Armed with a flashlight and strawberry sandwiches, twelve-year-old Nate heads underground to save his best friend from hungry trolls.
Nate's best friend Jeremy is missing, and Nate seems to be the only one worried that he's been captured by hideous creatures that live in the sewers.
The police dismiss the case as family trouble, leaving Nate to consult the school bully for lore on Massachusetts cryptids. After a game of flinch, he learns that gray, troll-like Pukwudgies crave sweet fruit and lurk in underground tunnels.
Following four-toed claw marks to the storm drain, Nate creeps inside with a pocketknife and bait. He tracks the footprints to a torchlit cavern, where freeing his buddy proves far easier than dodging a dozen hungry trolls.
A short story from Guys Read: Thriller, edited by Jon Scieszka.