Ethelred asks to come in, but the old man refuses. The story goes like this:
‘The old man refused to let Ethelred in. But a terrible storm was beginning, and Ethelred could not wait. He was strong and brave, and he lifted his heavy stick. He began to hit the door and to break it down. The noise was loud and traveled all over the forest.’
At the end of this sentence, I stopped in fear.
I thought I heard a sound from somewhere in the house. Or was it the storm outside? I continued to read.
‘When Ethelred got through the door, he did not see the crazy old man. To his surprise, there was a large and terrible animal in the man’s place. It was like no animal on earth. Next to it was a pile of gold. On the wall above it was a metal sign that read, ‘You are here, so you are brave. If you kill the animal, you will win the gold.’
