TMOH

and now, it’s time for an unwanted headcanon

Stratford wasn’t planning on killing the goblin girl…or on hitting a couple rabbits with his slingshot.  He was planning on killing Ted Flutter.

Seriously, folks who’ve got the book to hand—go back and look at that scene again.  All he needed to do was spread a little blood around on the hill, yes?  And of course he’s not going to take Ted up on his offer of some turkey blood, because this is Stratford we’re talking about and that’s not nearly violent enough.  But if he doesn’t need Ted to bring the bucket o’ blood, then why’d he need to drag him out there?  What possible other purpose could that serve?  I have a lot of headcanons for this book (and those characters, come to that), but this is the only one I’m convinced might be real canon.