I began to climb.

It took me a long time to locate the entrance to the creature’s lair. I circled the tree at several different levels until at last I found it.

It was well camouflaged. A human would have made such a door square, oblong, oval, or even round. This bark-covered door was difficult to see because of its irregular shape. Once I’d spotted it, I found I could ease the door open with my fingernails. It swung out easily, on hinges that had recently been oiled.

The next problem was its size. The creature was a lot smaller than me. It would be hard for me to squeeze through that doorway, and I realized that once I was inside it would be difficult to get out again in a hurry. But I’d have to deal with whatever came my way. I wriggled through headfirst, pulling myself through the opening with my hands. I was now pretty much trapped. I had to bind this creature and must not miss with the chain. I felt confident that I could do so—that was one skill I was proud of.

Looking about me, I was surprised by what I found. I had not seen the creature up close in good light, but Jenny had called it a beastie, and from a distance it had resembled a squirrel. I had expected its lair to be that of a wild beast, a predator, the floor perhaps strewn with bones and straw or grass.

So it was a shock to see rows of shelves, a table, chairs, and lambskin rugs dyed a brilliant red. This was an unexpectedly sophisticated dwelling that made me even more confused about what I was dealing with. Many shelves were filled with books, others with glass jars containing what looked like herbs or strange objects floating in a clear liquid or suspended in yellow gel. Each jar was labeled in some foreign language.

Then I spotted something else of interest. There were two bottles of red wine on the table. I knew that they were of human origin because I recognized the labels.

I plucked one of the books from the lowest shelf and opened it. The text was strange and resembled no language I had ever encountered. This creature could read but was clearly from somewhere far from the County.

What was I dealing with here?

As I returned the book to its place on the shelf, something spoke behind me. I say “something,” because although it spoke our language, its voice was guttural, harsh, and rasping; too alien to belong to a human being.

“It is nice of you to come to visit me, human. I am hungry, and your presence saves me the need to hunt!”

For a moment I froze and my heart began to pound with fear, my mouth becoming dry as I realized that I had been tricked. I had assumed that I would be in control, would take the creature by surprise, but it must have known all along that we were watching its tree. It had pretended to leave and then doubled back once I’d entered its lair. I had heard no warning cry from Jenny—she must have failed to see it returning.