" Where's Old Jack? "

There once was an old man who decided that city life wasn’t for him.  He packed up his few belongings, walked off into the hills, and built himself a cabin on the edge of the woods.  The old man became a hunter.  He caught food for himself, lived by himself, and was happy to be alone with no city folk around to bother him.

The old hunter’s only company was Old Jack, an old hunting dog.  He kept Old Jack outside on a chain at night to warn him if anyone was approaching to bother him.  Old Jack was the old hunter’s only friend, and he was happy that way.

One fateful night, when the air was cold and the leaves had fallen, the old hunter was woken up by Old Jack howling outside.  It was a long, low howl: Ow-ow-ouuuuuuu!

Then there was a growl, a choke, and no noise at all.

“Old Jack!” he cried out.  “What’s the matter?”

The old hunter ran to his cabin window and looked outside.  Where Old Jack should have been, chained to his post in front of the cabin, there was nothing.  His collar, still chained up to the post, was empty.

In front of the cabin stood a man.  The hunter could just barely see him, because it was very dark and the man was very far away.  He wore a tall hat, like a man from the city.

“You!” the hunter cried out.  “Where’s Old Jack?”

There was a long, low howl: Ow-ow-ouuuuuuu!

And the man walked away.

The hunter scrambled for his clothes.  He tossed on a pair of pants and a pair of shoes, grabbed and lit a lantern, and ran off into the night, in search of Old Jack and of the strange man in the tall hat.

He ran down the path to his cabin and into the trees.  He looked around at the brambles and branches all around him, like outstretched shadowy limbs reaching for him.  

Suddenly, he spied the man in the tall hat again.

“You!” the hunter cried out.  “Where’s Old Jack?”

There was a long, low howl: Ow-ow-ouuuuuuu!

And the man walked away.

The hunter chased after the man in the tall hat, but quickly lost him in the darkness.  He eventually reaching a clearing in the forest.  The hunter had cut the trees down long ago and made them into the planks of his cabin.  The stumps squatted in the darkness like tombstones.

Suddenly, the hunter spied the man in the tall hat again.

“You!” the hunter cried out.  “Where’s Old Jack?”

There was a long, low howl: Ow-ow-ouuuuuuu!

And the man walked away.

The hunter was getting mad.  He ran after the man in the tall hat, but quickly lost him in the darkness.  He eventually reached an old rickety bridge that stretched across the rough and rocky river.  The planks of the bridge were old, and creaked and swayed in the nighttime breeze.

Suddenly, the hunter spied the man in the tall hat again.

“You!” the hunter cried out.  “Where’s Old Jack?”

He lifted up his lantern, casting a light on the man in the tall hat’s face.  His black suit was near-invisible in the night.  His white face stood out against the darkness.

The man in the tall hat opened his mouth.  He had two tongues – the outstretched tongue of a man, and the long, floppy tongue of a dog.

He let out a long, low howl.

Ow-ow-ouuuuuuu!