I held the branch in front of me as a torch. It had blazed bright when I first took it from the fire, but I could see that it wouldn’t be long before it would diminish to a stick with a dying ember at its tip. The woods - dark even during the height of the day - was impenetrable to my eyes. What kind of fool am I? Entering without a lantern, or a light of any kind, would surely mean I’d be hopelessly lost in a matter of minutes, or worse, get bitten or eaten by the harpy Uppsee said lived on ...