A taste of mint

On a mint kick this week.  I've been indulging in Old Wilmington Tea's "Double Mint" all week.  Such a refreshing little tea.


I'm sure you have heard the joke about the fortune cookie.  "Help I'm trapped in a fortune cookie factory"
But never have you heard of a fortune cookie containing a map.  How they fit the map in the fortune cookie I'll never know.

but let me backtrack a bit...

It was a lazy summer Saturday, I had no plans, and that was just fine.  As I wandered through the kitchen opening cupboards and eating nothing I decided to make a trip to the local Big Lots to see what I could find.

After a fairly non eventful trip I found myself standing in the food isle looking at boxes of fortune cookies.  A few brands I've seen before, a few brands I've never heard of.  After debating I chose one at the end of the isle.  It was kinda off by itself, like it was a product that had been found at the back of the truck after the rest of the fortune cookies had been stocked.  There were a couple cans of soup and rice between it and the rest of the cookies.  Not to mention there was only one box left.

I figured that was a good sign.  Everyone must have bought out the rest of the boxes.  And the box design was brilliant.  It wasn't the usual red and blacks that for some reason always seem to be associated with fortune cookies, and other Chinese food.  This box was bright florescent colors.  Pinks and purples, as if it had been transported from some flashy 80's movie.

I picked up the box, wandered to the checkout, and confused the checkout lady.  The box had no price sticker, and she had never seen the item in the store before.  As I've seen that happen before, I gave no thought to it as she rung me up for the "usual" cost of fortune cookies and off I went.

I didn't wait to get home before I opened them.  I just sat in my car and started munching on the cookies.  The third cookie held an oddity, a map.  I set the box down on the passenger seat and unfolded this little piece of paper into a full sized map.

"what the....."  was the extent of my vocabulary as surprise stunned my mind.  No way did a full size map just come out of a fortune cookie, but there it was, in my hands.

I started to study the map and saw it was of my town.  There was the street I was currently on (well, parked next to).  There was the street I lived on, the park, the forest outside of town, and so on.

But added to it was a road I had never seen on any map.  One in the forest that I knew couldn't be there.  I'd driven through that forest so many times I knew it by heart.

I scratched my head, shrugged and turned on the car.  I have nothing better to do, might as well drive to the forest.

I've always found a great peace in the trees that start on the outskirts of town.  When life gets hectic, I often escape to the area, so a spur of the moment drive to the forest is nothing new with me.

As I get closer to where the road shows up on the map I am surprised to find the road right there in plain site.  I know I've never seen this before, and have never heard of anyone going down it before.  I pull onto it and stop the car, leaving the engine running.  I look at the map and see that it goes for about a mile then ends abruptly.

Slowly I drive forward.  I don't know why the road ends like it does, and I don't want to discover a hidden cliff the hard way.  I watch my gauges, and after 3/4 a mile the trees clear and I see a castle.  Mote and everything.

Rubbing my eyes I pinch myself.  I have got to be dreaming, there is no way this is real.  I don't wake up, but then who has ever woken up from pinching themselves? Slowly I drive forward and park a few feet from the edge of the mote.  I check my cell phone and find there is absolutely no signal.  Shrugging I leave it in the car and start to walk along the mote looking for a way across.

A half hour later I have walked the entire mote and am standing next to my car scratching my head.  I suppose your not supposed to get across one of these things to a castle if they don't want you to, but why is there a castle in the middle of Wyoming?

Looking at my watch I see it's getting late.  I get into the car and turn around.  I drive forward a few feet before realizing the road is gone.  Slamming on the breaks I throw the car into park and quickly get out.  I pace back and forth where the road should be.  Now trees block the path.  As I pace I hear a noise behind me.  Turning I see a large bridge lowering across the mote.  As it lowers a man walks across it.  He speaks to me in what I assume to be Chinese, but for some reason I understand him.

"Drive your chariot? this way. You may keep it inside the mote where it's safe."

Then he turns around and walks back.  The bridge finishes it's descent and looking around I realize my only other option is to continue pacing in front of my car looking for a road that once was.  I slowly climb into my car, check my cell phone to confirm there still was no signal, and drive across the mote......

.....To be continued next week....