J.W. becomes lost while coon hunting in an unfamiliar swamp at a night. He swears he can hear people screaming in the distance and can't shake the feeling he's being followed. An old man appears, and instead of leading J.W. out of the swamp, suggests they find a log to sit on and wait for sunrise. When asked about the noises, the old man says the swamp has "memories." He explains what he means by telling J.W. a tale about another hunter, Sam Lake; a lowly sort, who while hunting in this very swamp many years ago, ran across a rather curious fellow who offered Sam a chance to extract himself from his present situation. Sam must "invest" himself in order to achieve his goal but as the old man says, "You should always be careful where your place your feet and your seat and the company you keep."