Warren paused at the edge of the yard, even though he was allowed to travel the woods during the day he didn't think Stan would take to kindly to him doing it in the dead of night. He glanced back out the dark house and wished his brother Dale could be with him now. But he hadn't dared to tell him about any of his late-night journeys, because he never knew when Dale would spill his guts to Stan and then Warren wouldn't be aloud out of the yard.

Tonight he was going to see two creatures that Stan most definitely disproved of and voiced those opinions whenever Warren mentioned them. They were Newel and Doren the most immature satyrs on the property. Stan considered them a terrible influence on the boys and found upon them even carrying on a conversation. But Warren had ignored all of Stan's attempts to keep the boys free from the satyrs' influences and had quickly made friends.

Warren would bring them simple things from the outside world at first but soon he had outfitted them not only with two tenesse rackets but also with a portable TV. This was of course all done without Stan's knowledge, which was one of the reasons Warren was sneaking out. The Satyrs constantly needed batteries for their TV and so whenever it was convenient Warren would sneak them a rather large supply. He then used Batteries as a sort of blackmail to get the rather lazy Satyrs to do things for him.

Tonight was convenient for Warren because he had gone earlier that day to town on a shopping trip with Ruth, Stan's wife. And miraculously without her notice he had been able to buy and stash fifty size D Batteries and a couple of containers of tennis balls which the Satyrs used up surprisingly quickly as well. He now carried these great treasures in a backpack slung over one shoulder.

As he shifted his pack and set off into the woods he couldn't help wishing for a more convenient way of travel, his meeting place with Newel and Doren was not far from the yard but he wanted to get this over and done with before anyone realized he was missing. He wished he had Hugo the Golem to carry him but Hugo couldn't take orders from him, he would take orders from Dale but not from Warren. Not for the first time he wished Stan would give the Golem a lasting command to listen to all orders given by Warren, but Stan had a rule that if you couldn't be trusted with simple things you couldn't be trusted with Hugo. And of course Warren wasn't all that reliable.

Lost in his thoughts it took Warren a minute to realize that he was not walking alone but that he could hear more than just his own footfalls. He paused, but when he stopped apparently so did the other thing. Maybe he had just been imagining it, but no, when he started walking there were the other steps as well. He gripped the flashlight that he held all the tighter and slowly turned around afraid of what he might find creeping along behind him. The only thing that greeted him was the dark empty path that he had been fallowing. He contemplated returning to the house but then this might be the only opportunity he had to get the satyrs unobserved and decided that he would continue on.

As he went on the additional steps disappeared and he was again walking alone. Before long he spotted a light ahead on the trail that marked where Newel and Doren were waiting for him. As he approached Newel called out, "Where have you been, we've been waiting for hours."

"Let's just say there was a delay getting out of the house," Warren replied good-naturally.

"Well have you got them?" Doren asked getting rather acsited as he spied the bag on Warrens back.

"Of course I've got them," Warren told them. "Fifty size D Batteries and three containers of tennis balls, just as you ordered."

"Ah, Warren you are our savior," Newel stated as he took the bag that Warren offered him. "We just lost out last tennis ball today."

"Yeah, because somebody was a sore loser and chucked it into the woods," Doren muttered under his breath, just loud enough to be heard.

This resulted in an outcry from Newel that he wouldn't have been a sore loser if he had lost fairly, to which Doren replied something else about Newel being blind. At which point Warren quickly said his goodbyes and departed back the way he had come. As he walked he heard the Satyrs argument slowly fade away and by the time he reached the yard he couldn't hear them anymore.

However as Warren approached the house he noticed that there were several lights on and he had a sinking feeling. There was at least one person awake and if they hadn't noticed that Warren was missing yet they would as soon as he walked through the door. He began to devise a plan to explain why he had been outside in the middle of the night but he soon learned that it was useless as he heard voices coming from the house as he approached. He recognized them; it was Dale and Stan obviously disagreeing with each other about something. Warren didn't even pause to listen but walked right up to the door and opened it.

As he stepped inside three very anxious faces turned to him, there expressions were all as different as they were. Dale looked so relived it would have made Warren laugh in any other circumstance; Ruth looked so concerned that it didn't surprise him when she gave him a hug and asked if he was alright. Before he could answered he saw Stan who looked like he was about to punch something.

"Where have you been?" He asked in the sternest voice Warren had ever heard him use.