When dawn came, and Mikey still hadn’t returned, Allie was beside herself. The others kept their distance—not even Milos knew how to handle this. It was in that early morning light that she took special notice of Squirrel. He had nothing to say about the matter all night long—yet he was even more antsy than usual. He kept bouncing his knee and shifting his weight from leg to leg. He wouldn’t meet Allie’s gaze, and that clinched it. In an instant she had him tried, convicted, and sentenced.

“It was you!” She stormed up to him and pointed an accusing finger. “You did something to him!”

Squirrel’s jaw dropped open and he shook his head. “Not me! Not me! I wouldn’t do anything to him!” He looked to Moose, who backed away, hoping this plague of guilt wouldn’t spread to him, but he was too late.

“It was both of you!” yelled Allie. “I know it just by looking at you!”

Moose’s beady eyes seemed to widen within his helmet, like a cornered opossum. She half expected him to suddenly play dead. “We didn’t do anything! Milosh tell her it wazn’t ush!” But Milos was not taking sides.

“You’re both lying!’ Allie screamed at them. “Tell me what you did, or I’ll tear you apart with my bare hands!” In that moment, she believed she could do it, and they believed it too.

“We didn’t do anything! I swear, I swear!” pleaded Squirrel. “Cross my heart and hope to fry! I’d be afraid to do anything to him, honest!”

And that, coming from Squirrel, just sounded odd. It was just a further indication to Allie that he must be lying.

Finally Milos stepped in. “Afraid of him? Why afraid?”

Squirrel looked to Milos then to Moose, and finally to Allie. “I think … I think your friend is some kinda monster.” And the expression of horror and hatred that Allie gave him made Squirrel back away. “It’s true, it’s true! He’s got all these eyes—and tentacles. He hides ’em real good, but I know he’s got ’em.”

“You’re LYING!” screamed Allie, and she rushed him. “Take it BACK! You’re lying, take it BACK!” She began pushing him, shaking him, hitting him.

It was Milos who pulled her away from Squirrel, and she collapsed, sobbing like she never had in life. Milos tried to comfort her, but she just pushed him away. “He’s lying,” she said over and over, her voice getting weaker each time she said it. “He’s lying… .”

“Maybe Squirrel saw something else, and thought it was Mikey,” Milos suggested.

“Yeah,” said Moose, butting Squirrel in the head with his helmet. “You alwayz shee things that aren’t there!”

“But … but—”