Climb, climb, CLIMB.

There was nothing here to CLIMB!

This fact was beginning to get to Jake. He was starting to get the feeling that Truebridge was lying to him about climbing the tree, whether the tree liked it or not. The Whomping Willow would NOT like it... it was disrespectful... but Jake didn't think of that, he could only think of how Truebridge might, like everyone else this year, be giving false information.

And the longer he stood thinking to himself in the dark, the more he convinced himself that this was true. Was Truebridge like... them?

Scowling to himself, Jake picked up the pace and kept walking, his short height still an advantage... he only felt like bowing his head a little as he sped up through the tunnel...

...

...

And walked SMACK into a wall.

"AAOOWWWOOOOO!" he yelled out, before trying to scramble around to find the glasses he'd knocked off his face. Jake's nose was smarting and he couldn't believe he'd managed to walk into the WALL of a STRAIGHT tunnel.

Insanity. Pure insanity.

He could only be glad that he was well ahead of any others, so they couldn't see his display of insane stupidity.