here's a hint. You can't see it phisically.

Like storm said:

even with this hint: today, tomorrow, future, air, wind, etc...

The Spirit of fire.

Hmm. This is a pretty sweet answer. It doesn't really satisfy the riddle, but it's a great guess. I feel like this one is particularly difficult so here's a hint.

There is only one answer, but each line has nothing to do with every other line.

a mirage?

Right on!

a puddle?

It sure is. Nice one!

I think therefore I am

But am I as great as Man?

Labeled marvel or disaster

Should I call my maker Master?

Well since I can guess:

None of them would get filled correctly (most likely) because of the extremely low probability.

[Dark Room]

You are in a dark room and want to see what is inside it. With you are a match, a candle, and a kerosene lamp. Which do you light first?

Answer: the match

Well, just to spark this discussion some more. It burns me how no one has mentioned that something needs to be present to strike the match against.

the guy was a struggling ice sculptor and he couldn't quite get the Venus de Milo right, so he stood on top of his latest failed attempt and hanged himself in shame.

The OP might be asking how/why they found their way out,

rather than how they happened to meet.

Exactly, we're supposed to answer how they escaped the forest.

Here's a go:

. Why can't they retrace one of their paths? Knowing they came from opposite directions and they apparently were only lost for 20 minutes, the forest doesn't sound too daunting.

pumice

This is a good answer, though not the one I had in mind. The answer I'm looking for is the 'remnant' of a more usual phenomena.

You're all in the ballpark. Good guesses! 'sublime' is a definite hint, but it looks like you all noticed that.

Also, this would work:

a 3 hole puncher (number of holes are variable sometimes). And this, like the stapler doesn't have to be black, but it usually is. Also, I have bested many staplers and 3 hole punchers in my day... hmmm. Maybe I'm wrong then.

I know!

a stapler! Though they're not always black. See Office Space =)

Remnants of nature's wrath

Used for a quick bath

Every dragon has one

An adult's weight held by a child

Man's best friend lacking courage

When only water is sufficient

TRUTH, or did you mean to type decompose (d is near to r)

if so I'll rethink

Heh, no it's spelled correctly.

When you are unstable I am clear

The insubstantial hope that you hold dear

Follow me for I am near

But if you recompose I'll disappear

Wow. Now I'm sure of the answer.

nothing

a very messy answer

quarters, then in half vertically. When he showed you, were you are satisfied with the crumbled mess he left on the table?

the big black dictionary at the library.

easy

push the cork into the bottle and then turn it up-side down and shake the coin out.

Pretty original Topic name there Noct

maybe Elixir of life , i.e. the philosopher's stone , could also fit .

Old age.

I know it is not possible , but it fits the riddle nicely .

Not quite sure how old age fits the riddle. When talking about old age, wouldn't coming to it and awaiting it be the same thing? Given that, it can't have two different outcomes, one of them being life.

If I were to argue you're point, I would say the opposite of the riddle would be true. If one awaited old age, then death would come faster because of all the worrying and stress over getting old and dying. The best way to live a long time is to simply accept getting old and not await anything in a pessimistic light.

I'm thinkin'...

oatmeal

Edit: just to elaborate:

1)at school kids eat oatmeal bars

2)oats have a lower summer heat requirement and greater tolerance for rain than other grains, so they're grown in cooler climates

3)lots of people are repulsed by oatmeal (me for one)

4)the word 'meal' is part of oatmeal

Yea so the second one is out. But maybe the first one? I could see that one being 'close to heaven'.

I gotcha, but angelfish don't have wings. They're elongated fins.