Bush

Somewhere lost in the clouded annals

of history lies a place that few have seen,

a mysterious place called The Unknown,

where long-forgotten stories are revealed

to those who travel through the wood.

Antelope, Guggenheim,

Albert, Salami, Giggly, Jumpy,

Tom, Thomas, Tambourine, Leg Face McCullen, Artichoke,

Penguin, Pete, Steve,

but I think the very worst name

for this frog is...

Wait. Wait a second.

Uh, Greg.

Where are we?

In the woods.

I mean, what are we doing out here?

We're walking home.

Greg, I think we're lost.

We sh... we should have left a trail or something.

I can leave a trail of candy from my pants.

No. Though I am lost, my wounded heart resides

back home in pieces,

strewn about the graveyard of my lost love,

for only...

Ohh! Do you hear that?

Yeah.

Do you think it's some kind of deranged lunatic

with an ax, waiting out there

in the darkness for innocent victims?

Greg. Greg!

Greg, you're gonna get us into trouble again.

We should ask him for help.

No, we should not ask him for help.

- But... - Shh!

- You shush. - You shush.

- Shh. - Mmmoooh.

Shoot. You think we should have asked him for help?

Maybe I can help you.

I mean, you guys are lost, right?

Ohh!

What in the world is going on?

Well, you're slapping yourself,

and I'm answering your question, and...

No, Greg. A bird's brain isn't big enough

for cognizant speech.

Hey, what was that?

I mean, I'm just saying you're...

you're weird... like, not normal.

I-I mean... oh, my gosh. Stop talking to it, Wirt.

- "It"? - Uh... uh...

What are you doing here?!

Explain yourselves!

And I'll see you guys later. Bye.

Calm... calm down, mister.

Wh-whatever you do here is your business.

We just want to get home

with all of our legs and arms attached.

These woods are no place for children.

Don't you know the beast is afoot here?

The beast? W-w-w-we don't know anything about that.

W-we're just two lost kids trying to get home.

Well, welcome to The Unknown, boys.

You're more lost than you realize.

I found this homestead abandoned

and repurposed its mill for m-m-my needs.

You and your brother should be safe here

while I work.

Candy trail, candy trail, candy trail.

What... what is your work, exactly?

Everyone has a torch to burn,

and this here's mine.

I grind the horrid edelwood trees into oil

to keep this lantern lit.

This is my lot in life.

This is my burden.

This guy sounds loony.

Maybe we should make a break for it if we can,

but he must know the woods really well,

so we may need to knock him out first,

except that may turn out really badly, huh?

Yeah, bad... bad plan.

- Forget it. Bad plan. - OK.

What are you boys whispering about?

We're talking about running away out of here.

- Shh! Shh! - Shh! Shh!

Leave if you wish,

But remember, the beast haunts these woods,

ever singing his mournful melody

in search of lost souls such as yourselves!

To help us?

No, not to help you.

I have work to do in the mill.

When I am finished, I will do what I can to guide you

if you are still here when I return.

Huh. I guess we could just leave,

but I don't know.

- Greg. - What?

Do you think there really is a beast out there,

or is... is that guy just messing with us?

Uh-huh.

I mean, he could have done away with us by now

if that was his plan, and he lit that fire.

- That's pretty nice. - Yeah!

I guess it's possible there's a beast

since there was a talking bird, but...

Yeah!

I don't know.

Sometimes, I feel like I'm just like a boat

upon a winding river,

twisting towards an endless black sea...

Further and further, drifting away