On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

The next afternoon, Janner and Tink sneak away to Anklejelly Manor. The area is dangerous, as it is near the Glipwood Forest. The manor is frightening, and they are both worried about ghosts. They summon their courage and go inside.

The boys creep through the abandoned, crumbling manor. Janner sees horned hounds, known to be dangerous creatures, in the yard outside. He and his brother try to stay still and quiet so that the hounds do not notice them, but Tink’s stomach grumbles because he is always hungry. The hounds chase the boys deeper into Anklejelly Manor. The brothers reach a dead end: A door opens onto a sheer drop into darkness. With nowhere else to go, Janner pushes his brother into the hole and jumps down after him.

The jump is not too far down. The boys explore the cellar they have found themselves in, and Tink finds a stairway leading to an underground tunnel. Carrying a lantern, the boys make their way down the tunnel to a locked door. The door has a panel with a grid of buttons on it. Janner realizes that if he shines the lantern through the holes in the map, they illuminate the correct pattern of buttons to push.