• Cold air drifted in through the open window. Books and dishes littered every surface. A teenage girl was sprawled in a chair, her chin resting on the windowsill, her eyes closed. She had been there for nearly 4 hours, it was no surprise that she had fallen asleep. Her slow, steady breathing fogged in the chill breeze. The camera, which was strapped around her neck, was dangling at her chest, swinging lazily.

    She had been attempting to stay awake all night, but not to see her favorite TV show or celebrate New Year's Eve. It was a much more peculiar scenario. Celica had seen a boy, who looked about her age, get absorbed into the tree in her front yard.

    He didn't climb up and disappear among the thick leaves. No, that wouldn't have bothered her. The tree opened up, a hole forming exactly like an open mouth. Thinking that the boy was trapped and must be suffocating, she had tried all day to get inside the tree.

    At one point, she had gone to such lengths as to take an axe from the garage and start hacking away at the tree, but it was a fruitless attempt; the bark didn't even chip when the sharp blade connected with it. She thought maybe the boy had been a hallucination, they weren't uncommon in the dead heat of southern New Mexico. Heat exhaustion had struck her more than once this time of year. And the tree was very old, it must have been at least 300 years since it had been planted, according to the locals.

    But still, she could not convince herself. The fact was unavoidable. There was something odd about that tree. She had promised herself that she wouldn't rest until she proved that something supernatural was occurring. She took her camera, made an outpost in her bedroom, and made a mindset to stay up all night.

    Unfortunately, as most humans, she could not resist the beautiful repose that was sleep. She had tried reading books, but that only made her even more fatigued. The food she had brought up had provided a few hours' energy, but after he carbs were burned, she had simply collapsed.

    A large crunching sound awoke her, and she immediately turned her gaze in the direction of the tree, hoping to see something irregular. Sure enough, the tree seemed to be rippling, light erupting from the cracks in the bark. Before she could fully register what was happening, the same boy walked out, quite comfortably, it seemed.

    In a haste, she remembered to raise her camera. By the time she had finished fumbling with the buttons, remembered to turn it on, changed it to photo mode, and positioned the lens correctly, the phenomenon had ended. Swearing, she turned and ran into the hallway. He would just have to catch him and question him. That was the only way left.

    She tore down the stairs, slipping several times, and just barely catching herself on the railing. The last time, however, a mere six steps from the landing, she fell forward and landed on her left shoulder. She ignored the intense pain and the sickening snap and continued on.

    The front door was locked. She jammed her hands into her pockets, searching for the key. Finally finding it, she missed the lock several times before turning it and rushing through the doorway. She had wasted so much precious time already, he could be anywhere by now. She ran into the middle of the street and looked to the left.

    There was nothing, just the abandoned pavement, and the endless expanse of stucco homes. She heard a humming sound behind her, and got excited. Something else must be happening!

    When she turned around, she was blinded by headlights. A horn blared, but she was frozen with fear. She lifted up her arms at the last second, half to block the intense light and half to shield her body, and then everything went black.