我醒来时头痛欲裂，不知道自己睡了多久，外面的世界仍然一片漆黑。我的喉咙干渴难耐，于是我起身去倒了一杯水，看了一眼时钟，发现才刚过午夜。

就在这时，门外传来一阵轻轻的敲门声。我以为是威廉姆斯，结果却惊讶地发现是詹姆斯和约翰。我邀请他们进来，并问他们为何不请自来。

詹姆斯和约翰交换了一下眼神，约翰轻轻推了推詹姆斯，并小心地打了个手势。

“老大，我和John有急事要谈！”

从他们紧张的表情来看，我知道麻烦来了。“别犹豫，直接说。为什么威廉姆斯还没来？”

“是关于威廉姆斯的——他……他被带走了！”

“被抓走了？被谁抓走了？解释一下！”

我结结巴巴地说了好一会儿，终于明白了：他们声称威廉姆斯被抓获了，地点是一棵百年老树下，一只狼魔就潜伏在那里。

“什么？纽约有恶魔？”

“当然有！哈德逊河沿岸有一棵四五百年的橡树。它那扭曲的树枝里住着一个树精，树精下面潜伏着一个拥有强大力量的狼魔。我们这些低等的幽灵必须小心行事，以免招致他的愤怒。”

我很熟悉这棵古老的橡树——我在祖母家附近长大，经常在它的树枝下玩耍。我从未想象过狼魔会栖息在它的根部下！

就在两周前，我还以为鬼故事只是神话。然而过去几天，我却不得不接受超自然现象的存在。现在，听说纽约不仅有树精，还有狼魔——这简直太可怕了，简直就像电影剧本一样！

“那么，威廉姆斯是怎么被抓的呢？”

“老大，你知道的，威廉姆斯一直都喜欢偷东西。这次……”

John continued, “This evening, as the three of us ambled along the Hudson, we noticed some fruit beneath the oak—of unknown origin—and in jest, we dared each other to pilfer one.”

With his head bowed, James murmured, “It’s all my fault—I should never have joked about it. I never imagined that stealing a single apple would lead to his capture!”

After further prodding, they hesitantly revealed the whole tale: among the phantoms, Williams was known as one who was often bullied. Yet, emboldened by his association with me, he had grown boastful of his newfound stature. A careless remark from John had given him the chance to flaunt his mettle, only for the situation to spiral disastrously out of control.

Truth be told, I am uncertain of the true extent of my own powers as the Reaper; in the eyes of those more illustrious, I might be nothing more than an inconspicuous pawn. And now, while I have not yet grown conceited, Williams has already become arrogantly self-assured. With this debacle unfolding, I find myself at a loss as to how to resolve it.

“Did you not say that the ancient oak harbors a tree spirit? Surely, if this misdeed occurs beneath its very gaze, it should intervene?”

“The oak’s spirit is old and nearly deaf, and the wolf demon is a master of deceit and sycophancy—he has the tree spirit wrapped around his finger and will not help us; besides, we rarely catch even a glimpse of him!” James shook his head in exasperation.

“I truly do not know what to do. I have held this post for scarcely half a month, and never have I encountered such a predicament. Yet, since the matter is now upon us, let us venture together to ascertain the demon’s disposition.”

The two phantoms assented immediately. Fortunately, the ancient oak was not far from my abode. Having imbibed a bit and opting not to drive, I mounted my bicycle and reached it in about ten minutes.

At the oak’s base, I circled it thoughtfully, pondering how I might summon this elusive tree spirit. Just then, a deep, resonant voice spoke from behind, “Reaper, welcome to our domain!”

I turned to see a middle-aged gentleman clad in a tailored suit extending his hand. His attire betrayed that he was no ordinary man, yet I dared not ask outright what sort of creature he was. Instead, after shaking his hand, I inquired, “Good sir, might I ask your name?”

“You may call me Wolf!”

Wolf—could it be that he was indeed the very wolf demon in question? At that moment, James and John arrived; John, hiding behind me, whispered, “He is the wolf demon!”

I nodded. “Mr. Wolf, greetings. I am new to this vocation and scarcely acquainted with its customs. Hence, I shall be frank: I have a friend named Williams who is said to have incurred your displeasure tonight. Pray, where might he be now?” I adopted the measured cadence of a gangster from a noir film, amused by the affectation.

“Oh, Williams—I know of him. This very evening, as he passed by, I invited him to my abode for a cup of coffee. Why not join me there for a cup as well?”

That invitation suited me perfectly. Though it was just past midnight and the streets were nearly deserted, I dreaded that a passerby might misconstrue my solitary conversation with thin air as lunacy.

“Very well, lead on!”

With a genial smile, Wolf waved his right hand, and in an instant the surroundings transformed; when my vision cleared, I found myself in a sumptuous living room.

Wolf ushered me into the parlor and invited me to take a seat upon a chair by the coffee table—an act of deference that bolstered my confidence. I seated myself slowly as Wolf sat beside me and, gesturing toward James and John, added, “Gentlemen, please, be seated!”

They exchanged glances with me before taking the two chairs to my right.

“I have heard that an Oak Spirit dwells here as well—might I be so fortunate as to behold him tonight?” I ventured, striving for an air of nonchalance.

“Are you referring to Mr. Oak? He is advanced in years and presently at rest; it would be unseemly to disturb him,” Wolf replied. With a flick of his wrist, a cup of coffee appeared before me.

“Please, sir,” he said, as another cup materialized in his own hand.

Before sipping, I hesitated—dared I partake of coffee offered by a wolf demon? Yet, having been so graciously invited, I felt compelled to drink. A single sip revealed that the coffee was exquisitely fragrant; though I am no connoisseur, its rich aroma was unmistakable.

“Ah, splendid coffee!”

“Sir, I had summoned Williams for a meeting today and did not anticipate disturbing you with his unannounced arrival. Had he mentioned your esteemed name, I would have sent him away, sparing you this late-hour inconvenience,” I remarked.

“Not at all. I have heard from James that it was Williams who inadvertently troubled you. Allow me to apologize on his behalf!”

“Tonight’s affair is of little consequence. Now that you have graced us with your presence, I shall not trouble him further. Come, fetch Williams!” With that, from a small door behind him, two figures emerged—the foremost being Williams, followed by a towering, burly man.

At the sight of me, Williams hurried to stand behind me. “Sir, I have returned your friend to you. That is all for today. Now that you know where I live, you are always welcome to come for coffee if you pass by next time!”

I managed a prompt, cordial smile. “Certainly, certainly.”

Glancing at Williams, I saw him lower his gaze at my stern look.

“Mr. Wolf, it is very late; we shall not detain you. Perhaps another day we may reconvene for coffee.”

“Very well, as you wish. I shall not linger.”

In a sudden flash of light, my surroundings shifted once more, and when clarity returned, I found myself again beneath the ancient oak, with Williams, James, and John in attendance.

“Then I shall take my leave. Good sir, please,” Wolf said, extending his hand.

我点点头，握紧他的手，向他告别。我转身对威廉姆斯和其他人低声说：“我们马上出发吧！”

我头也不回地骑车消失在夜色中，骑车回家的路上，那次诡异的遭遇一直萦绕在我的脑海里。