The giant snake’s head raised up high in the darkness. “My buzzard, Sebastian, sssaid he wasss clossse to their kingdom when he firssst found the moussse. I’ll ssssend him back to find it.”

“Massster?” another asked, “Why not wait until the full moon when you can sssee the beacon?”

The giant snake paused. “I have a sussspicion they’re going to be looking for…” But the snake stopped before his servants could hear the rest.

CHAPTER SIX

The Second Visit

THE NEXT MORNING Benjamin woke up earlier than usual. It’s hard to get a good night’s sleep knowing you’ll be talking to hundreds of animals in a cave the next morning. Benjamin’s parents were at their usual spots at the kitchen table when he raced upstairs.

His dad gave him a smile. “G’morning! Would you mind getting the–”

“Paper? Yeah, I’ll grab it.” Benjamin knew that during yesterday’s trip to the mailbox he’d stayed away a long time. He didn’t want to raise suspicions by doing it again. “Hey, I think I’ll go for a walk first. I’ll grab the paper when I come back, okay?”

“Sure, but don’t take too long. We’ve got church.”

Benjamin took off through the front door and raced down the long driveway. The deliveryman driving by actually hit the newspaper box (even if it was the side of it). He was relieved to see that the fox den that had housed all those extraordinary animals for all those years was still in the same spot. He’d thought it might just up and disappear.

Maybe it wasn’t real. Maybe I’m going to wake up any minute now, he thought as he ran up to the entrance of the tunnel. He knew it was more real than ever when the sticks sprang upright, revealing the hole as his bracelet’s tag sparkled like a diamond. Benjamin smiled in amazement at Pugsly’s old collar. It was why the entrance opened up for him and, yes, why he could talk to the animals.

Once he crawled inside Benjamin didn’t hear the faint sounds of laughter and cheerful chatter he had the day before. It sounded more like hundreds of voices arguing. When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed the walls of the tunnel looked as though they had stars shining on them. He leaned his face close to one of the blinking lights and it flew off. It was a lightning bug.

“Well, that makes it a lot easier,” he said, amused.

It didn’t take him long to reach the final turn. The voices were much louder than the previous day and, just as he’d thought, they were arguing.

“He’s coming when? Dog, have you lost your mind?!”

“My husband’s missing, you mangy cat. I know you did something to him last night!”

“Paco did what?! He invited him back here?”