Published in Brussels, Illinois

Once, there was a lonely gnome who lived in a house in the woods. His name was Fred, and he thought he was the only gnome left in the woods. Fred made a difficult decision to leave his home and go on an adventure to find other gnomes.

Fred went inside his house to pack all of his supplies. He decided he would need his toothbrush, a tent, and his camera to take pictures of everything he would see. Before he left, he got a good nights sleep, and then left in the morning.

The next morning, Fred came out of his home with his suitcase and was ready to leave. He headed toward the nearest town to ask if anyone had seen any gnomes. He walked off into the forest and began his journey.

Fred made it far on his first day of traveling. He decided he would stop for the day and get some rest. He set up his tent, brushed his teeth, and took a picture of his campsite to remember how far he's come in one day.

The next morning Fred packed up all of his things and started walking again. He thought about how far he's come and was proud of himself because he made it passed the mountains and the lake full of monsters. However, now he had to pass the Village of the Giants.

Fred was worried when he reached the Village of the Giants. When he entered the village, some of the giants came out to meet him. Fred said, "Have you seen any other gnomes around here?" The giants said,"No and you don't belong here."

What the giants said made Fred upset, so he ran from the giants. He asked himself why they would say he didn't belong. Then, he decided what they said didn't matter because he would find another gnome who would make him feel he did belong in this world.

As Fred walked, he thought about all the fun he would have with his new gnome friends. They could play hide and seek and tag, and he wondered if they would like those games as much as he did. He would have to ask them when he found them.