"Now here's the rule," Chief Grotesk said to the nymph and faun. "Faun, if you catch her before she reaches the pond, you go free and we cook her. If you don't, she goes free if she wants to, and we cook you. If you don't race, we cook you both. Got that?"

"That's cruel!" Jenny said. "Making them sacrifice each other!"

"They will surely make us do the same tomorrow," Che said. "I shall be very sorry, for you tried to rescue me and I like you."

"We've just got to get rescued!" she said. "I know your mother's looking for you. Maybe she'll find you in time."

"I certainly hope so."

"So we must make sure you win our contest, because no one will rescue me anyway."

His head turned to her. "That is very generous of you, Jenny, But since you would not be captive if you had not tried to help me, I feel that you should be the one to—"

"Maybe we'll both be rescued before the goblins get to us," she said. It seemed better to believe that than to let the dialogue continue.

The action was starting with the others. The goblins released the nymph, and she ran fleetly away. Then they let the faun go, and he took off after her. The nymph screamed fetchingly and ran faster. They seemed equally swift, but the nymph tried to run out of the goblin circle, and the goblins wouldn't let her. She had to dodge back, and when she did, the faun gained on her. She screamed sweetly and ran off.

"Why doesn't she run to the pond?" Jenny asked.

"I am perplexed about that myself," Che said.

The nymph dodged again, but not toward the pond. She tried to get by the goblins a second time, and was thrown back. She fell, and this time the faun almost caught her. She screamed cutely and scrambled up just in time to avoid him, but he was hot on her heels. She had no choice but to go for the pond.

She did so, with seeming reluctance. She reached the end and leaped in. The faun stopped at the edge, disappointed. He did not touch the water; indeed, he seemed afraid of it. That was odd, considering his likely fate.

"Why don't they both just wade across to the other side?" Jenny asked. "There are no goblins guarding it there."

"It is indeed a mystery."

The nymph, thoroughly doused in the water, stood. Now her body was clean, and Jenny could see that Che had been right: there were no clothes. The nymph was a very pretty figure of a bare girl.

The nymph stared at the faun. Then her lovely face twisted into an unlovely expression. She screamed again, but this time it was not fetching, sweet, or cute; it was hateful. She surged out of the water, chasing the faun.