Thursday, January 11, 2007

Tales of the Unexpected

Oddest story of the week:

Whilst out in the woods, the wardens found a wooden money box. This was in a location nowhere near where we would ever choose to put a donations box. Upon further investigation they determined the box rattled.

Could an occasional passerby, a lone walker, have actually put money in it from time to time? They opened it. No money. It was full of snails. To be more precise, snail shells. Which were larger than the slot for the money.

That’s odd, isn’t it?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

....don't tell me, and each snail shell was filled with a miniature, fully-rigged, four-masted schooner?

Anonymous said...

Boring mundane explanation, small snails creep in through slot. Small snails grow bigger feasting, presumably, on previous unlucky small snails. They grow too fat to leave and therefore expire.

Either that or the wood demons just fancied messing with your heads again.

Doris said...

Ah, Madame, you could have a point there! Though the wood demons do still have a lot to answer for!

Anonymous said...

If the wardens could open the box, so could someone else who wanted to keep a boxful of snails.

The real mystery is - what happened to the snail-keeper? Are they lying injured and unconscious 20 yards from the box? Have they been dragged off into the undergrowth by wolves/panthers/psychotic tramps/hikers with no mince pies?

Boz said...

There is a very sad little boy or girl out there, wondering what cruel person or personages have stolen his pet snail collection.

Doris said...

Stitchwort, I *love* the concept of the "snail-keeper". Which makes it tricky for me as it is the time of year I write the adverts for seasonal staff, and that particular role is one I would dearly love to slip in there. Assuming of course that there is a vacancy and your "dragged off into the undergrowth by wolves/panthers/psychotic tramps/hikers with no mince pies" scenario is a correct one.

Boz, it is educational for them. Snails should be free to roam! Thank you, the Snail Liberation Front (Wardens Devision)!

Anonymous said...

Nothing like having to leave your home behind....

Robyne

Doris said...

Hello, Robyne!

Do you refer to the snails who have long since vacated their shells, or to the mysterious and unlocated snail-keeper?

Anonymous said...

If you found a money box - would you admit that it was full of money?! (Many a time I have handed in a wallet at the police station 'I'd like to turn-in this wallet I found in the street - It has some credit cards and petrol receipts but strangely no money....').

What would a quick-witted person come up with, if (s)he was spotted rattling a money box shouting 'I'm rich...I'm rich'?!

SNAILS!Of course they don't fit through the money slot.

Cap'n Jack

Doris said...

Oh, Cap'n Jack, I can see you are wise in the ways of snail-based deception.