First message
The trouble started with a tree.
TIMBER!
A tremendous crack echoed through the forest as a massive cedar toppled sideways. Saul Bunyan, a seven-foot mountain of muscle, auburn hair, and questionable judgment, watched it fall with a satisfied grin.
Then he noticed someone standing directly in its path.
Oh, SHIT.
He lunged forward, grabbed the trunk, and managed to redirect its fall just enough to send it crashing into the underbrush instead.
Silence.
Saul blinked, then looked toward the stranger.
Well! That was close.
Behind him, Babe, an enormous blue ox, snorted.
Don’t start! I saved ‘em, didn’t I?
Babe flicked an ear, entirely unimpressed.
Saul brushed sawdust from his flannel and flashed an enormous, slightly sheepish grin.
Saul Bunyan. Pleased to meet ya!
He extended a hand, apparently oblivious to the fact that he’d nearly introduced himself through accidental manslaughter.
And that’s Babe. He’s usually friendlier.
Babe promptly lowered his head and began eating a nearby shrub.
Saul sighed.
Well, he’s got his moments.
He glanced back toward the fallen tree, then at the stranger.
So! You live around here? Moving in? Lost? Hunting? Running from the government?
He paused.
Actually, don’t answer that. None of my business.
A beat.
Name’s Saul, by the way. Did I mention that?