"A door?" asked Lefty.

"Yes, a door," said Bob.

"Which door?" asked Juan.

"Well, that is the thing," said Jazz.

"We were told that we would know it when we see it," continued Bob.

"Wizards!" shouted Lefty! "Always talking in riddles and never making any sense."

"Probably went to school too long and he no longer knows how to communicate clearly," said Juan.

"Yeah, if you speak clearly, someone will tell you, you are wrong, right?" said Jazz.

"That is what I have been told my whole life," said Lefty.

"Well..." said Bob.

Lefty shot him a look. "Do you want to say what you were going to say to Mute Mike?"

Bob looked at Lefty's hand. "Yeah!"

Mute Mike's mouth opened and closed. Nothing came out.

Bob turned to Lefty. "What did o'l Mute Mike say?"

Jazz was turning his head back and forth in an expression of no.

"Bend down and look Mute Mike in the eyes and you will be told," said Lefty.

Bob bent down and looked at the hand puppet on Lefty's hand. The legs and arms curled up into a ball - what looked like a fist. And, Lefty slugged Bob in the nose.

"Ouch. That smarts," said Bob, rubbing his nose.

"Well, that is what you get for thinking I am wrong," said Lefty.

"Is that what you think..." said Bob and then closed his mouth.

"I have been thinking," said Jazz.

"Yeah?" said Bob, still rubbing his nose.

"Well, I have heard a few tales. There was this one about a cooking pot. Supposedly, the contents of this pot could heal you. It has been missing for centuries now but people continue to look for it. Some say only a nurturing, caring female can find it."

"Yeah? So?" said Bob.

"Well, there is another tale. It is about this vorpal sword. It is also missing. It is a highly destructive weapon. But, people say that whoever can weild it is the true king. But, that person, I guess a man, should not just be strong, but noble, honest and wise."

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"Yeah?" said Bob, now scratching his head, his face a little twisted.

"So how did they find these things?" asked Lefty.

"Well, they didn't," said Jazz.

"So, how does that help us?" asked Lefty.

"Oh," said Jazz, "I don't know. I was just stating what I knew."

"Well, that is not helping," said Lefty.

"Wait!" said Bob, "maybe it does. Maybe, the point is we can't find the door."

"You mean the wizard is sending us on a snipe hunt?" asked Lefty.

"What is a snipe hunt?" asked Juan, who suddenly moved a little closer to the others int he discussion.

"Good question" said Bob, "I haven't heard of a snipe hunt either."

"Well," said Lefty, "it is a trick. You send people out to find an animal called a snipe but there actually isn't an animal called a snipe. So people bring in other things and it is kind of fun to see what people think is a snipe."

"Do you think the wizard is trying to just get rid of us?" asked Juan.

"Well, it is not like we actually paid him. Maybe, it was a nice way to say no to us," said Jazz.

"Yeah, but what if it is real. What if there really is a door out there. How would we know it is all a trick?" asked Bob.

"We could always look around some and see if we can find it," said Lefty.

"Wandering aimlessly? Maybe that is what the wizard wants us to do. For all we know that is what Dorothy wants us to do. Get us out of town and just wander so we don't bother them any more," said Jazz.

"Well, we got to decide something," said Juan.

"Hmm..." said Jazz, "I have heard of this wise teacher. He has a large library. Maybe, he knows something about this. We could try to ask him."

"Okay, there has to be some kind of catch," said Bob, "wise teachers don't just sit around wating for people to just come up to them and ask questions."

"Well, actually," said Jazz, "it would be a pretty boring life if people didn't come and ask questions and you couldn't impress them with all your knowledge. I mean what would be the point..."

"Yeah, you couldn't even be rewarded with women," said Juan.

Bob, Jazz and Lefty looked at Juan, but then they looked down at their feet. And, there was a moment of silence.

"Can I ask you a question, Juan?" Bob asked.

"Yeah?" said Juan.

"Why do people choose chasity?" asked Bob.

"Oh," said Juan, "let me think for a second."

Everyone looked at Juan.

"I guess there is a power that comes from it - a magic. When you have a discipline - overcome one thing, people think you have a power over other things. And, sometimes you do. If you lose your eyesight, you may get a more powerful sense of smell. Magic kind of works that way. Most people don't have the discipline though. They aren't willing to make the sacrifices."

Everyone looked at Juan some more. Some might say even more intently.

Juan's face turned a little crimson.

"I think there is something else," said Juan. "The world seems to work a little better when we hold ourselves back from exerting our full power, maybe even just following our instincts. We care for others as well as ourselves. If enough people do that, the world is a better place."

"Like not having an economy based on the killing of Orcs," said Bob.

"Do you thnk that is what Dorothy meant about making us into men?" asked Jazz.

"Well, I guess it is better than making us into Orcs," said Lefty.

Everyone laughed.

"Gentlemen, we have a door to find," said Juan.

"Yes, we have to search for a door," said Lefty.

"What about what we were just talking about?" asked Bob.

"What were we talking about?" asked Juan.

"I dont remember," said Lefty.

Jazz looked at lefty and then at Bob and then back to Lefty. "Okay, let's go find that teacher and see what he knows about this door."

"Great idea," said Lefty.

"Yes, splendid," said Juan.

"Something doesn't seem right," said Bob.

"Well, at least we have a plan," said Jazz. "It is all about the adventure anway. It is not like we have anything better to do. And, I am kind of having a good time."

Juan and Lefty nodded their heads.

Bob looked at them. Then, he said, "I think it is magic. I think I hear you."

"Kind of like Rosanna" laughed Juan.

Everyone laguhed again.