I've had a really confusing morning. Apparently today is Tuesday and no one noticed that I was gone. I'm confused, but I guess I've come to expect weird things over the past couple of days. Or however long it's been.

See, the first thing that happened while I was walking uphill was that I heard a voice. At the time I figured that I was imagining things. I mean, when no one's around and you hear someone say, "You might want to turn back," you get a little worried about your mental state. Or at least I did. Then whoever or whatever it was said, "It's dangerous to disturb them."

That's when I figured out that whatever was talking, it wasn't in my head. I wasn't thinking anything like that at all. And invisible voices seemed kind of mundane at that point. Still, it seemed to be trying to warn me about something, so I figured that it'd be a good idea to be cautious. I switched off my flashlight and tried to walk quietly.

Without the light, the woods were dark. The red moon hung in the hazy sky, casting long shadows through the trees. Anything could hide in them, and I walked hurriedly, not wanting to encounter whatever might live in such a forbidding place. I had a feeling that it was something more dangerous than the robins and blue jays I usually saw near the woods. But it was when I reached the top of the ridge that I knew that something was definitely different.

There were stone buildings arranged in a rough line along the top of the ridge, all facing west. They were shaped like enormous beehives and had dark, open doorways sunk below ground ground level. It was a foreboding sight in the twilight fog.

There didn't seem to be anyone around at the moment, but it felt as if at any moment someoneor somethingwould emerge. Whatever lived here was something I had no idea how to deal with, and I didn't want to get any closer.

Unfortunately, they had already seen me. I was going to leave, but when I turned to go there was someone standing behind me. I say someone, because the person was wearing a cloak. In the twilight and the shadow of the hood it was difficult to tell what he or she or it was, but just looking at the half-hidden face in the gloomy light was enough to make me shiver. There wasn't anything exactly wrong with it, but it still somehow felt wrong. Maybe it was utter blankness of the expression.

The thing spoke. It had a nice voice. "You have a pretty face." That put me on my guard, a little. I certainly don't think that my face is at all notable, but maybe if you had a face like this thing I'd look good by comparison. Not that it would let me get a good look at its face. I was pretty sure it wasn't human, anyway. "You must join us," it said, and took me gently by the arm.

If it had been rough about it I would have fought it, but the way it said it made it sound like an invitation.