It was almost dark in the cornfield on a crisp evening late in November. It was not Farmer Green's field, but that of a neighbor of his. And it was far from any house. The pumpkins had been gathered weeks before. The cornstalks had long since been cut and now stood in shocks amidst the stubble. On the whole, the scene was bleak and dismal. Not a creature moved anywhere. Even the meadow, mice had already found the nights too chilly for their liking.