Lost Creek Hollow I'm nothing special.

When her new friend commented about the name of her home, Ibis laughed. It didn't make sense! There was nothing else in her little world beyond this valley, and the prospect that there was something further away seemed so strange and so silly! But she knew not to laugh too hard or for too long in case she offended her friend. It didn't matter much, because Korei obliged her request for a story, and soon her attention was redirected.

Ibis remembered snow. She'd just survived her first winter after all, and it was horrible stuff. The little girl had struggled to stay warm because of her petite size and lack of winter weight, and while she thought it was pretty to watch, Ibis did not like to wander around in it. The image of Korei hiding in snow was amusing, but also to some degree horrifying because of her personal views on the substance.

The conclusion that snow wasn't always safe earned a firm nod from Ibis; she hadn't ever been swallowed by a pit of snow, but it sounded awful. And then it was her turn to tell a story - oh! What would she talk about?

Ibis thought about it for a moment, and then leaned in to whisper conspiratorally at her new friend - she had just the story!

This one time, I was lost in the willow forest. The willows -- they're big big big trees, and their branches look sad and droopy. I couldn't tell them apart yet, I was only a baby, she said this very matter-of-factly, as if she wasn't still (kind of) a baby. And I took a bad turn. I tripped, and fell right in to the river! It was very scary. I kicked at the water, but I drank a lot of it! My momma was there really fast, and she rescued me. It was quite the experience. My momma is a super hero!