Annika followed Bennett into the shadows. "What is this place?" She asked. 

"This is Amblersmith. A small, calm village. I chose it for my retirement because of how low-key it is. Nobody cares the blind man with his wolf as long as they don't stir up trouble." 

"Where are you taking me?"

Bennett chuckled. "I'm taking you to my home, Annika. It's a slightly remote farmhouse on two acres. I used to have a cow for milk, but Fergus killed it and ate most of it one night. No more fresh milk for us." 

They arrived at an old farmhouse about twenty yards away from the normal end of the village. Broken fencing stretched all around the property. Bennett opened the old gate and they walked in. Annika looked around. Three huge, gnarled trees with wide, outstretched branches were in the yard. In the widest tree, Annika thought she'd glimpsed two yellow orbs. She stopped and stared at it.

The orbs appeared again. Annika looked at the tree closer and observed the body of a huge black panther. She squeaked in fear and poked Bennett. 

"Bennett … did you know there's a panther in the tree?" She said, her voice tight. Bennett chuckled. "You mean Crumpet? Oh, don't worry about him; he wouldn't harm a flea!" 

"What? It's a wild panther -" 

"Tame panther," Bennett corrected matter-of-factly. Annika gawked at him and then glanced down at Fergus. 

"Are you a wild animal trainer or something? Because this isn't normal … and I love it! Such a relief from the monotony of Horace!" She laughed. "What other animals are there?" 

Bennett smiled a wide, toothy grin. His teeth were perfectly white, and his left front tooth had a gold cap. "I'll let you find that out for yourself. Respect them, and they will not harm you. Aren't you exhausted? Let's go inside." Bennett turned around and led Annika into the farmhouse.

The house was spacious and made mostly of rickety, creaky wood. Everything seemed to creak and look like it would give you a splinter. "What about Compass? Are you sure he's safe outside? Will he run away? You said Fergus killed your cow … is my horse safe?" Annika asked. 

"I worry about that, too. But I do have a single-stalled stable that my cow stayed in. The one night I didn't latch the door correctly, Fergus was hungry and on the prowl." Bennett sighed. "Don't worry, though; Compass will be totally safe in the stable. You get yourself ready here; I'll go settle Compass and don't worry." 

"Don't worry about what?" 

"I'll take extra care to lock that door." Then Bennett and Fergus walked out. Annika shrugged and walked upstairs. There was a bathroom, so she took a quick shower. She noticed Bennett had taken the bags off of Compass and had left them by the door. Annika got ready for bed and found the guest room.

Bennett still wasn't back, so Annika decided to explore. There seemed to be an endless supply of doors. Some were locked; others were not. One room held two large cages; each had a strange different animal in it. Annika knew that one was a kinkajou, but the other one was unknown. 

As Annika went back to her room, she noticed a small trapdoor in the ceiling and a mat the same size directly under it. The trapdoor was locked, but the key was under the mat. Annika unlocked the tiny door and jumped out the way just in time to avoid the splintery ladder that quickly unfolded into the hall. 

Annika glanced up. The ladder led into darkness. She slowly climbed it, careful to avoid splinters. It was a tiny room with a small black door in the back. Etched into the door were words. Annika squinted and dusted off the door so she could read the words. 

"'Enter with Care or Beware, for the Beast Behind this Door is no Docile Mare'," Annika read. So something big and dangerous was behind that door. She felt the curiosity bolt through her. She wasn't prepared. She went to climb down the ladder to pack her bags and get ready for what could be behind that door. 

But when she turned around, Bennett was standing there. 

"Poking around the attic, I see?" He said quietly. 

Annika jumped. "Bennett! I started exploring the house because you were taking a while, and I saw this door, and - " 

"Enough, Annika. You don't go past this door, and no more exploring the attic. That's that. For your own good. Trust me; you don't want to know what's behind that door. I dread going there to care for the beast inside, and it takes days of preparation." He said harshly.

Annika nodded quickly and scurried down the ladder and into her room. In her bed, she heard the ladder fold back up, the door close, and some scuffling, probably of Bennett moving the key and locking the door.