"Did you know I was in Fever Swamp yesterday?" asked Mr. Tucker at dinner.

Grady almost blurted out that he was as well, but didn't. He didn't want them to know he'd been talking to the swamp hermit.

"Grady was as well," Emily blurted out. He glared at her.

Mr. Tucker looked at him in surprise. "Well, good on you, son. You were always the adventurous type. I just hope you didn't run into the swamp hermit."

"He did," said Emily. "He visited his shack, and even talked to him." He glared at her again.

"What?" exclaimed Mr. Tucker. "I didn't think you even knew who the swamp hermit was."

"Some kids in town told me about him," said Grady, slurping his soup. "He's a weird old guy who lives in the middle of the swamp."

"That's basically what the people in town told me about him as well," said Mr. Tucker. "But they say he's harmless, as long as you stay away from him."

"You talked to him, Grady?" asked Mrs. Tucker, concerned.

"Not for long," said Grady. "He just came out of his shack and saw me. He was quite nice, actually."

"Nice?" Emily asked doubtfully.

"He gave me a bandage for my leg," said Grady. "I fell and cut it."

"You should stay away from him," warned Dr. Tucker. "The people in town warned me to."

"You shouldn't have talked to him, Grady," scolded Mrs. Tucker.

"He seems fine," insisted Grady. "He was nice to me."

"Even the other kids didn't want you near him," said Emily. "They say that he's a… a…"

"A what?" asked Mrs. Tucker.

"Nothing," interrupted Grady. "He's a little strange, but what's the big deal?"

"Grady, don't speak to him again," warned Mrs. Tucker.

"I won't. I promise," lied Grady. There was something fascinating about him. He wanted to speak to him.

"I'm glad I didn't run into him," said Mr. Tucker. "I sampled some swamp moss and inspected some insects. It really is a fascinating place."

"Dad's almost as geeky as Grady," groaned Emily.

"Are we really playing hide and seek in the swamp?" groaned Grady. "Isn't that kind of babyish?"

"Come on. It'll be fun," urged Cassie, her green eyes twinkling. "You can't find me. I'll camouflage right in." She was wearing a lime green singlet and dark green cutoffs, the latter which almost matched her eyes.

"I'll go first," said Will. "One… two…"

Grady rolled his eyes, but spread out to find a place to hide. He had grown to like Will and Cassie. They were a little strange, but they were his friends now, even if they teased him non-stop. And they had dropped the subject of werewolves. But he was still curious about the swamp hermit. He had seemed so kind, so gentle. Grady couldn't believe that he was a werewolf.

Grady scraped his way through the thick, rough trees, the leaves brushing against him. Thorns prickled his face, and the hot, humid air made him sweat. Still, he had grown to like the swamp. It seemed so deep and mysterious, like it held all sorts of secrets. Including the swamp hermit. Or John.

Grady's mind wandered as he walked. He was thinking of all the different things that could be in the swamp. Ferocious beasts, parasitic insects, fast-acting puddles of quicksand, vicious birds…

Soon, he realized that he had wandered deep in. Glancing around, the trees looked darker, the sunlight not catching many of them. Then he recognized the area. It was the area he had walked in while heading to the swamp hermit's shack.

Grady was curious about him. He had to talk to him again. He quickly found the trail, and started walking down it. The sunlight started appearing again. Once he reached the end, the sunlight shone brightly down on a little clearing, where he saw the broken down shack, obscured by thick trees.

It would be a good place to hide, wouldn't it? He'd never be found there. That was the justification he gave himself as he walked up to the door and knocked.

When John opened the door, he looked surprised to see Grady again. "Grady, is it? What a surprise."

"Hi," said Grady awkwardly. "Uh… I know it's kind of weird to show up…"

Grady's gaze traveled to John's leg. It was still bleeding, but less than before. It was covered in bandages, and the blood was dried. He was standing with relatively little difficulty, putting all the weight on his right leg.

"Still worried about my leg?" asked John, sounding touched. "That's very kind of you, but I'm fine."

"That's good," said Grady. "It really did look bad. There must be dangerous things in this swamp."

"There are," John agreed, his green eyes glinting. The same color as Cassie's, Grady realized, except hers were much lighter. "Very dangerous."

"What are some of them?" Grady blurted out.

John stared at him. "My dad's a scientist," Grady explained. "He moved here to study the swamp. He told me to stay away from you."

"Of course," said John wryly. "Who wouldn't want their children to stay away from the strange, scary swamp hermit?"

"I'm interested in the swamp as well," said Grady. "It seems like such an interesting place. Can… can you tell me about it?"

John looked surprised by the suggestion. Grady said, "I mean, you must know more about it than anyone, since you live in the middle of it."

"You're right. I do," said John. "Well, I suppose. What would you like to know?"

"Uh… what kind of trees are there?" asked Grady. "Cypress trees, right?"

"Yes, you're right," said John, looking surprised. "Mostly cypress trees. I made the door of my shack from the limbs of them."

"Did you build your shack all by yourself?" asked Grady in surprise.

"Yes," said John. "I made it out of materials from the swamp. Can't you tell?"

"Wow," said Grady with awe. "That's great. I couldn't build a house all by myself."

"No wonder it looks so awful, huh?" John chuckled. "I'd hardly call it a house, but it keeps me sheltered."

"Do you like living here?" asked Grady.

"It's alright," said John. "At least I get some peace and quiet. At least, when interfering children aren't pestering or pranking me. I don't mean you, of course," he hurriedly added. "You're not like them."

"You mean Will and Cassie?" said Grady. "I made friends with them, but they are a bit… uh…"

"Obnoxious?" John suggested. "Trust me, I know."

"I guess," said Grady. "Still, I'm glad they're friends with me. I didn't have many friends back home."

"Ah, really? Why not?" asked John.

"The kids thought I was weird," said Grady. "Will and Cassie probably think that, too."

"They think the same about me," said John. "But I guess that's obvious. I don't have many friends either, though I suppose that's my own fault. Who would want to be friends with a weirdo who lives in the middle of the swamp?"

"Maybe… I could be," suggested Grady.

"Really?" John looked amazed. "You really want that?"

"Well, the more friends, the better," joked Grady. "I barely had any back home."

"You sure you want to be friends with the creepy swamp hermit?" joked John. "I'm sure it'd raise alarm bells for your parents."

"I won't tell them," promised Grady. "But I should be going now. Will and Cassie will never stop teasing me if they knew I was here."

Grady waved to him before leaving. Part of him couldn't believe what he had just done, but another part of him was glad.