the yeti.......

[beowulf]

An English explorer was taking part in an expedition to the

Himalayas. Led by a grizzled local guide, they ascended one of

the less frequently climbed peaks. Roughly half way up the side

of the mountain, one of the expedition came across a set of large

manlike tracks in the snow.

"Yeti tracks" the guide said with a gruff voice as he passed them,

"One thing you must know before we proceed; Do not, under any

circumstances, touch the yeti."

The expedition heeded his warning and continued to climb the slope.

Night fell and the explorers set up their tents. In the dead of

night the Englishman awoke to the sound of his tent entrance un-

zipping!

Half asleep, he looked up to see an enormous eight foot yeti

standing above him. In fear for his life, the explorer jumped up

and ran out of the tent, banging into the yeti in the process.

The yeti, after being touched by the explorer, let out a deafening

howl and began to chase the explorer down the slope.

The explorer ran away from the camp as quickly as his legs could

take him. After he rounded a corner, he looked behind him to see

the bounding form of the yeti still chasing him.

So the explorer continued to run, reaching the bottom of the

mountain in just two days. Exhausted, he paused to rest awhile.

After just a few moments, the explorer began to hear the soft

'thud thud thud' of yeti feet on snow. He looked up the slope to

see the yeti still chasing him and only moments away.

The explorer took off again, reaching a supply shack a couple of

miles away, once there quickly buying a mountain bike and pedalling

his way to the nearest town, some fifty miles away. The journey

took him several days over the rough terrain and after his arrival

he checked into a hotel to recuperate. Two days later, the man

left his hotel to see about booking transport back to England. As

soon as he turned around, though, he saw the form of the yeti on

the horizon, bounding towards him at great speed.

Mortified by this sight, the explorer hurriedly bought a car and

drove it away from the village all the way to Delhi. Once he

arrived, the man wasted no time in getting on the next plane to

London.

After his arrival back in London, the man went back to his flat to

recover and to plan his next expedition. He had been there less

than two weeks when, gazing out of a window he saw a familiar,

large, bounding, manlike creature running down his street; the

man couldn't believe it: somehow the yeti had followed him to

England!

The man had little choice but to run away again, using any means

he could, bike, car and on foot to try to escape the yeti. But

each time he looked behind him, it was just moments before the

yeti came into view.

Eventually the man made it all the way to Edinburgh and from there

ran into the open Scottish countryside. He continued to run but

the yeti just kept getting closer and closer. In the end the man

could run no more.

With the yeti less than a minute away from him, the man finally

stopped and turned around to face the oncoming creature. With the

last of his strength he stood up straight as the yeti caught up

with him.

The eight foot tall yeti towered above the man, who could only

stare in terror. The yeti extended his hand, poked the Englishman

squarely in the chest with one long finger and with a low,

rumbling voice the yeti spoke: "Tag! You're it!"