The Tale of Poor Ted

Ted was an average guy, working at a job he loathed. coming home to watch his TV while he ate his dinner......not much of a life, really, but nothing exiciting ever happened to him.

Coming home from work one night, Ted noticed something sparkling under his mailbox. Intrigued, he bent down to see what was so shiny and to his surprise, there was a book, elaborately bound in a dark leather with jewels inset along the spine. Ooh, he though, mabye this would be worth some money!

He picked up the book and tried to open it, but nothing happened when he pulled on it. He held it up to the porchlight and soon saw why: it had a lock on it! He put his finger on the lock, trying to open it, and almost dropped the book in shock when something sharp on the lock nicked his finger! He put the book down and peered at it, trying to see what had cut him. He couldn't see anything, but when his bloody finger touched the center of the lock, there was a whirring sound and the lock suddenly fell away from the book!

Intrigued, he picked up the book again and this time, it opened easily. Inside, there was only one page and on that page were the words "take me home and you will be rewarded". OK, he thought, how I supposed to know where it needs to go??

The page changed - now it said "pack your bag. It's time to go". Ted found himself going back into his house and packing a small suitcase with some clothes and toiletries and walking back out to the mailbox. There was the pretty book, glittering in the street light. He picked it up and saw that the page now had specific directions on it. Weird and weirder, he thought.

He got in his car, with the book in the front seat, and set off on the course outlined in the book. Well, it turned out to be quite the drive - he drove for hours...finally stopping at this quaint little inn to get some rest. His pocket felt heavy and when he looked it, he realized it was stuffed with money! Hmm....he wondered. Was this payment for transporting the book? No answer was forthcoming, so he took some of the money and paid for the room.

When he woke the next day, the book was there on the table, waiting for him. He put it in his satchel and went to get some breakfast. After eating, he felt compelled to get moving again. He got into his car and noticed that the book had changed again - now there was a new set of directions. OK, he thought, what's a little more driving?

He used some of the money he'd found in his pocket to gas up his car and off they went, the book and Ted. This went on for weeks - Ted drove and drove, the money never running out, so he could always get a hotel and gas if he needed to. He had no idea where he was going, but rather enjoyed the sights as he drove through towns and cities he'd never seen.

Finally, the road seemed to end. It petered out into a field and at the ege of the field was a deep forest of old growth trees. Ted got out of his car and picked up the mysterious book. Sure enough, the page within had changed again. No more driving directions, just a command to enter the forest,

Ted really wasn't sure about this...as he started walking, it felt like the trees got closer. He heard rustling sounds and branches breaking - something BIG was coming! He stopped walking and waited for whatever it was to come closer. Suddenly, there was a break in the trees and out stepped an enormous man! Standing about 7 feet tall and dressed entirely in leather, with a long beard going down his chest, he looked downright dangerous. Ted shrank back, but the giant took his arm gently and drew him forward. "Ah", the giant said. "I see you found my book!" "Let us go feast", he said jovially. Ted joined him at his table and ate hugely, enjoying all the marveous foods. "Well, it's time for you to go home", the giant said. He carefully picked up an astonished Ted, but him in his car, thanked him for returning the book, and thumped once on the roof of the car.

Ted felt a curious sensation, like he was floating in water, and he fell asleep. When he woke, he and his car were in his own driveway, somehow transported hundreds of miles in an instant. "Well". Ted said to himself, "That was fun!"

The end.

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