“What…what do you want? Why did you make me come to you?”

“You are a fine lad, Benjamin. A sport. You delight my senses, and my daughters will love you. Plus, you showed courage when you came to the house looking for your delectable young friend. It will be fun to play games with you.”

“My… Is Toby…”

“Don’t worry, sport. Everything is prepared for you. Sensed you’d be coming for a visit, we did, and the girls wanted to dote on you.”

“The girls.”

“My daughters.”

“Daughters,” Benny echoed, almost overcome by a wave of lightheadedness.

“Yes. Are you unwell, my fine boy?” He didn’t wait for an answer, though. He cackled his horrifying laugh and leaped into the air with an acrobatic flourish. At the apex of his leap, leathery wings snapped open from his back, and they were flying. The king swooped between the tree trunks as if he had memorized the location of each and every tree.

“Who are you?” murmured Benny.

“You may call me Herlequin.”

“What kind of name is that?”

Herlequin shrugged. “The kind you may use to address me.”

“Are you…are you a demon?” asked Benny, watching the leathery wings flap lackadaisically and more than a little out-of-step with each other.

Herlequin cackled. “Well, People through the ages have called me an elf, a fairy, a brownie, a leprechaun, a kobold, a troll, an ogre, a doppelganger, and a gargoyle; I suppose adding demon to the list won’t hurt.”

Benny sighed. “Do you ever answer straight?”

Herlequin slow rolled and juked to avoid a low hanging branch, laughing the whole time.

“If you’re not a demon, why do you look like one?”

“I can appear to be anything I want. Human senses are easy to fool. That’s why games with your kind are so much fun.”

“Are you saying you can do magic? I don’t believe you.” Despite his bravado, Benny’s voice wavered the tiniest bit.

Herlequin smiled his nasty smile but held his tongue.

Benny shook his head. “So what do you look like?”

“Well, sport, this is how I look when I’m not playing tricks. I’m not a demon, however, so put that fear out of your mind. There’s no such thing as demons or devils.”

“What are you? What are you really?”

“It doesn’t matter, boyo. I’m here, you’re here. We’re going to play such games together.”

It seemed to Benny that the wood was getting darker and darker as if the sun were setting. He looked up, past Herlequin’s head. The branches of the trees interlaced, one with another, until the canopy was like a solid, woven thing. Herlequin followed his gaze, glancing up at the canopy. “No tricks there, boy-of-mine. It took patience and hard labor to train the trees to grow thus.”

“Why? To hide the forest from planes?”

Herlequin cackled his tiresome laugh. “No, no, sport. As I said before, human senses are easy to trick. If I wanted to hide, no one would see me. It’s as simple as that.”

Benny couldn’t be sure, but a pinch of falsehood rang in Herlequin’s voice. “So why?”

Herlequin sighed. “This constant questioning is irritating, kiddo.”

“My name is Benny.”

“I get that, sport. You’ll answer to hopscotch if that’s what I call you. Or pretty-pink-paisley for that matter.”

Benny held his tongue. He didn’t want to argue with Herlequin while he was flying Benny through the air. “Sorry,” he muttered.

“Shall we play a game now?” asked Herlequin. “Are you awake enough? In control of your faculties?”

Fear gripped Benny by his guts. “I…I don’t know the rules. I don’t know what kind of game you mean.”

One of Herlequin’s eyes rolled down to stare at Benny, while the other stayed trained on the forest ahead. A smile twitched on the thing’s rubbery lips. “It’s an easy game to learn, sport. Your friend Toby learned it right away.” Herlequin’s voice grew wistful. “He was a masterful player. Quite satisfying.”

“Is he… Did you…”

“I wish to remind you that those aborted sentences are questions, boy.”

Benny sighed. “I wanted to know if Toby is…”

“What, sport? Dead?”

Benny nodded, his agreement marred by his miserable expression.

“No, boy. Toby’s heart still beats in his chest.”

Again, Benny had the strangest feeling the Herlequin was telling a half-truth. “I’m not stupid,” he said with all the petulance of a prepubescent boy.

“Watch that tongue, boyo, or I’ll have my daughters rip it from your head.” Herlequin’s tone was light, teasing, but Benny didn’t believe for a second he was joking. “But, we were talking about the game. Do you wish to begin?”

“Not until you explain the rules,” said Benny, keeping his voice respectful.

“It’s simple.” Herlequin dropped his legs and landed without making a sound. He set Benny down on the carpet of old, brown leaves. “Here’s how it works. You run. Or hide, whichever. I come after you.”

“Hide and seek? You want to play hide and seek with me?”

Herlequin’s smile did more to frighten Benny than reassure him. “My daughters and I call it ‘The Hunt,’ but I guess you could call it ‘hide and seek’ if that suits you better.”

“The Hunt?” Benny’s voice sounded weak, even to himself. “What…what happens if you catch me?”

Herlequin’s lips split apart to reveal three rows of sharp teeth in addition to the big fangs. Predator’s teeth, Benny had learned in science. Carnivore’s teeth. “We eat you, of course.”

Benny trembled. “I don’t want to play.”

“Want? Who asked what you want? I asked if you are ready.”

Benny shook his head.

“Oh, I don’t know, sport. You look ready.” Herlequin looked him in the eye. His black and gray eyes seemed to spin and dance. “You’d better be.”

Benny tried to tear his eyes away, tried to shake his head, but his neck muscles ignored his commands.

“Speak up, boyo. Remember: silence means assent.” A sly smile spread across Herlequin’s face. “All you have to do is say ‘no’ if you’re not ready.”

Benny tried to speak, but like his neck muscles, his voice didn’t do what he wanted it to.

“Ah! I thought you’d be a sport! Very well. Let us begin!” Herlequin clapped his hands and hopped in place.

Like a four-year-old, thought Benny.

“I’ll tell you what, champ, if you can evade me for three days, I’ll let you go back to your boring life. Does that sound reasonable?”

Again, Benny tried to force words out, but nothing happened.

“I’m so glad you agree. Go ahead, boyo. Get started.”

Benny stood there, looking up at Herlequin, trying to force words out of his mouth.

Herlequin’s smile faltered. “Well?” he asked, sounding like a small child. “Why don’t you start?”

Benny got his mouth open, but his tongue lay there like a dead snake. “Nnnnnth!” he managed.

Herlequin’s face froze, and his friendly expression shattered. His face twisted with rage, and his rubbery lips twitched while spittle raced down his chin. His eyes blazed: twin pits of black fire, and his taloned hands clenched and unclenched. “What are you waiting for?” he screeched. “The game has begun, boy!”

Still, Benny stood trying to refute Herlequin’s words with inaction.

The king’s eyes grew wide and his mouth stitched up into a rictus of fury. He bent down and put his face inches from Benny’s. “This is not how you stay on my good side, boyo,” he hissed. “Now, run! Run!”

Fear engulfed Benny’s eleven-year-old mind. All he could see were Herlequin’s meat-eater teeth.

“RUN!” Herlequin roared, and, in the distance, dogs howled and brayed. Resolve crumbling, Benny ran.