“There could be hundreds of people in there!” he whispered. He shoved the pointed sticks aside with his arm, crawled into the mouth, and slid down to a cold dirt floor. When he stood he bumped the top of his head on the roof of the tunnel, causing clumps of dirt to fall in his hair. All was pitch black in front of him, but the thought of an underground party overcame his fear of the dark. The tunnel was big enough for him to walk through, as long as he slouched and used his hands to feel the way.

It was a long tunnel, with cold dirt on either side. Once Benjamin could no longer see the light from the entrance it took him a minute to find the courage to move forward. But the voices enticed him on. His eyes grew adjusted to the darkness and he saw a soft blue glow on the walls of the tunnel ahead of him.

Benjamin walked steadily on. When he felt pressure on his toes he knew the pathway was sloping down and the tunnel was leading him into the earth. A few more steps and the tunnel turned right. The walls were tinted blue. With another turn he grew braver and moved faster. He felt the sides of the wall change to jagged rock.

The sound of cheerful voices was now close by. This doesn’t make any sense! Why would people be down here? Benjamin didn’t notice that the tag on Pugsly’s collar, still around his wrist, was sparkling, even in the darkness.

It was too late to turn back. A strong musty smell came over him as he continued down the rocky tunnel. Right before the final corner he stopped. He could tell that a large number of people were just around it. His heart raced in his chest.

“Oh, you must try the walnuts at Seymour’s Creek. They’re to die for!”

“To die for? You don’t say!”

“Yes, I was about eaten by a hawk! Do you know how hard it is to run with a delicious Seymour’s Creek walnut in your hands? They’re not small, you know!” Benjamin heard neighing that sounded like laughter.

Who are these people? Benjamin stared at the blue flickers on the wall.

“I left when I overheard my master telling his wife he was going to cut off my horns.”

“How horrid!”

“I know. It’s just that when his wife bends over in the vegetable garden, that big rump of hers is like a target. I can’t help giving it a nice head-butt.”