Auri woke up just then.
She rubbed her eyes and sat up in the green chair, gazing ahead with sleepy eyes.
The colossal tree's trunk slowly split open.
A hollow appeared in its center, exactly as tall as Auri and barely wide enough for her to pass through alone.
"Is this the way out?"
Auri hopped down from the chair and walked over to compare herself with the opening.
"Why does it feel a little small?"
The opening paused, then widened to either side.
The passage soon became much roomier.
A few crooked branches still jutted from the edges, blocking part of the way. Auri pushed them aside and frowned.
"There are too many weeds!"
She looked up at the giant tree.
"Can you make me another one?"
The tree froze.
After a moment, the obstructing branches slowly withdrew into the trunk. The entrance became neat and clear, though a trickle of green liquid seeped from the spots where the branches had retracted and ran down the bark.
Auri still didn't go in.
