"Hush—up—Wishes." Freck sputtered under her breath, "The monster chasin' us is out there . . . somewheres."

I knew she was right, but how could I be quiet with my teeth all a chatterin'? By the heavy foot-vibrations we knew the awful thing was circlin' our dropped-leaf hidin' place. It warn't much cover, but luckily it h'aint found us—yet—our chances was slim ta none, though. My fingers and toes was throbbin' from scrunchin' 'em so hard. We needed to be silent as the night, or get mangled by the gigantic Timberwolf-like beast just a few feet away. Although I cain't say for sure what it was 'cuz it was dark as a tomb. It could'a been darn anythin', but real big, that's for sure.

Freck, bein' more churchy, was prob'ly prayin' her guts out. I couldn't see with my eyes, but I knows her so well I might as well see her doin' it. She was kneelin' with her hands pressed together fingers turnin' white. Her lips movin' fast as a hummingbird wing. I reached out for her. My hand landed on her shoulder, and I felt her tremblin' just like me. Freck didn't scare easy, but she was now.

I swore my eardrums was bleedin' from strainin' so hard. I had ta know where the monster was, even if my eardrums popped out. A thick curtain of dead palm leaves muffled sound some, not enough. Despite them many layers of grey palm beard, I heard a loud, slimy, mucous sniffin'. It sounded like a dinosaur-sized wolf pantin'. It's leg, or maybe tail, if it had one, scraped 'gainst the fronds, makin' the voodoo chillin' sound of dried chicken bones.

The smell was gag-me horrid, way worse than a pit filled with puke, and bloated carcasses. The foul reek got to me. It must'a heard me retch 'cuz it inched closer ta the exact spot where I was standin'. Every heavy footfall shook the ground. Boom-shake-shake, boom-shake-shake. What was worse, the godawful stench, or spine-deep vibrations? Both made me so scared that my mind turned ta thick Jello. Did it matter? We was goners for sure.

My legs was rubbery. Freck spied me a weavin' and wobblin'. She grabbed hold of my wrists—and jerked, hard—slam, whack, face first inta the jagged trunk's sharp edges. Stingin' misery snapped me awake. I still couldn't see nothin' 'cuz of the darkness thicker than doom. I didn't 'spect either of us was gonna live ta see fifteen, or even see dawn again.

Where's all the luck that I'm supposed ta have? What a time to be fresh outta it. But, we couldn't die, not now, not today. Not when we was so danged close ta findin' the salamander. The Magic Salamander was our only hope for reunitin' with our mommas.

I had a horrible thought creep in, when the first of us dies, maybe the other could get away. I could run faster than Freck, so I had a better chance of surviving. No, no, no, I cain't be thinkin' on it that way. If Freck was first, I was gonna stand my ground, and try ta fight it away.

Freck clung ta my arms. Her fingers was diggin' inta my flesh. I grabbed her arms too. We was like beetle bugs squrmin' inta the tree. Death by palm had ta be better than givin' in ta that unseen fiend. The sharp edges of woody, leaf-scars were grindin' through our clothes. Despite the agony, we was pushin' ourselves inta those ragged edges for all we was worth. If'n we died it warn't goin' ta be easy to scrape our bodies off, that's for danged sure. That's providin' they ever find us. Bloody, gory remains is all we'd leave behind, if that.

Then our short cabbage palm commenced whippin' back and forth. Was it 'cuz of us, or the heavy, poundin' feet of the huge smelly demon? I thought, "What if the beast warn't alone?" I went all cold inside thinkin' that maybe sumpin' bigger, and even more terrible, was helpin'. Two monsters? I just knew if'n the foul smell didn't get us, evil things would shred us ta bits. Death was all but certain. If I'd had a momma, I'd a screamed out for her.

The closer it came, the quieter we got. At one point, neither of us dared ta even breathe. Somethin' long and deadly found its way inside our hidin' place. It would'a got Freck for sure, but she pulled up her foot, and it missed by a whisker. It left a ditch-deep gouge right where she was standin'. The odorous thing let out a roar like a level four hurricane. A second, even louder earth shakin' bellow nearly toppled us. Throughout the forest other growls, roars, and shrieks split the night. It was a monster convention, and I feared we was the main attraction. I knows we was just inches away from the most horrible, gruesome death imaginable. Kilt and gnawed through to the bone. Maybe we'd die right quick. If'n yer dead ya wouldn't feel no more pain—right? I was fightin' back an urge ta run out—run right out, and get it over with. If ya are gonna die anyway, why stretch it out? I thought it, but just couldn't let go.

Of course, by mornin' people will go searchin' for us—but not here—not in Howlin' Woods. We'd been warned all our lives ta stay far away from this place, 'specially at night. Usually we was pretty smart kids. Who would'a thought that we would up and do sumpin' so stupid?

It was darker than midnight inside a gator. We still couldn't catch sight of our tormentor. Can ya imagine gettin' ripped ta shreds, eaten, and not even knowin' for sure what got ya?

I wisht we was home, safe in our beds.

So why was we here? Our desperate wantin' for our mommas made us do it. We just had ta. Freck and me talked ourselves inta thinkin' that we had a chance. We were bright, quick, and wrong—dead wrong. Now our tombstones was gonna read, "Here lies the shredded bodies of two very foolish kids, who got what they deserved."

Bein' so sure of imminent death, I got a flood of memories. What put us in this place and time? It warn't no accident. My recalls fell in place one-by-one like puzzle pieces. I figured it out. I could die now knowin' the whole truth. That brought me a little comfort. I swore if we escaped, I'd write it all down as a warnin' to anyone who's thinkin' of trespassin' inta Howlin' Woods, no matter what the reason.

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Did we die that day?