There was a knock on the door. Grunting, the dwarven smith looked up from the metals he was sorting and yelled, "Who is it?"

In answer, he got a pleasant guitar chord, followed by a cheerful, "Have a funny story for you, something to share with your friends!"

"Oh, bother," muttered the dwarf, who stared at the door, as if contemplating the wisdom of telling the visitor nobody was home on the off chance that it might just be believed. Eventually, he stood up, brushed off his hands, and answered it.

A cheerful, brightly dressed elf sauntered in, twirling around a guitar and bowing. Suddenly distracted by the workbench, he bent down over the ores.

"Leave those alone!" snapped the dwarf. "So, what's this tale so interesting that you had to come bother me at home?"

The elf straightened and grinned. "Ah, an interesting tale of beasts and spirits, and speaking of spirits, perhaps this will lighten your mood," he answered, handing the dwarf a black bottle, tightly stoppered.

The dwarf looked down. "Ol' Shaft #3? Not bad. Okay then, I'm listening."

Eyes sparkling slightly, the elf nodded and began. "Once upon a time, there was a family guarded by an ancestral wraith. The wraith went out and about observing and making sure no harm came to the family, but one day, it noticed a number of wolves out in the wilderness, watching his home standing on their hind legs. Suspecting that such strange creatures, in such numbers, might be a serious risk to his home, he went home to warn his family. Manifesting, it cried out, 'The ah stange wolves!' but nobody understood it. It tried again, speaking 'I am you ancestal waith! The ah stange wolves coming!', but again it could do little, because it needed an R."

The elf smiled lightly at this, and twirled his guitar around on the toe of one boot. "Well, it's perhaps not a very good story, but it is an interesting one, wouldn't you say? The story of a wraith looking for an R. Something to pass along to your friends, if you think they'd like it."

The dwarf, who had been staring hard at the elf for the last half of the story slowly took a swig out of the bottle, winced a little as it went down, and then nodded slowly. "I'll make sure my friends hear it. It's an interesting story. I'll see if anyone has heard any more about it, too." He looked down at the bottle and then back up again. "Well, thanks for the story, and the ale, but I'd best get back to work."

The elf nodded, smiling, then bowed and left, humming to himself.