Ford woke up to his head throbbing. He tried to move to put his hand on his forehead, but his hand wouldn't move.

"What—"

It took a moment for his eyes to focus. He was inside what appeared to be a large one-roomed building made of wood, like a barn—with beams spaced about five feet from each other along the walls. After regaining consciousness a bit more, he realized that his wrists and ankles had been bound to two of those beams.

The man who'd knocked him out was over to his left, rummaging through a box. He had re-taken the form of the young man Ford had met in the forest—minus the tentacles. Upon hearing Ford stir, he turned and smiled.

"Ah, you're awake. "

Ford shook his head to clear the remaining cobwebs from it. "Where are we? "

The man walked over to him, a screwdriver in his hand. "That's none of your concern right now. "

Ford tried to pull himself away from the wall, but to no avail. "Let-me-go!"

"Shhhhh." His captor said, placing two fingers on Ford's lips. "Now don't tire yourself out. I want you to be full of energy when I have my fun with you. "

Ford pursed his lips and asked, "What—what are you going to do?"

The young man/creature stuck its tongue out, and Ford noted that it was forked. "Well, now, I'm not sure yet." It looked at the screwdriver in its hand. I could take this screwdriver and—"

He made a quick move as if to jam the screwdriver into Ford's head. Ford flinched and shut his eyes tightly, but his captor stopped with the screwdriver blade an inch from his captive's temple.

"—but no. What fun would that be? "

The man pulled his arm back and tapped the screwdriver blade into his palm. "No—I'm going to have to think of some things I can do with—that is, to—you. "

It dropped the screwdriver on the ground and its arms became tentacles again. "One thing I need to do is see if you have any extra weapons hidden on you. "

One of the tentacles went into each of Ford's pockets, and the other went under his sweater.

Ford twitched and giggled. "S-stop that. "

The man/creature snorted. "I forgot that you were ticklish."

It felt around Ford's back, then went up each sleeve, then felt over his chest and stomach.

"S-stop it—p-ha-ha-please! " Ford cried, trying to wiggle away but of course to no avail.

"Remember the time when I was small, and I crawled into your shirt?" Ford's captor asked. "I had never heard anyone laugh so hard and so loud. I couldn't find my way out for about five minutes before your little partner McGucket came in and pulled me out. "

Ford couldn't believe it. The shape shifter!

Just then the creature deliberately tickled Ford's ribs to make him laugh harder, then pulled off Ford's boots and turned them upside down. A six-inch bowie knife fell out of one of them. The young man/shape shifter kicked it away.

"Well." It said, "—as much as I'd like to make you laugh yourself silly, I have to go and find some other things to—have fun with you with. "

Ford put his head down and continued giggling even after the shape shifter had taken its tentacle out of his sweater.

"Humans are so sensitive." The shape shifter grumbled, returning to the box it had been rummaging through. Finding a roll of duct tape, it tore off a piece, lifted Ford's chin and firmly placed the tape over his mouth.

"Be good while I'm gone."

Ford watched the shape shifter's tentacles retract and turn back into human arms. Then, it walked out the door and shut it.