Keith and Bran waded slowly through the thick underbrush of the Green Forest. Their dog bounded ahead, seemingly unaffected by the tangled scrub. Despite the difficult going the boys walked confidently as though they had gone this way many times before. Ancient oaks towered over them majestically. Everything in the forest cast looming shadows in the twilight. Strange figures lurked in the corner of their eyes. The brothers walked on. Keith whistled a jaunty tune.

“Keith,” Bran hissed, “stop that whistling! You'll summon evil spirits.”

“Don't be such a baby, Bran. There's no such thing as spirits.” Despite his scoffing Keith went quiet. The brothers walked on.

After several minutes Bran piped up again saying, “Llywelyn believes in spirits and he's not a baby. He's the bravest man I know!”

Keith sighed, exasperated. “Llywelyn isn't right in his mind. He's been different since the Normans cut off his hand.”

“Still... He's not the only one either, lots of people have seen spirits!”

“Name one person who's actually seen a spirit”

“What about Bregus? She's seen loads of that kind of stuff!”

Keith snorted loudly, startling the ravens that had begun to roost in the shadowy treetops. “Name one sane person who's seen a ghost.”

The brothers walked on.

“Olwydd!” Bran shouted, shattering the silence. “He was right in front of us! Where could he have gone? Olwydd!”

“He's probably just chasing a squirrel. Look, there he is now, by that hollow tree, see?” Keith and Bran hurried forward; something about the cavernous hole in the tree seemed to disturb their normally cheerful dog. “What have you found Olwydd? Let's take a look.”

The huge hole could have fit at least three bears in it comfortably, four at a squeeze. The two small boys and largish wolf hound didn't have to think twice about clambering in.

Sunlight left them momentarily blinded. They blinked and looked around in time to see a large hole shimmer and disappear. The Green Forest had vanished as had the night. They stood on a strange road of some sort, edged with thick, wooden beams. An ear splitting shriek broke through the quiet afternoon and the brothers leapt off the track just in time to avoid a monstrous beast with steam billowing out it's nostrils.

After a moment Bran said, somewhat triumphantly, “See? I told you not to whistle!”

Keith opened his mouth to protest when a strange voice boomed out from behind them. “Aye!” it called ambiguously.