A collection of fantasy stories and poems celebrating the non-human, the other: ...a reluctant hero finds an unexpected ally in a chocolate-loving giant rodent ...a slug detective and wannabe mage solves his case ...a refugee from not-earth seeks the way home ...a mortal child is enticed to visit fairyland ...a shape-shifting space traveler, masquerading as a teddy bear, enlists the aid of a human child ...a half-heard noise in the night sparks anxiety ...a junior demon is recruited for a covert operation plus samplers of other stories, including an ominous creature hiding in a cigar box