There was no sign of the baby skunks. There was something down there, however. It was dark under the porch, and Lili leaned in closer to try to get a better look.

Something -- no -- several things were moving in there. Lili leaned in further. She couldn't quite make out what they were. She leaned in further still.

Without warning, Lili was falling. Falling beneath the porch and tumbling down a long, steep hill!

Lili rolled over and over and finally landed in an unceremonious heap at the bottom of the hill. She sat up, dizzy and spitting dirt from her mouth, and looked about her. She was far below ground, and it was dark down there, but her eyes gradually adjusted to the dim light. What she saw made her gasp in fright.

Rocks and dirt continued to tumble down the hill on which Lili had made her descent moments before, and a myriad of little people scurried about the base of the hill, trying to cover it in a net of thick cords which they were seemingly spinning from their own bodies. The little people were covered in dirt -- in fact, in the dim light, Lili almost fancied that they were made out of earth. They swarmed like ants on an anthill, and the manner in which they created the cords reminded Lili just a little bit too much of spiders. Lili jumped to her feet and tried to scramble back up the hill.