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   Kael had wandered around the exterior of the house for a week, trying to find a way inside.  He felt exposed and vulnerable outside of the house and frequently had night terrors of gnolls.  While he wasn't sure what he would find inside the house, he felt as though he would be safer within the walls of the enormous building.

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  Finally, the owner of the house returned followed by boxes and boxes carried off trucks by large unfriendly looking men.  Kael managed to slip in the open door while the men were getting more boxes and made his way to the second floor.  He could hear the owner directing the men to take the books into the library, and to be very careful with them.  He'd spent the past year traveling the world to various antique booksellers looking for rare first editions to add to his collection.

  Kael found a room at the far end of the hall that appeared to not have been lived in for quite a while.  A thick layer of dust was on everything, and he felt it would be safe for him to make himself comfortable under the bed to get some rest while the men downstairs discussed books.  The mystery of where he was would have to be solved in the morning because right now the softness of the rug and the muffled sounds of talking were lulling his mind and body to sleep.

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  It was afternoon when Kael finally awoke.  The rest had done him wonders and he felt less afraid than he'd been in several weeks.  Climbing up to a windowsill in the room, he was astonished to see a beach shore in the distance, with a large red and white lighthouse.  He really had traveled to the end of the world in his panicked run from the gnolls!

  So mesmerized by the sight of the waves crashing upon the shore, he hadn't heard the sound of the door opening behind him until the man spoke.  With nowhere to run to, Kael pulled an edge of the curtain in front of him.

  "Hello there little man.  I wondered whose footprints had been left in the dust on the rug, and now I see.  My name is Alexander, and you needn't be afraid of me."

  "Oh, but you should fear me," lied Kael, knowing that his small size posed little threat to the man.

  Laughing, the man backed out of the room, "Well, when you feel you can trust me, why don't you come downstairs and allow me to buy you a meal and perhaps a draft of ale."

  It didn't take Kael long to decide.  He was hungry.  Very hungry, and the idea of a good meal with some ale was more than he could ignore.  He made his way down the hall, and found the kitchen where Alexander was preparing sandwiches.  A chair and a stool had been pulled up to the table, and a small shot glass of ale was sitting by the stool.

  "Make yourself comfortable, little friend, and tell me how you wound up in this grand old folly of mine.  I love stories and tales if you hadn't guessed by the number of books in my home.  But I'm also curious to meet new friends.  It's not a practical way to spend one's life, traveling the world, but it suits me quite nicely.  Why don't you start off with your name and tell me where you're from?"

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