Dreamer_on_ice-
In spite of the lightning and thunder the sky was clear and the
sun bright.  Sharon could see that they had somehow reached
the opening in the ground/cloud that led back down the stalk to
home.  She realized that she was being herded by the wicked 
horde.  They seemed to be forcing her towards the hole. 
Perhaps they meant to throw her through to her death.

She scrambled to think of a way out and finally blurted out, Tom! 
Who or What are you?   The evil creature laughed, giving off foul
smelling breath.  I am old Tom, or old Ned or any of hundreds of 
names passed down through the history of your puny kind, he 
snarled.  Then he changed into the old man she had seen, but only
long enough for her to see how she had been fooled.  

In the unlikely event that you answer the riddle correctly then I
must drastically curtail my works in your world to the point of using
guile to trick others into doing things for me.

You see, he continued, if you can not answer the riddle then the 
curse on your world stands and I may roam the Earth another 
thousand years as a ravening wolf seeking whom I may devour. 
I think I will start with your friend Sam. 

Sharon realized she could not just answer the riddle to save herself
because that would leave the world below, her world and her home,
vulnerable to this awful creature and his horde.  I choose to answer
the riddle to end the curse, she said with quavering voice.  The cloudy
fog that had surrounded her feet seemed to clear away as soon as 
she spoke, revealing many many bones.  Most of them were broken 
as if they had fallen from a great height.

The wolf said, Yes those are the bones of those of your puny kind who
have failed so far.  Soon I expect your bones to keep them company!
I will ask you the riddle and the horde will slowly march you towards
the hole.  You have until you reach the hole to solve the riddle or die.  

Without waiting for a response from Sharon he continued, What is 
down-falling up and Up-falling down and dead when holding on?

Sharon thought furiously but realized she had little time as the horde 
was marching towards the hole at a fairly fast shuffle.  What a world 
of contradictions this was!  The flowers were evil imps and the kind
furry wolf was really their evil king and perhaps something worse
and she remembered that after only a few steps up the vine she had 
found herself to be only a few steps away from the top.

Just as the host of imps had her backed to the edge of the hole she 
had it!  The answer was simple really or at least she hoped it was
because to be wrong was to be very very dead.  The answer was not
words but action.  Stepping up to the hole she jumped UP.