A Tale of Jack the Mad

Once upon a time, there was a creature called Jack. This creature was both feared and loved by the other creatures in the Garden. Some called him crazy, some called him passionate, however, all who knew him settled happily on the name "Jack the Mad".

Jack began his life as a cuddly little creature, with big eyes and a wiggling tail. Soon his true nature was to be revealed. His obsession with Squeaky. Our tale begins with the emptying of the Garden "lake".

The water had become diseased; green and slimy, harbouring things unknown to man. So the Garden People decided it would be best to drain the "lake", to purify its waters and make it as blue and sparkling as it once was. Whilst draining the "lake", the Garden People became distracted by more pressing matters, such as, what to have for lunch and coffee time.

Jack, understandably was very distraught by the turn of events. His favourite pastime was to see Squeaky fly in the air to land with an elegant splash in the Garden "lake". Jack loved to swim, to dive and frolic to retrieve Squeaky. With the draining of the "lake", Jack became misguided and lost, he began wearing Jelly Tots as head wear, and chasing creature 5 times his size.

It was on a fateful sunny day that jack earned his name. He discovered, with the Garden People having been distracted, that the "lake" was not completely drained. In fact, there was a small amount of water simmering in the deepest part. With glee, Jack watched Squeaky arch high above his hea, to land with a delicate 'plop' in the luminous green water. Without a second thought, Jack threw himself headlong into the shallow liquid, and began frolicking furiously in persuit of Squeaky.

The green slime had other plans, and soon Jack was enveloped! He emerged from the "lake" a changed creature. His legs and chest were covered in the luminous green slime, giving him a ghostly glow in the darkness. His eyebrows were transformed to slippery lines of green slime, drooping and dripping in a most alarming manner. And high upon his head, right between his glowing black eyes, stood the "lake's" mark; a poisonous green leaf, marking Jack for the mad creature he had truely become.

Jack roamed the Garden for an age as the gruesome, stinking slime monster. Then one day, out of nowhere, a shining red haired being appeared. The being felt pity for Jack the Mad, and so she enchanted the Garden's "snake" to cleanse Jack with it's shining blue scales. Jack was afraid at first, but then he felt the green slime leaving his body. Jack rejoiced, frolicking in the sunshine like a new born lizard.

Jack, however, was from then on, known as Jack the Mad.

(Lots of Love and Madness, Ariel)