Jim was a tall, quiet, reserved seventeen-year-old whose main interest was long distance running. As usual, he was out on Las Antillas Beach in the early morning mist doing his daily 20 kilometers. Our character almost never came across anyone on his solitary morning runs, save an occasional night fisherman on his way back to Port Huelva or some partiers from Seville who couldn't make it back and pitched their tent right there on the sand.
However, this morning was different. Just before reaching the ten-kilometer mark where he would turn around, suddenly there appeared in the swirling mist a tall, thin, feminine silhouette. Jim stopped short, but thought there wouldn't be any danger, so he slowly walked toward this vision.
"Hi! I'm not used to seeing anyone at this hour while I'm running. You see, I'm a long-distance runner, and I do twenty kilometers every morning." The personage's silence in this unusual encounter made Jim slightly nervous. "Ah, what's your name, may I ask?" said Jim.
"I am your fairy Godmother," replied the shadowy figure.
"Oh, come on, I'm too old for fairy stories. You must be one of those foreigners that spend the summer in Matalascañas"
"My name is Celeste, and I've come to tell you something important."
Jim didn't know what to make of this vision's serious demeanor and wild claims. "Well, what do you want to tell me?" asked Jim.
"Jim, you're a good runner, and I think you should keep on training with the Olympics in mind. However, you must remember there are other things in life."
"Oh?"
"Take your sister for example. You argue far too much with your sister. Just because you're a good athlete doesn't make you a better person than she."
"I, I, guess you're right, Fairy God... Celeste."
"And, I really think you would be happier if you listened more to your parents, even if you don't agree with them."
"Oh. Well, Celeste..."
But Jim could see no one as the mist continued to swirl to and fro. Was it an early-morning vision? Was his blood sugar low from so much running?
When Jim got back home, he found a letter waiting for him from the International Field and Track Association saying that he had been provisionally accepted to participate in the 1999 World Track Meet in Seville. Jim gave a shout and jumped up and down. He remembered what his Fairy..., I mean Celeste, had told him. Maybe there was something to this fairy godmother stuff after all.
It was a cold, raw, snowy evening when John decided he had to brave the elements to check the animals out at the barn. He pulled on his heavy coat, his snow boots, and his gloves, and whistled to Junkie, his husky-German shepherd crossbreed, to follow him. Junkie's demeanor told John something unusual was afoot. As he opened the barn door, Junkie gave a low growl and held back. Right away, three wolves ran past him out of the barn and were lost in the snowy haze. John turned on his flashlight and looked into the barn. Fortunately, there were no more wolves, but his favorite sheep, Dolly, had injured one leg while trying to escape from the hungry creatures. John took her home, doctored her leg, and put a splint on it.
Just then, Junkie ran away. John turned to see what the problem was, and as it turned out, Junkie was following Juky, John's brown waterdog with curly hair. John was calling his pet. Then, Junkie bit Juky. John, desperate to help his dog, went to his uncle's shop, Other Herbs. A few minutes later, John, blind with rage, ran toward Junkie with the intention of kicking him. The wolves came to defend Junkie because they saw one of their kind being attacked by a human. When John saw the wolves approach, he said, "Oh gosh," and ran back to Other Herbs. Junkie ran away with the wolves because Junkie realized that he also had wolf blood flowing through his veins. John's aunt doctored Juky with some natural remedies from Other Herbs. Snakeroot was the antidote that did the trick and cured Juky. All of a sudden, John's father rode by on his Vespa on the way to El Castúo in Simon Greene. John's father saw what was going on, and said "John, get on my Vespa right now; we're going to the Castúo" They went by Louis Xavier Promenade's house and said, "Come with us to the Castúo." Louis went.
Once there, Louis said, "You know, John, I was really mad at you." John's father set before Louis a big plate of Asturian stuffing. Louis's stomach was almost bloated after such a filling meal. Outside of the Castúo, howling was heard. It was the wolves!
The most important wolf said, "Father of John, your son fought with Junkie."
John's father said, "Yikes!! A talking wolf!! Let's get out of here." John and his father jumped onto the Vespa, revved the engine, and hit forty kilometers an hour downhill. Behind them, Louis Promenade shouted, "You pack of turncoats, you left me alone with a pack of wolves."
Then, Louis was furious; he grabbed an axe from the Castúo, and ran after the pair fleeing on the Vespa, but he couldn't catch up with them.
Louis then stopped short, looked at the axe in his hand and said to himself, "What am I doing, running after my friend and his father with an axe in my hand? I must be going crazy!" And then, Louis saw Caroline Youthful taking a walk with George Shepherd near the Castúo. Louis screamed "Hey, you have to help me. Can you tell me where my house is? I think I'm a little off my rocker. Caroline, why don't you chase away the wolves like you did in Alien III."
Caroline said "You must be mistaken, I didn't work in Alien III, I did the leading female role in ET IV."
Caroline saw that something was wrong with her friend Louis, so she spoke gently to him and said, "Louis, don't worry, everything will be all right. The wolves won't get you. Sit down there on the curb just a minute and calm down while I make a phone call to my mother."
Caroline calmly took her cell phone out of her pocketbook and dialed 061. "Could you put me through to the psychiatric unit, please? It's an emergency... Psychiatric unit? Yes. We have a case for you here in Simon Greene, near the Apart-hotel, across from the Castúo bar."
Caroline kept Louis quiet until the ambulance could be seen at a distance. However, Louis was getting more and more nervous. When he heard the siren, he said, "The men in the white coats are coming to get me! Let me go, let me go!"
Louis tore away from Caroline Youthful and ran toward Almensilla. As he ran, he began to calm down and, after 20 kilometers, couldn't remember what had come over him. When Louis arrived home, his parents said, "Where have you been, Louis?"
"Oh, I just took an extra long run today, at least twenty kilometers. Oh well, I have to go read my National Geographic for English class. See ya'."