Read Into the Woods for Free Online

were a family.
"Thanks for saving that," Autumn told me. - but you're new here, and soon enough you won't want to come around. It's all right. I don't care anymore. You want to know something? I'm looking forward to going to a special school. I'm looking forward to going anyplace else."
"I hope you don't. As soon as you can, come visit me," I said. "I'll be your friend." I promised.
She looked at me skeptically but with some joy in her eyes.
"Just be careful." she said. "Don't trust anyone. You're better off." She closed her eyes. "I'm so tired." she said. "It's because of some medicine they are giving.
"Okay. I'll come back to see you soon," I said.
She didn't reply. She slid dawn in her bed and kept her eyes closed. I looked at her for a moment. Most of what she said and felt unfortunately was true. In the world we lived in if something bad happened to you, it had to be your fault. You didn't do something you should have done to prepare or to prevent it. You should have anticipated, expected, known, followed procedure. There was no such thing as a pure victim. We were all guilty always,
"Bye," I said softly. "I hope you feel better soon."
She barely acknowledged me with a slight nod. and I left her room.
As I started out of the house. I saw Mrs. Sullivan sitting in the living room, staring at the doorway.
"Oh. I'm sorry. Mrs. Sullivan," I said "If you were sitting here when I came in. I didn't see you."
She looked up as if she had just that moment realized I had come to visit.
"I wish I really was that invisible," she said.
"Autumn will be all right." I told her. I don't know from what well of information and confidence I drew that, but it raised her eyebrows.
You think so?"
"Yes, ma'am. I do." I said.
You young people today... nothing important seems to matter to you All that's important is a good time."
"No. ma'am. That's not true for everyone."
"You all behave as if there are no consequences to your actions." She nodded, "We all learn pretty fast that we pay the piper," she said. "Just remember that."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Thanks far coming," she said, and sat back, taking on that far-off look in her eyes again,
"Bye," I said, and left the house.
I hurried home to tell Mommy every-thing. When Daddy came home. I told him about my visit. too. We talked about it at dinner, and I could see they were both afraid I would fall victim to such events.
"Autumn's mother isn't all wrong, honey," Mommy said. "You have to be a little paranoid in today's world, especially today's youthful world. Every new generation seems to inherit some additional dangers. Sometimes I wish we lived back in the eighteen hundreds."
"No you don't," Daddy said. "You'd be waiting half a year for me to return from a sea duty."
They laughed at that. but I had often mused about living at a different time. Movies and books could make it seem so much more romantic. Maybe people did spend more time with each other, but swirling about them freely and unchecked were devastating diseases, more opportunities for accidents, and terrible poverty. We pay a price for progress. Mommy told me, and for a moment she looked worried about what my share of that price might be.
Nightmares had a field day in my sleeping brain for a week after my visit to Autumn. I never heard anything from her, not a phone call, and then, one morning at breakfast. Mommy told me Autumn's parents had indeed decided to send her to a special school. In fact, she was already gone.
At school, her name fell through the floor of conversations to the basement reserved for the long forgotten. Wench and Penny looked very satisfied with themselves. Penny, especially, made a point to tell me I should have listened to them.
"You have to know who you should be loyal to and who you shouldn't if you want to get anywhere in this world." she said.
"We're deciding whether or not to give you another chance." she added, speaking down to me as if she sat on a high throne.
Many of the other daughters and even sons of naval