Jack asked, ‘Are you the man of the forest?’
He said, ‘Yes I am and what can I do for you?’
‘I want to know if you are going to live for ever.’
‘Yes I will live until all the trees in this forest die or fall down’ but that wasn’t good enough for Jack he wanted to live forever.
Jack went back home and went to bed. When he woke up next day he thought he would go and see the man of the river. He is very old and wise he will know!’ So he set on his way. It took him the whole day to walk there. He found the man lying drinking from the river and Jack introduced himself and asked the old man if he was going to live forever. The old man said, ‘I will live until I drink this whole river dry.’ But that wasn’t good enough for Jack. So he went back home to bed.
The next day he got up and said, “I know, I will go and see the man of the mountain.” He set off. This was the longest journey of all, it took him two whole days to get there but he eventually made it and then he climbed the mountain, up to the man’s castle. He knocked on the door and the very old man answered and said, “Hi Jack I know why you are here and yes I will live until this mountain stands no more.”
Jack said, “Yes can I live with you.”
So Jack moved in with the man and they lived for a very long time peacefully together.
200 years passed and they were both still lived happily together.
Yet one day Jack decided he wanted to go back to see his old village and see how it had changed. The old man said, “It will not be the same none of your friends will be there. Still if it pleases you that much you can take my horse. It will get you there and back in one day, but you must not get off this horse. If you do you will die.”
So Jack set off but when he arrived it had all changed. There were tall buildings and things on four wheels that Jack didn’t like at all, so Jack went home and was very sad about his old village. On his way back he saw an old man sitting by the side of the road next to an over turned carriage and in the carriage were lots of worn out shoes. The old man asked Jack to help him. “Please I can’t lift my carriage back up can you help me?” But Jack said, “I am not allowed to get off my horse for any thing.” But Jack felt sorry for the man and got off to help him. When the carriage was back on the road Jack asked, “What are all the worn out shoes were for?”
The old man replied “My name is Death and these are the shoes I have worn out running after you…”
