“Come over here,” repeated Geraldine.   But as she spoke the snow began to fall again.   “What’s that then, if not snow?” she demanded, turning her face up to let the snow fall on her cheeks.   “Dandruff from the trees?”

“It only seems to be falling near that one tree,” pointed out Garbarla.   He started across toward Geraldine and the willow at a lope.

Garbarla bent to pick up a handful of snow, but stopped when Geraldine suddenly shrieked.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking up at her.

“Something just stung me on the cheek,” she said.   She held up a hand to her cheek and Garbarla could see a trace of blood on the long, slender fingers.   A red welt glowed on her right cheek as though she had been lashed across the face.

“It’s just the willow vines,” said Garbarla.   And on cue the vines lashed across her face again.   Garbarla started to laugh, until seeing she was in genuine distress.   The second lash had driven the vines deep into the soft tissue of her cheek.

“Are you all right,” he asked.   He started to reach for her to pull her away from the tree.   But she suddenly fell forward as though the tree had reached out and pulled her deep into its network of hanging branchlets.

“I’ve fallen into the damn tree,” Geraldine said, stating the obvious.

Garbarla, no longer able to suppress a giggle, raced forward to assist her.   But he quickly stopped and stared in horror at the creature lurking within the weeping willow tree.

The squat creature was covered in golden-brown hair.   Its round face was dominated by a long, snout-like mouth, with fat, rubbery lips curling round in a perfect circle to show a ring of tiny teeth.

“Garbarla help me!” shrieked Geraldine.   But before he could reach in to pull her clear, the creature’s scalpel-sharp talons lashed down again, sinking deep into the pulp of her brain.

“Garbarla!” Geraldine cried one last time, as she died.

Seeing the woman he loved die before him, Garbarla stepped forward.   He knew he had no chance against the creature, even before its claws raked down across his chest, ripping open his jumper and shirt, shattering three of his ribs.