I stopped at my house and told my parents I was going for a walk. Then I put on my tennis shoes and headed out. I was going to the woods to think about the essay. The sounds of nature would calm me and help me to think.

The woods were close to my house. I walked down the street, turned left, then turned left again. There was a small trail that started at the sidewalk. It went on for miles through the woods.

I passed the old sign with the words "Fang Trail" on it.

My trip to find out who I am was just beginning.

I would write the essay. I would not let myself down. I could not let Mrs. Thomas down.

I walked the trail into the forest. I only brought a pen. I could write notes on my hand when I thought of ideas.

The forest was dark. The trees blocked out most of the sunlight. I did not mind. As long as I could see the trail, I was fine.

"Hello!" I yelled into the forest.

Birds in the trees woke from their sleep. They chirped and flew into the air. I loved their chirps.

The birds' calls woke other animals. Soon, all the animals were calling out. The forest wasn't quiet anymore. It was full of sound.

I ran down the trail. I ran so fast that not even a horse could have caught me. I ran and ran. I ran until my lungs hurt. Then I fell onto the grass next to the trail.

I rolled onto my back and stared up at the sky.

Who am I? I thought.

I still could not answer the question.

"Who are you?" I asked the forest.

I knew the forest would not answer me. But I knew who the forest was, anyway. It was animals, plants, and dirt. It was chirps and grass and trees. It was life.

I knew who the forest was, but I did not know who I was.

"Who am I?" I asked the forest again.

The forest would not tell me. I listened to the sounds of the animals, but they did not tell me either.

I stood up. I wiped the grass off my clothes. No one would tell me who I was, so I had to find out for myself.

I started walking down the trail again. The forest got darker and darker as I went. I stopped. There was a tunnel made out of leaves and branches.

I ran from the trail and down the tunnel. It seemed to go on forever. I ran even faster when I saw a light at the end of it.

I had to crawl through the small opening. The light was so bright. I could not see where I was going.

I kept crawling until I was out of the tunnel. Then I stood up. I blinked until I could see again.

I gasped.

I had crawled to the most beautiful place I had ever seen.

I was standing in a grassy spot in the middle of the forest. The trees around me were huge. They looked more than a hundred feet tall.

Butterflies in every color flew through the air. They were blue, purple, yellow, and even green.

Small red and yellow birds sat on every tree branch. They sang cheerful songs.

Rabbits hopped through the grass. Squirrels jumped from branch to branch. Moles popped out of their holes. There was even a deer, hiding in the trees.

I had never seen this part of the forest before. It was so beautiful. I smiled with joy.

I stopped looking around at the trees when a sound came from the forest. The trees in front of me shook. The ground under me shook. I was afraid of what would come out of the forest.

Suddenly, the biggest group of rabbits I had ever seen came running from the trees. They weren't moving on four legs, but on two. And they were bigger than rabbits should be. They were almost as tall as me!

The ground shook harder. I fell down. The large rabbits were coming right at me. I did the only thing I could do.

"Help!" I screamed.

I sat on the ground and hid my face. I waited for the rabbits to run right over me, but they did not. All I could feel was air going by me.

I looked up. The rabbits were running around me. They looked like small, furry humans up close.

I sat still until the rabbits had all run past me. Then one rabbit came walking out of the forest, last. The group had left him. He was having a hard time breathing. He bent over and grabbed his knees.

"Hello?" I said.

The rabbit looked up.

He walked up to me.

"Hi," he said.

"Why are you wearing that silly outfit?" I asked.

He looked down at his costume and frowned.

"Silly? My outfit is not silly!" he said angrily.

He was a foot taller than me and looked about seventeen years old.

I stood up. I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Fine," I said. "Then why are you wearing that outfit that definitely does not look silly on a grown boy."

He frowned again, but he didn't get mad.

"Well, if you must know, I'm not really a Wabooz Rabbit," he said. "I'm a human hiding from—"

"A Wabooz Rabbit?" I interrupted. "There is no such thing."

"Of course there is! What did you think those animals were? Normal rabbits?" he asked.

"What else would they be, other than rabbits?" I asked. I was getting angry now.

He laughed. "You really aren't very smart," he said.

He was not being very nice.

"And who were you hiding from?" I asked.

"Who was I hiding from?" he repeated with a smile.

He broke out laughing. He rolled onto the grass and kicked his legs.

I just stood there while he laughed and laughed. I was angry that he laughed at me.

I turned to go back through the tunnel, but it was gone! I looked around, but there were only trees. I turned around to look for the tunnel again. I saw nothing.

I was lost!

Soon, I gave up looking for the way I came here. It was no use. The tunnel was gone.

I started walking. I would probably never find my way back to the trail, but I could try.

"Hey! Wait! Where are you going?" the bunny asked.

I turned back. He ran up in front of me. I was happy that he had stopped laughing.

"I'm going home," I said.

"Wait, what animal are you?" he asked.

"I'm a girl," I said.

"A girl! I thought I would never see another girl! Tell me, how did you get here?" he asked. "We can go back the way you came and get home! I have been stuck here for a very long time."

"I came here through a tunnel and now it is gone! There's no way back!" I yelled at him.

He frowned. He sat down on the ground, looking upset.

"I am never going to get home," he said.

"Do not be sad," I told him. "We will find a way to get you home."I patted his back.

He looked up at me and smiled. He hopped to his feet.

"You are right. Let's get going!" he said.

He was a very moody rabbit.

"Where?" I asked.

"To the place where everyone goes when they need to find something!" he said.