They all somehow fit, the door slamming behind them.

They stood in a cozy, round room, the walls made of smooth redwood, the floor covered with mossy carpet. A flat rock on three stumps served as a table in the center of the room, displaying berries the size of soccer balls. A rope ladder hung on the far wall, and near the top dozens of insects crawled on the walls or hovered in the air high above them, for the trunk extended farther than they could see. Each bug was the size of a cocker spaniel, and their rear ends glowed a luminescent yellow-green.

"You've been renovating, Twiggs," Puck said, sitting on a bundle of furs that passed for a couch. "This place was barely a hole in the tree when I saw it last."

Twiggs looked pleased. He was their height now and up close he smelled of cedar and moss. "Yes, I've grown quite fond of it," Twiggs said, walking over to the table. He picked up a knife and split a berry into thirds, arranging the pieces on wooden plates. "Still, I might have to move soon. The dryads whisper to me, tell me dark things. They say parts of the wyldwood are dying, vanishing more every day. No one knows what is causing it."

"You know whats causing it," Puck said, draping the squirrel tail over his lap. "We all do. This is nothing new."

"No." Twiggs shook his head. "Mortal disbelief has always taken a bit of the Nevernever, but not like this. This is...different. It's hard to explain. You'll see what I mean if you go any farther."

He handed them each a plate with a huge slab of red berry, half an acorn, and a pile of what looked like steamed white grubs.

Isiea clearly doesnt trust the food. She reaches into her satchel and takes out a small packet of crackers.

Lise took the plate, not knowing what they were talking about nor why he had given them acorns.

After dinner, Twiggs made the girls a bed of squirrel hides and chipmunk fur

Isiea has no interest in sleeping. She wants to explore.

Lise was tired. And a part of her wanted to fall asleep and wake up, all to discover it was a dream.

There wasn't really much to see inside.

It would be nice if it was just a dream, wouldn't it?

It would. And she would be able to go out the rest of her life normally.

She heads outside anyways, wandering around but being careful to keep track of where she is.

(Sorry Ruby, gonna control just a liiiitle bit)

Lise had a dream that night. She was back at her house. The house was dark and still, the living room cloaked in shadow. A brief glimpse of the wall clock pronounced it 3:19 a.m. She floated through the living room past the kitchen and made my way up the stairs. The door to her room was closed, and Luke's grizzly-bear snores were coming from the master bedroom, but at the end of the hall, Ethan's door stood slightly ajar.

Not too far away was a pond