You find Hobnail Street without much difficulty. Your knock on the door of Number 36 is answerd by a tall, thin man whose ears are slightly pointed and who is wearing bright red trousers.
‘Hello’ he says in a slow, calm voice. ‘My name is Zoot Zimmer and you must be the person who wants to get to Firetop Mountain in a hurry. I can see by your expression that you are wondering how I know that. Well, I heard you talking to Yaztromo - I’ve got rather good hearing, you see. I’m a Half-Elf. Please come in’.
You follow Zoot into his house, the rooms of which are decorated to resemble a forest. All the walls have trees, bushes, plants, small animals and insects painted all over them from floor to ceiling, and all in incredible detail, giving a very realistic effect. ‘It’s the Elf in me!’ laughs Zoot. ‘My mother was from the Vale of Willow; she lived with me here until she died of the plague. The decorations made her feel at home. She never did like living in a town.’ His face suddenly loses its happiness and a deep frown takes over. ‘Would you like some of my special herbal tea before we set off?’, Zoot asks.
If you would like some tea to drink, turn to 213. If you prefer to decline his offer and demand that you set off immediately, turn to 361.
- Ooo, Rooibos for me please. Have you got any pink wafers?
- Lets get on in with it yeah?
