The Great Twisted Tales of Maximus Cricket (Introduction)

Out went the lights, as he blew out his candle. His footsteps creaked down the hall. He pushed open the door and was standing in another, much smaller, room.

He set his candle on a desk and went over to the bookshelf that was standing twenty feet tall. He slid his finger along the spines of the books, and landed on a big, thick and heavy one.

He opened it and began reading.

"Ah! There you are, Max!" A tall man stepped into the room, holding a briefcase.

"Hello Father," said he. His father took one look at the book Maximus was reading.

"Now, tell me, my boy. What on God's green earth are you doing with that book?"

"I am reading it, Father," he answered. Mr. Cricket went away and closed the door behind him.