What a curious sight to see,
Would a gnome and a traveler be?
Well just add one element,
To make its oddness excellent,
The sea.

A gnome by the name o’ Higney sat on a piece of drift-wood.
Says Higney “At telling stories I want to be good!”
Well, a man adept at such an art came by just that second.
“If you want to learn from a master, myself I recommend”
“My” Says the gnome, “Aren’t you quite the special one?”
“Indeed” Replies the traveling man “I am comparable to none!”

At this comment to gnome did anger no small bit!
“So you think you are so great? Prove it!”
“Once in land lost to time” Began the roving man,
“It came to pass that man discovered story-telling to be a great joy!
They used to tell their children about the world, my boy.

So, let me tell you a tale of old.
Of a man, a gnome, and the sea so cold.
There was once a gnome on the beach,
He wanted to learn how to illustrate through speech.

Well, says rove bold.
I will teach you a tale of old.
Does this sound it has happened before?
I knew this tale would be no bore!

For these people are us, you see?
So, about us, I chose this tale to be.”
“Wait”, says the gnome
“If ye are so bold, I challenge thee to compete in writing a tome!”

“I accept, for I will win!”
The gnome had a large grin.
So, a year had gone since the last met,
The man wrote to the gnome about their bet.

”My book is finished; I do like it so,
So, who is the winner, I wanted to know?”
The gnome writes back to the man,
“You cannot beat me, for ye are but a man!

You see, gnomes live many hundreds of years.
So in writing and editing I have no fears.
I can toil away ‘till you pass away,
Then I can publish my tome and say

“I beat such a cocky, know-it-all bloke,
His accepting my bet was such a good joke!
So, now I am still composing with bliss,
My writing schedule is rather hit-and-miss.
Many years I have left to write.
This just proves I was right.”