Kneeknock Rise

The Mammoth Mountains, the focal point of an otherwise flat vista, are the pride of the people of the land. The mountains earned their name when a traveler passing through proclaimed them much too small and hill-like to ever be considered real mountains. The people threatened and insulted him, forcing him to recant his statement and declare them mammoth-like.

One of the mountains, rockier and steeper than the others, is called Kneeknock Rise, the legendary home of a creature called the Megrimum that wails and moans on stormy nights—a sound of tragic sadness unlike anything the people have ever known. They respect the magnificent creature and its mystery, and do not climb the mountain for fear of disturbing it. Instead, they tell stories of it that inspire and awe, and though everyone has theories about what the Megrimum is and where it came from, nobody knows for sure. The town of Instep sits at the bottom of the mountain, and each year when the fair is held, the people hear the Megrimum wail.

Egan gets ready to head to Instep for the yearly fair. His mother eyes him critically and tells him that he should be looking forward to staying with relatives—his cousin