Into the Woods

The yellow school bus bounced down the dirt road, carrying Mrs. Peterson's second-grade class toward Pine Valley Nature Center. Uzi pressed her nose against the window, watching tall trees blur past.

"Look at all those mushrooms!" Isabella pointed at colorful fungi sprouting from fallen logs.

Behind them, Poppy and Lily giggled as they shared animal crackers. Maddie sketched the forest in her notebook while Velda and Velma played rock-paper-scissors. Dolly braided Polly's hair, and Annie read aloud from her nature guidebook.

"Girls, we'll be hiking the Discovery Trail today," Mrs. Peterson announced. "Stay together and keep your eyes open for interesting plants and wildlife."

The bus stopped with a screech. Through the trees, something sparkled between the ferns—something that definitely didn't belong in a forest.

The Glowing Device

The ten girls tumbled off the bus and raced toward the sparkle. Between twisted oak roots, a bright red Nintendo Switch sat perfectly clean on a bed of moss.

"Wow! Someone dropped their game!" Uzi reached for it first.

"Wait!" Annie called. "We should tell Mrs. Peterson."

But Isabella was already picking it up. The screen flickered on by itself, showing swirling colors like a rainbow tornado.

"Look at these weird games," Maddie whispered, pointing at titles that kept changing: Forest Quest, Ocean Deep, Sky Castle.

Suddenly the device grew hot in Isabella's hands. The swirling colors burst from the screen like colorful smoke, wrapping around all ten girls.

"What's happening?" Lily shrieked.

The world spun faster and faster until everything went white.