'"The western wilderness area,' he said in a quiet voice, almost to himself. 'That's where the beasties live.'"

This remark is made by Doug's weird friend Al, who warns Doug about the beasties. His uncle had worked in the western forest and lost a leg. Al asserts, "Uncle Jim was lucky. They like children better." Thus, Doug begins his adventure with warnings from a friend, who may be unreliable, about creatures that prey on people, especially children, in the forest. Doug will find out that the danger to himself and his family is horrifyingly real.

As he travels to the house in the woods where the family will stay, he admires the beauty of the forest and also notes the bare hillsides that were once covered by trees. The house—"the old Beardsley place"—itself is in disrepair; it once belonged to the...