t leaving until I saw it in person.
“I’ll show you.” Without hesitation, he reached for my hand and tugged me along.
I would’ve let go or shook myself free from his warmth, but deep down I was enjoying the connection just a little too much. I hadn’t had a genuine touch like that in ages.
Along the packed dirt paths, between little villages of cartoon characters, most of which were as unfamiliar to me as rocket science, Holden led the way. He delighted in mentioning all their names and when I often got a perplexed expression, told me which cartoons they came from. Which helped. A little. I clearly hadn’t watched as much tv as he had.
“What was your favourite fairytale?” He paused under a cow jumping over a thin crescent of a moon. Shoulders relaxed, he rested his weight on one foot, an innocent, youthful joy making him look even younger than he was.
“I don’t really know a lot of these stories.”
“No one ever read fairytales to you?” His eyes widened in mock horror, although maybe he was really concerned.
I shook my head and glanced around, spying gnomes or dwarfs, and a variety of colourful characters. “No one had the time when I was little, and as I grew up, other reads were more attractive.”
“I’m so sorry.”