Prologue

        The sound of a door slamming echoed through the small dark room. The slap slap of hard, bare feet stomping across the cold floor made the hut shake. Long tattered toenails click clicked across the floorboards.

        She bit back a gasp and curled into her hiding place tighter. There was a small knot in the wood, as big as an eyeball, giving her a view into the darkness. Through the tiny void, she could just make out the clay fireplace, cold and gray. Only a small strip of moonlight shone through the hut’s only window.

        “May,” a rasping, croaking voice called. “May Gloam. If you come right now, I won’t punish you.”

        That was a lie. May held back a snort. She had fallen for that old trick before.

        A foot landed right in front of the cupboard. May squeezed her eyes shut, but not before she got a view of the horrible appendage. The skin was yellow and gnarled. The foot itself was large and bloated and covered in warts. Long, jagged toenails, yellow and dirty, clicked and scraped along the floor.

        There was a loud clanging as pots and pans were thrown carelessly. A large frying pan hit the entrance of her hiding place, making her ears ring. The sound of glass shattering as Mother raided the dish cupboard.

        It was only a matter of time before May would be found. It was a miracle that she wasn’t already strung up by her ankles like a pheasant. May considered the odds of making it through the door. If she was fast enough, she could escape into the forest. Then all she’d have to worry about were bears and wolves, or perhaps a mountain lion.

        She pushed her face against the board, peering out of the wall. She’d discovered the small space a while back. Just a tiny bit of room between the outer wall and the interior. Just enough for a girl to squeeze into. A small bit of magic to make the wood panelling bendable and small hole to peer out of, and it made the perfect spot to hide from angry mothers.

        She could just make out a cloaked body, a black void in the darkness, before a mane of white matted hair disappeared up the chimney. May gently and slowly pushed the wood panelling. It was now or never.

        As quiet as a snake, May carefully slid out of her confinement, wincing at the mess. The hut was a wreck from Mother’s search. The small table and chairs were lying in a broken heap in the corner. The large bed that they shared was embedded in the ceiling. Mother’s wrath had touched nearly every inch of their small home.

        Well, May certainly wasn’t cleaning this mess up. Her stocking feet were silent on the floor as she crept along the walls. Her heart was pounding so hard that she was sure Mother could hear it. She crept closer to the open door. She was almost there.

        Cool air hit her face as she poked her head out. The forest stretched out in front of her, thick and black, slowly passing her by. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of the hut’s large legs pushing through the bush.

        Her hands braced against the door frame. The stairs were creaky, but if she jumped just right, she could hit the ground without a sound.

        She had one foot out the door when a long arm wrapped around her chest, squeezing the air from her lungs. She froze. Hot, sour air puffed against her ear.

        “Where are you going, child?”

Next Chapter: A Boy and his Dog