Hiccup was sweating.
'I can't go in there. That tree will smash me into a pancake. But I don't have any choice, do I?'
The problem was that while all the excitement of crash landing onto a moving, evil tree and being turned into an apple and back again, Hiccup had lost his small sack of gold his father had provided for him. It had been to buy all that was needed for the rest of the year.
They needed it, Fishlegs as well as Hiccup. Fishlegs had no money at all. And Hiccup knew precisely where it was; the Whomping Willow.
"Oh, don't worry, Hiccup!" Camicazi told him, cheerfully. "We're vikings, aren't we? We were born for this kind of thing. That tree is already dead meat! Or dead plant, I guess."
Hiccup sighed. Camicazi made it sound so easy.
"C'mon, guys!" whooped Camicazi. "We'll be back in time for tea!"
Surprisingly, the Whomping Willow seemed to be asleep.
"I didn't know trees could sleep." Hiccup muttered suspiciously.
"Maybe it isn't." whimpered Fishlegs. "It might be a trap."
Camicazi wasn't detoured.
"Oh, stop worrying for once in your life, Fishlegs! I don't know how you were possibly born as a viking." retorted Camicazi.
"Neither do I." Fishlegs muttered.
"Anyway, let's get this over with! Give me a boost, guys!" commanded Camicazi.
The two boys obediently did as they were told. Hiccup climbed on top of Fishleg's head and Camicazi crawled onto Hiccup's. Hiccup yelped as Camicazi stepped on his nose.
"Ow, Camicazi, watch it!" Camicazi had didn't notice. She had spotted the sack. It was just out of her reach. Camicazi stretched out. Just a bit more, just a few more centimeters...
And then, Fishlegs slipped on a piece of banana skin someone had left in front of the tree, causing Hiccup and Camicazi to topple onto the tree, right into a waiting branch.
The triumphant Whomping Willow started to spin its prisoners. Around, and around, Camicazi and Hiccup spun, screaming all the while. Fishlegs gaped in dumbstruck horror.
Hiccup was spinning so fast that his head hurt. In fact, he felt like his brain was being scrambled. All he could think of was: 'This is not good. This is definitely not good.'
Things didn't get any better when the vine around him loosened and Hiccup started to fall.
"Ahhh!" Hiccup shrieked. He was falling toward the spot where every one of those evil twisted branches joined. And now that he was falling straight toward it, he could see that there was a small hole in the spot, just enough for one small runty viking boy to fall in...
Everything turned black. Hiccup struck the hard floor with a thud. Pain ricocheted down his ribs. After getting up with a painful grunt, the full horror of the situation started to sink in. Hiccup looked up at the hole he had dropped out of. It was way too high. He couldn't see anything else.
And then, a twig snapped.
Hiccup wheeled around in blind terror. Hiccup wasn't alone in this small chamber in a tree.
Hiccup just stood there, looking around frantically. His heart hammered like a stared rabbits. There was only darkness. Was it just his imagination, or was that a skull that was resting beside his foot? And then...
A bony white hand shot out from the curtain of blackness behind Hiccup, and grasped onto his shoulder. Sharp, yellow fingernails dug into his flesh, and a raspy voice hissed in Hiccup's ear.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"
Hiccup screamed.