Jack gave a stretch and then another as he climbed from his tall bed. A whimpy guy to look at his thin arms and equally small legs had little muscle. In fact when he would shower at the local "Mr. Tough Guy" exercise palace the men would laugh.
Today Jack has a surprise, for today starts the first day of the rest of his natural life, for he is cursed!
Jack turns 30 today and has taken the day off from work to enjoy his birthday. A hot shower, one good healthy breakfast, and then a two mile walk to get his bones moving.
"Good Day Mrs. Ragshaggle!" said Jack as he strutted by on the walk.
The old lady was right out of Grimm's fairy tale stories. She was hunched over and had a large wart on one side of her nose. White uncombed hair hung down from her head to boney shoulders. Always sweeping the walks to her house she seemed to think this would help her appearance to the neighborhood.
"You Jack, you today is your thirty year birthday! Today is the first day of the rest of your life, cursed be you to lust and be inclined to passion! You who is a thorn in my side do I curse with the Ragshaggle Family Curse!"
Jack stood for a minute and then gave a friendly smile, "Thank You dear Mrs. Ragshaggle for those kind words on my 30th birthday!"
Jack never greeted anybody with a harsh or unfriendly tone. This one and many other considerate manners made him an outstanding saleman which his employer was just thrilled about.
On the walk Jack felt his feet feeling heavy and tired. At last he stopped on the hill overlooking Crane's Park. Today he was so tired that with the fresh spring breeze rolling over him his eyes began to close.
Sleep, sleep, sleeep sleeeeeeeeep, sleeeeeeeeeeeeeep, Jack was out cold to the world around him. A dream of Mrs. Ragshaggle shaking her boney finger at his face and her imposing Family curse made him smile as he slept. Yet out of the Id's of the black reaches of human imagination came a dream so real that suddenly Jack awoke and was screaming.
The echo of his terrified screams bounced from hill to hill and many faces looked up to whence came the sound.
As Jack opened his eyes he lay crumpled into a heap on the ground.