The Mystical Tree

The trail lead them through the forest, over a burbling creek and right to the base of a huge rock outcropping. The paw prints stopped dead in front of an old oak tree, and then just disappeared. Whatever they were tracking, it was gone, disappeared into thin air. The three kids looked all around the tree, but no trail was to be found, save the one that lead them there.
Danny and his older siblings, Norman and Nancy, were determined to find the little thief that had been stealing their food, but this was a dead end if ever there was one. Frustrated, Norman threw a stone at the old oak tree as he cursed, and for a moment, all three kids thought he had knocked the tree down. It creaked and groaned and snapped and popped as the bark seemed to peel away, revealing the face of an old man. He sported a beard that hung down to the ground and when he opened his eyes and saw the three intruders, his voice boomed like thunder.