He felt his foot strike the edge of something solid and then he was falling. He tried to twist and grab, but there was nothing to grab. Down he went--falling, it seemed, slowly and interminably--until finally he landed with a thump. Looking around, he realized he was sitting on the ground of a forest. There was an eerie look to the trees around him, their limbs twisting skyward, their leaves looking like green woven silk. Sitting there on the ground, Kevan MacGreene became aware of the most startling thing. His hangover was gone as if it had never existed. That, more than anything, made him decide to believe that he was in the land of the Little People. He'd had many a hangover, but never had one vanished so quickly and painlessly. "It's a pity you wouldn't watch where you're falling," a voice said peevishly. Kevan looked around, but saw nothing except the trees. "Where are you?" he asked cautiously. "Right here," answered the voice. And it did sound as though it was right beside him. "I can't see you," he said. "Of course, you can't," snapped the voice. "That's because I'm looking at you. Oh, all right, I'll turn, although I don't know why I should." Then in front of Kevan's eyes there suddenly appeared a little man, no more than two feet high. His face, in profile, was sharp and pointed. "How did you do that?" Kevan asked with interest. "Do what?" "You were invisible. Then suddenly you were visible." "I wasn't anything of the kind," the little man said. "I was merely looking at you. When I'm looking at you, you can't see me. When you can see me, I can't see you--but I don't start making nasty cracks about you being invisible." "Why?" "Because I'm good-natured," grumbled the gnome. "No, I mean why can't I see you if you're looking at me?" "Because I'm one of the Wanagemeswak of Penobscot," the gnome announced with pride. "I'm so thin that mortals can only see me when I'm in profile. So when I turn to look at you, you can't see me. Like this." The gnome's head slowly turned to face Kevan--and then it vanished. "Now do you understand?" asked the voice. Kevan MacGreene blinked his eyes rapidly and then switched his gaze to one of the more solid-looking trees. "No," he said, "but don't try to explain it to me again. I'm afraid I'd only understand less than I do now. But, if you will, you can tell me how to find the four kings." "Oh, sure," said the voice. "Just go straight down this path and turn left at the third snail. You can't miss it after that." "Thanks," said Kevan, waving one hand toward the spot where he thought the gnome was. He set out in the direction indicated, keeping a sharp watch-out for snails.