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You know there would be risks—but as your grandma said, there's no perfect solution. Reversing the Town Council's verdict would never have been easy; this might be the best chance you'll get to help keep the forest safe.

But as if she can read what's going through your head, your grandma sits up a little straighter and says:

"Don't worry, Huknock—whatever we decide to do, we won't go ahead until we've had time to think it over—and both of us are fully agreed. I just wanted to ask you this so that, before I tell you anything more about my other plan, we know what options we have. Does that make sense?"

You give a hesitant nod—and your grandma manages half a smile.

"Okay. Then, in the interest of not wasting any time—I'd really like to know if there's anything at all you've picked up about this company since you've been in Silvertree. Anything out of place or suspicious—anything that seemed as if they didn't want it to be noticed. Anything that might connect with whatever they're doing in the forest, because I have a feeling it has nothing to do with the developments."

Swallowing, you hunch forward in your seat so you can see the map in front of you—and start to rack your brain.

Since the very first evening you arrived in Silvertree, Mr. Clarence and his company have had a strong presence almost everywhere you turned. And you can't deny that there have been times—especially after your last visit to the forest—when you wondered what exactly they were spending their time doing here. But is there anything concrete you've seen that could point to something secret—something even the Town Council might not know about—that you could actually prove?

Do you actually have any idea what, if anything, this company has to hide?

You overheard a little of his phone conversation on the day of the fair, which he seemed pretty anxious about keeping private. He seemed to be arranging something to do with part of the forest, while assuring the person on the other end that "nobody would notice."

On the day when Arctus ran away to the forest, you came across Mr. Clarence and some of his colleagues checking on that metal box you found. You heard them mention some kind of "activity" they seemed to be hoping to detect, as well as "data" that was being collected from somewhere.

But what does it all mean? Can you put it together and come up with anything you could use?

You just don't know. But one thing you can be sure of is that, if you really wanted to commit to finding out the truth, then it would need all of your concentration. And if you think this might have real potential, then it might be a good idea to start thinking about it now, even before your grandma has told you the scope of her own plan.

But at the same time, if it turns out you don't know enough after all, you'll have just wasted your efforts. If you don't really think you can get to the bottom of what Mr. Clarence is doing, then it might be better to forget it altogether now and concentrate on whatever your grandma's plan has in store.

The question is, do you want to keep the possibility of solving this mystery open? Or do you want to put it behind you, and not have it hanging over your head while your grandma is explaining her plan?