The Woods Between The Worlds

"...As the two exchanged blows, Mahpee's grandma called 911 for Tashunka, and for Mahpee's sisters, who now lay panting and bleeding on the dirty, blood-soaked carpet.

Although Mahpee already had a bloody nose, and his jaw was throbbing, he pushed Tashunka's attacker down on the simple, wooden deck outside. Jumping back up, Chatan managed to grab Mahpee in a headlock. Mahpee stomped on Chatan's foot and headbutted his jaw at the same time. By the time the ambulance came, they had both fallen off the deck and were rolling around on the ground, wrestling in the dark on the dry, packed, red dirt that was interspersed here and there with some kind of wild grass.

Somehow Mahpee found himself pinned to the ground. As his attacker pulled a knife on him and was about to stab Mahpee in the chest, time slowed down almost to a standstill as Mahpee braced himself for the pain of his own death.

But suddenly there was a flash of light, and Mahpee was stunned and confused to find himself standing in a forest in broad daylight on a sunny, peaceful day. Right next to him flowed a beautiful, crystal clear river. Vaguely, he noticed a few other people nearby. Exhausted and bleeding, his body crumpled to the ground as he lost consciousness on the soft, vividly green grass that extended from the banks of the river into the surrounding forest..."