“Momma, where do the birds come from?” Dorothy asked. Her mother, sitting closeby at a table, laughed at one of her friend’s jokes. She didn’t appear to hear Dorothy, and so the little girl went back to playing with a snail she had found. Always she kept an eye on a little white bird in the bush. She was worried that if she appeared to be watching it, the bird would fly away.
Dorothy fingered a piece of grass, glancing every so often at the bird in the bush. It was a beautiful day, with a bright, warm sun and a luscious green garden surrounding them.
Another bird flitted beside the little white one. It was just as white as its sister, and Dorothy gasped in delight. Her mother continued to talk, and Dorothy hoped she would remain ignorant of Dorothy.
“Follow me.”
Dorothy’s braids snapped around, and she turned to look at the birds.  “Follow me,” One of them whispered again. It flew off into the small forest by the garden, and its friend soon followed. Dorothy glanced back at her mother, and then got up and went after the birds. On her tiptoes, she followed them as they flew into the forest.
After a while the birds stopped, landing on a tree. It was in the middle of a clearing, but it made Dorothy stop. Covering the tree were peaches, and the clearing it was in was freshly mowed grass, perfect and trim. As Dorothy walked in, she could see that it was a perfect circle, too.
“Little one,” one of the birds said. They were on the tree, and one of them pecked at a peach. “We need help.”
Dorothy blinked. “Why can you talk? I’ve never heard of a talking bird before.”
The bird jumped off the branch and glided to the ground. Smoke arose around it, and gathered upwards in a column. The smoke dissipated, and Dorothy coughed. Standing in the bird's place was a woman, standing straight as a tree. She was much taller than Dorothy, and Dorothy stepped back a bit.
“I am Radiri. A bird I was, and now I’m free. But I am lucky; my siblings are not. They are still trapped by that witch who forced them there a millenia ago.” Radiri explained. “You are the only one who can get close enough to free the rest of the birds. Please, will you help us?”
Dorothy furrowed her brow. “Would it be hard? I’m not that brave.”
Radiri laughed and leaned down. Her cold blue eyes didn’t reflect her smile. “Oh, little one. This is easy. All you need to do is open the window to the bedroom on the third floor of your house. Then we will be free.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s all.” Radiri assured her, touching Dorothy’s shoulder. “And for such a brave little girl, I’ll be sure to have an extra special reward waiting for her.”
Dorothy eagerly clapped her hands. She quickly followed the birds as they flitted their tiny wings ahead of her. The forest became a blur as she continued to follow them, and the sun got brighter and brighter.
In the garden her mother and the others were still chatting. Dorothy ran past them, and her mother stood up as she did. “Dorothy, come back here, please. Are you going back inside?”
Dorothy nodded, something telling her that she shouldn’t say anything about the birds. Her mother wouldn’t believe her, anyway.
“Would you please make sure Heidi's tied up then? That old dog shouldn’t be outside without a rope, poor thing,” her mother said. “Go on.”
Dorothy nodded again, and ran off towards the house. Her mother had told her never to go into that room, but it was for a good cause. When she had rescued the birds, her mother would be happy. So happy that she would forget all about Dorothy breaking this one teensy weensy little rule.
Dorothy ran upstairs, her tiny feet pounding the steps. They were old, and creaked with every step. But she made it to the door, the door she wasn’t allowed in, and her hand went to the doorknob.
Surprisingly, it wasn't locked. Dorothy opened the door, not sure what to expect. The only things in the room were some curtains, an old radiator and a dresser. But what caught her attention was the wallpaper. The design was white birds, and went all around the room; even on the ceiling and floors. The only spot left uncovered was the window, and Dorothy immediately went to it. She pushed with all her might, but it wouldn’t budge.
Through the glass she could see her mother’s friends leaving. At first, her mother didn't see her, but then she looked up.  And when her mother saw her in the window, Dorothy bit her lip.
“Uh oh,” Dorothy whispered.
Immediately Momma picked up her skirts and dashed towards the house. “Dorothy! Dorothy, no stop!”
Dorothy tried again, and then noticed a latch on the top of the window. She opened it, and the window almost forced itself open, a great wind knocking Dorothy back.
She fell, and blinked as the sun got into her eyes. At first, all was still. Then Dorothy noticed one of the birds on the wallpaper lift its wing. Slowly it took shape, and small feathers started to appear on its surface. It pulled itself off of the wallpaper, and then flew out the window. Dorothy gasped, thrilled.
But all the birds at once flew off of the wall, and the ceiling, and the floor. All around her were birds, wings, all aching for freedom. Dorothy screamed, unable to see anything. She felt the birds around her, wings and claws diving underneath her to lift her up. Dorothy cried out as she went through the window, birds and all.
She looked back, and saw her mother reaching through the window, trying to grab at Dorothy. Dorothy reached back, but the birds sped away towards the forest.
As if they were one beast, the birds all dived down into the trees. Dorothy screamed, unable to grab anything as she began to slip off. She fell into the clearing, bruised but not hurt.
Radiri stood a little ways away, and walked to her. “Little one, you have freed us. But not… all of us. This will have to do. The window is now open, and the witch can not stop us now.”
“Oh yes,” a strong voice said behind Dorothy. “She can.”
Dorothy turned, and saw her mother. “Momma!”
Her mother's torn skirt exposed her legs, and feathers filled her ruined hair. Her arms, scratched and bitten, had lost their sleeves. Her breathing was heavy, , like she had just fought off a monster. Dorothy ran to her, and Momma picked her up, stroking Dorothy's hair. Radiri watched, her expression cold. The birds sat in the trees, waiting.
Momma hugged her, and then sat her down. “Stay with Heidi, alright? Promise me you will stay with Heidi.”
“But Momma, I want to stay with you!” Dorothy cried as the old collie dog came up behind Momma. “Please Momma, I’ll never be bad again.”
“Stay. With. Heidi.” Momma commanded, and set her down on top of the Heidi the dog’s back. “Heidi, protect her with your life.”
Heidi nodded, and Dorothy stared at the old dog, then back at her Momma. “Momma, what’s happening?”
“Sister, sister,” Radiri tsked. “I believe that you have revealed a weakness. My birds, attack the girl.”
“I won’t let you touch her, Radiri!” Momma shouted. With that, the birds hesitated on their branches. “I am Foress, guardian of the Everlasting Flames. Protector of this world and the one you were banished from, she-devil.”
“Oo, name calling,” Radiri tsked. “Not very nice. But my precious birds are much stronger than you, now that they are free.”
Momma’s arms extended to either side of her, as if she was trying to stretch herself out as much as possible. “Heidi, take her and run!”
Dorothy reached for her mother, but Heidi sped away. The forest became a blur of green and brown, and Dorothy held onto Heidi’s fur, crying.
“MOMMA!”