After 'getting rid' of the irritating May Belle, by giving her some of Leslie's new paper dolls, Leslie and I sprinted over the empty field behind the old Perkins place and down to the dry creek bed which separated the farmland from the woods. We found an old but sturdy long rope hanging from an old crab apple tree.

At that instant, Leslie suggested, "We need a secret place, or perhaps a secret country, just for us only and we could be rulers too!"

"Ok, but where could we have it?" I asked curiously.

She pointed at the woods, and replied that it could be in the woods, where nobody would visit and mess it. Although I did not like the dark parts of the wood, I did not voice out my fear ( I did not want Leslie to know how timid I am and also did not to hurt her feelings). Leslie was in high spirits as we took turns to swing on the rope and ambled a few yards into the woods beyond the creek bed. Looking at her wide grin that could not possibly be wiped away, I was relieved that she has chosen this spot and not further into the woods.

Leslie named our secret land 'Terabithia'. Helping me to speak and behave like a king and know how things worked in a magical kingdom, Leslie loaned me all of her books about 'Narnia'. Being an articulate person, Leslie is eloquent and could speak in a poetic language of a queen. However, I could not even master English properly so it would be a difficult time for me to learn to speak in poetic language. She believed that one day I would be able to draw Terabithia, although I found it unbelievable.

In Terabithia, I believe in Leslie as she could see magic in the mundane and in the shadowy light of the stronghold, everything seemd possible. Also, there was no enemy because even Gary Fulcher, Wanda Kay Moore and Janice Avery could not defeat us, like they did in their daily lives. Moreover, Leslie always spun interesting and imaginative tales and told me. After spending sometime in Terabithia, I felt that this place was not haunted but the stillness was like the chords hummed down to silence after Miss Edmunds had finished a song. Leslie told me that even rulers of Terabithia came into it only at times of greatest sorrow or joy as we must keep it sacred so as not to disturb the Spirits.

To me, whenever I just walked down the hill towards the woods, I felt something warm and liquid stealing through ny body. The closer I came to the dry creek bed and the crab apple tree rope, the more I could feel the beating of my heart. A kind of wild exhilaration zoomed through my body as I grabbed the end of the rope and swung out towards the other bank, landing gently on my feet. I felt taller, stronger and wiser in Terabithia.

Leslie's favourite place was the pine forest beside the castle stronghold. The trees grew so thick at the top that the sunshine was veiled and as no low bush or grass could grow in that dim light, the ground was carpeted eith golden needles. To be truthful, I have not found my favourite place yet. I really hope to find it as time passes by...



*Identical Topic: Leslie's creation of a newspaper article 'The Birth of Terabithia'.*