The Kingdom in the woods

It was at the age of 10 when I stumbled upon the castle. On a regular basis I would go into the woods and explore bringing along my sketchbook drawing the pines,oaks, and many other trees in the forest. I decided though that I was going to stay up tonight in the forest watching the sunrise after all it would be a beutiful thing to draw and I thought my parents would not worry because I stay out in the woods often. The sun had already set and now I just had to wait here in the dark of the woods for it to rise again to sketch The scene. Most people think that sitting in the woods alone at night especially at the age of 10 would be scary afraid a monster would come and take them away. I was different though I wasn't afraid of monsters coming out of the woods i knew they were not real I was safe to go where I wanted I didn't have the illogical fear of being taken by monsters. That wasn't the only way I was different from the other kids in my neighborhood I also enjoyed nature and quietness unlike them. That is one of the reasons I found the woods to be appealing. The calming aura of the quietness there nothing but the birds singing and the rush of water from the small rivers could be heard it was peaceful and quiet. Perhaps that was why when I heard the sound of horses pulling carts and people I approached the noise out of curiosity because never had I heard these noises in the woods. Upon finding the source of the sound in the woods i was dumbfounded there was an entire castle that seemed as though it reached up to the sky! How could I have never noticed this before there were tons of people just going about their business like it was normal to even live right next to a castle. What appeared to be small buisness owners were selling fresh apples in stands and also for some reason wore medieval like apparel. I noticed someone that really made my eyes light up something from the stories they were like heroes to me. I knew I wasn't suppose to talk to strangers but I was 10 I couldn't resist talking to the man in full armor next to the castle gate I never thought I would see a real knight! Then as I went to speak to the knight they looked at me and gave me a smile then I watched as he disappeared as the sun was rising. I took out my sketchbook and began to draw quickly the scene happening before me. I watched as the ground beneath me turned back to normal dirt and the castle walls turned into trees the people just disappear into the air the stands they kept their merchandise on transformed into small bushes. The sun eventually finnally rose and upon the sun rising the kingdom including the castle was completely gone leaving the woods behind with less than half of it sketched out in my notebook. My parents were worried and called the police so when I got home I explained what happened and why I was in the woods all night and what I saw I even showed my sketchbook as proof. They smiled looked at me concerned then took me to see a doctor. Doctor said I was fine and nothing was wrong with me they said that everything I saw was hallucination from sleep deprivation. My parents were relieved with this answer unlike me. I don't believe what the doctor said til this day I don't believe it was a hallucination the castle in the woods was real I remember the man in armor's smile as clear as day but no one would believe me so I stopped speaking about it to keep from getting put into a mental ward. I now the age of 20 continue to explore the woods like normal listen to the birds but as I explore I am always listening for the trotting of horses pulling carts or the chat of vendors as they sell merchandise. I know what I saw as a kid and will continue to search for it to prove that the mysterious kingdom in the woods exist and maybe when I find it the knight in armor will remember me to and maybe this time we can talk before the sun rises and they all disappear again. For now though all I have is my memory and drawings I have done of this magical Kingdom that suddenly appeared and disappeared in the woods. Through my travels though I have heard countless other people say that they have seen castles and kingdoms in the woods but none of them were reliable resources for they all were said to be clinically insane. Just maybe though they were not maybe they were like me and did see the real kingdom not a hallucination and went insane for no one believing in them it is impossible to know. The people reading this must think I am crazy but I assure you I am not go out in the woods and maybe you will see what I saw. It is a rare sight to behold but eventually it will be seen if you just look for it or maybe you will stumble upon it like I did on accident. Perhaps the reason I have yet to see it again is that the kingdom in the woods only reveals itself to those whom have the eyes of children. I would encourage you to go out in the woods in search of the castle for yourself if you are a kid but there is one mistake I made when I was younger. Monsters are real so be safe for if you are not careful and alone one might creep out of the dark and take you. These monsters look just like you and me I was lucky the people in the kingdom were not monsters for if they were I wouldn't have been able to share my discovery of the kingdom in the woods here.