The leader gnome signaled for jim and the gnomes to follow him. They began to walk through the dark forest. Jim felt at peace, surrounded by the thick, tall trees and the rich soil. They had walked a short distance before they emerged on the outskirts of a small village with log houses and buildings. they followed a dirt road toward the center of the village. the leader stopped at a larger two story building. he took a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. they enterd the the building and jim was surprised to see a very steril looking room about him. it was strange to see a small log building with a mossy roof containing such a room. Jim was lead into a room where he was X-rayed, then instructed to open his mouth while one of the gnomes swabbed a cotton tipped stick around in his mouth and put it into a container.
After the tests the gnomes left the building. The four walked down the road, the same way that they had come. when they reached the end of the town, jim followed the gnomes on a different path then the one they had come from.the path took them along the edge of the forest, soon jim heard water,the trail eventually merged with a stream that was about 20 feet wide. Jim eventually asked where they were headed. "well you said you were going to barneys didnt you, this will get you there quicker." answered the gnome. Jim really didnt care where he was goin, he was going there with an three amazing beings, the history failed to write into existence, and thus he might be the only person who knew they were real, so he followed them. eventually the path ended and the party stopped.
"what about mt clothes?" jim asked
"we have different ones for you, we always take a change of clothes from you humans just for this kind of incident. one gnome set his bag down and removed a was of clothes. it consisted of jims favorite pair of slacks, which he had lost in 98 and spent weeks trying to find them. his favorate pink button up shirt, which he got for his fifty fith birtday, last year. his red and black striped socks which had been missin for months now, and a pair of shoes that he had not seen since the day he had bought them, and had only worn them once, inside the store. Jim asked why they took all his favorite clothes. "well when we capture you, we dont want you looking like a shmuck when you leave...and its fun."
"Oh."
Another gnome took off his pack and jim wathed him unfold a raft and assemble two oars. the leader instructed jim to float down the river until he reached a fork, then to take the left. once he reached and island he was to land on it and go through the portal on it. there he would end up in a man whole right near barney's the gnome handed jim his clothes and he took them. the other gnome iflated the raft and pieced together two oars.
jim found the island with no trouble and worked his way up a hill towards the portal that was visible from the river. john entered with no problem. he crawled toward the dim light on the other side. he came out in a dark pipe near a ladder leading to a dim light above. he looked at his clothes that he had been carrying and found that he was full size again so he changed back into them. he decided to keep the robe the gnomes had given him, as a souvenier. he figured they would probably take it back anyways. he rolled up the robe and tucked it in his armpit and clumb up the ladder. he pushed the lid to the manhole up and moved it to the side. he looked around and saw an unfamiliar neighborhood. it was a middle class neighborhood that he had never seen. he pulled himself out of the manhole and put the cover back on. He looked around, trying to figure out where he was. there was no traffic around. he walked to a corner and looked around some more. he noticed some tall building sticking up from the rest of the city several miles in the distance. this was not spokane. there were no tall buildings in spokane. jim was confused, were had the gnomes directed him to.
He walked around looking at signs trying to figure out where he was. he soon came upon a convenience store, he enterd. it was hot outside and he desired a coke. he asked stood with his head inside the refridgerator for several minutes before retrieving the coke and and pulling back out. he walked toward the counter, the manager scanned the bottle and said "$1.25". Jim reached for his wallet, only to discover that it was gone. He acted like nothing was wrong and hesitated, he asked the clerk "what city am i in." the the clerk tod him he was in Tulsa, Oklahoma. how am i here, he called aloud. "why am i here...how...what have they done." Jim grabbed the coke and dashed out the door leaving the clerk behind yelling at him. soon he came upon a park. he sat down and rested then endulged in his drink. This gave him time to think and he decided to head toward the tall building in the center of the city. he drank up and began walking again.
Soon after his throat was parched and his forehead wet with perspiration. he saw a tree off in a patch of grass, and decided to take a break. Jim had not been thinking about his posible loss or how it had come to be. all he thought was the situation he was in and how to get out of it and get home. he actually had no clue what to do.
jim saw a patch of mushrooms staring at him and he realized how hungry he was. he picked several up and shoved them into his mouth. Jim began to float above the ground. and rainbows were bursting past him violently. he saw purple furry creatures moving about and the infamous jimi hendrix playing thorugh the air. suddenly one creature, a white hairy beast took at bite at him. jim stood up and ran from the beast. he managed to hide behind a big sleeping creature and thought he was safe. suddenly a dragon took burst fire at him. he rolled under the flames and picked up a stick. jim stabbed to dragon in the belly and the beast hit the ground shaking it. jim was exhausted.
Jim felt somethig hit him hard in the side. he rolled over a bit, and it hit him again. he opened his eyes and saw in blur, grass and benches. he saw the bright blue sky and breathed in, in pain. he felt something hit him again.he was trying to figure out what was happening, he felt the hits and the sand. he figured he was at the beach where he was being mugged and somewhere along the way he passed out. "take the money," he yelled "please don't kill me.
"you dammed bum." he heard in response "what are you on, crack, blow?"
"i don't have any drugs take the money and leave me alone."
Jim was rolled over by a foot in a black boot, he looked up and a police officers head floating in front of a blue sky.
Jim found himself in a cold holding cell with three other men. he had been there for a while after the police could not find any identification on him, and he had told them his story about gnomes bringing him there on his way to barney's.
Soon, he was led out to a sqaud car and pushed inside.
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