A Magical Encounter in the Forest

What would you do if you stumbled across a community of tiny acorn people being stalked by a “forest rat”? In this enchanting scene from Finding Alineade, Charlie learns that doing the right thing isn’t always about solving everything — sometimes it’s about making a small shift that moves the world forward.

Join Charlie as she meets mysterious forest creatures, faces a clever adversary, and discovers the power of courage, perspective, and patience. This moment in her journey reminds us that even the smallest acts of kindness can create ripples of change.

Excerpt

Forging ahead, Charlie kept her eyes and ears open. There were so many interesting sights and sounds. She saw a mighty oak, twice the size of the oaks back home. The top of the tree spread out so wide that it almost blotted out the bright morning sky. Its branches sent out such a broad area of shade that the darkness cast an eerily mysterious shadow that spread out over the rolling forest floor. Laying all around the base of the tree, acorns were scattered everywhere. Mingling with the giant oak leaves, they almost seemed to be hiding. Suddenly, to Charlie’s surprise, they all jumped up and started running and screaming, “Forest rat, forest rat.” What was Charlie seeing? Were they acorns or little people? It was hard to tell. These little beings had arms and legs and were wearing an acorn shell for clothes. On top of their tiny heads, they wore the miniature caps from off the tops of the acorns. What was it that had them so frightened?

Charlie looked up and saw a squirrel slowly sneaking up on the tiny little acorn people. She had always liked squirrels and loved to watch them try to get to the food in her dad’s birdfeeders. Her dad, on the other hand, saw them as the curse of his existence. The harder he tried to keep the squirrels off his birdfeeders, the more clever of a solution the squirrel came up with. Poor Dad tried to stay ahead of them, but the squirrels had a talent for getting around everything he tried.

Charlie had always thought of the squirrels as cute and masterful, but suddenly she saw herself seeing them from the perspective of a very tiny acorn person. These tiny little people, barely two inches tall, were looking up into the eyes—and even worse, the mouth full of teeth—of what seemed to them to be a very large and scary forest rat.

Charlie went running over to scare the squirrel away, but to her surprise, he raced up the tree, out onto a limb, and sat down staring at her. He wasn’t going anywhere. This was his forest and she didn’t belong.

The acorn people, however, seemed to see her as a savior. They were happy and cheering and thanking Charlie for saving them from the big-toothed forest rat, but she knew she just put a band-aid on the problem. They were safe for now, but the squirrel would be back, just like at Dad’s birdfeeder.

“I can hear your mind racing,” came the tiny little voice of Lucy, still sitting on her shoulder. “You should be proud of yourself. You stood up for what you believed was right.”

“But what did I really accomplish?” Charlie spoke with a deep feeling of regret. “We will leave, the squirrel will try again, and the acorn people will still be vulnerable.”

“But for today the acorn people found a few new hiding places, the squirrel had to find other sources of food, and both learned they aren’t alone—others are watching. Both have learned and grown and broadened their perspective. It may not really change things, but there is always a shift when someone stands up to do the right thing. Energy doesn’t stand still, Charlie. It either moves forward or backward, and today, Charlie, you are moving forward!”

“Progress and patience,” Charlie thought.

“A lesson well learned,” Odarin softly whispered in her ear. His smile assured her she was on the right path. A sense of calm came over her as she leaned into the task ahead. She hadn’t solved the problem, but she had helped. She reminded herself there would be obstacles and rewards. She needed to focus on what went right.Excerpt

Forging ahead, Charlie kept her eyes and ears open. There were so many interesting sights and sounds. She saw a mighty oak, twice the size of the oaks back home. The top of the tree spread out so wide that it almost blotted out the bright morning sky. Its branches sent out such a broad area of shade that the darkness cast an eerily mysterious shadow that spread out over the rolling forest floor. Laying all around the base of the tree, acorns were scattered everywhere. Mingling with the giant oak leaves, they almost seemed to be hiding. Suddenly, to Charlie’s surprise, they all jumped up and started running and screaming, “Forest rat, forest rat.” What was Charlie seeing? Were they acorns or little people? It was hard to tell. These little beings had arms and legs and were wearing an acorn shell for clothes. On top of their tiny heads, they wore the miniature caps from off the tops of the acorns. What was it that had them so frightened?

Charlie looked up and saw a squirrel slowly sneaking up on the tiny little acorn people. She had always liked squirrels and loved to watch them try to get to the food in her dad’s birdfeeders. Her dad, on the other hand, saw them as the curse of his existence. The harder he tried to keep the squirrels off his birdfeeders, the more clever of a solution the squirrel came up with. Poor Dad tried to stay ahead of them, but the squirrels had a talent for getting around everything he tried.

Charlie had always thought of the squirrels as cute and masterful, but suddenly she saw herself seeing them from the perspective of a very tiny acorn person. These tiny little people, barely two inches tall, were looking up into the eyes—and even worse, the mouth full of teeth—of what seemed to them to be a very large and scary forest rat.

Charlie went running over to scare the squirrel away, but to her surprise, he raced up the tree, out onto a limb, and sat down staring at her. He wasn’t going anywhere. This was his forest and she didn’t belong.

The acorn people, however, seemed to see her as a savior. They were happy and cheering and thanking Charlie for saving them from the big-toothed forest rat, but she knew she just put a band-aid on the problem. They were safe for now, but the squirrel would be back, just like at Dad’s birdfeeder.

“I can hear your mind racing,” came the tiny little voice of Lucy, still sitting on her shoulder. “You should be proud of yourself. You stood up for what you believed was right.”

“But what did I really accomplish?” Charlie spoke with a deep feeling of regret. “We will leave, the squirrel will try again, and the acorn people will still be vulnerable.”

“But for today the acorn people found a few new hiding places, the squirrel had to find other sources of food, and both learned they aren’t alone—others are watching. Both have learned and grown and broadened their perspective. It may not really change things, but there is always a shift when someone stands up to do the right thing. Energy doesn’t stand still, Charlie. It either moves forward or backward, and today, Charlie, you are moving forward!”

“Progress and patience,” Charlie thought.

“A lesson well learned,” Odarin softly whispered in her ear. His smile assured her she was on the right path. A sense of calm came over her as she leaned into the task ahead. She hadn’t solved the problem, but she had helped. She reminded herself there would be obstacles and rewards. She needed to focus on what went right.

Charlie’s encounter with the acorn people is just one of many magical moments in Finding Alineade. Her journey is a reminder that courage isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about taking the next right step, even when the problem feels bigger than you are.

If you’re ready to be inspired by Charlie’s adventure — and maybe discover a little magic of your own — grab your copy of Finding Alineade today and step into a world where ordinary moments can lead to extraordinary discoveries. ✨