Sam finishes hollowing out the interior of his hemlock tree house, in which he can now sit comfortably inside, and decides to turn his attention toward making a bed. However, one summer morning while he is beginning work on this bed, a little old lady sneaks up and starts talking to Sam. This sound startles Sam because it’s the first human voice he’s heard in weeks besides his own. The old lady urges Sam to help her pick strawberries. This request upsets Sam, as he considers the strawberry patch on the Gribley farm to be his own supply and does not wish to give it away to the old lady.

Sam fails to figure out a way out of this situation and continues to fill the old lady’s basket with his strawberries. Viewing Sam as a young boy wandering around the forest alone, the old lady starts forcibly leading Sam into town. Sam describes this uncomfortable interaction colorfully: “Her wiry little arms were like crayfish pinchers. I couldn’t have gotten away if I had tried (39).

During this walk into town, Sam notices a peregrine falcon overhead and decides in this moment to get one and train it to hunt for him.