Recently I received an email from one of my faithful readers, who strangely only signed the correspondence as “Anonymous”, I have to admit, was intriguing, creepy, and…well, just plan odd.
“Hey John,
I can’t verify that this story is true, but there’s a rumor going around throughout the local Horizon Goodwill area regarding a mysterious book that keeps showing up at donation centers.
Apparently, it’s a really old, leather bound book containing a story that affects anyone that reads it. No one can ever recall who actually purchases the book or who brings it back in for donation…which leads me to this email.
I know you went on the hunt for the pants your wife donated, maybe you could use your investigative skills to track down this book and share the contents with your readers?”
Well, “Anonymous”, it is the Halloween season, and I’ve always been a sucker for a good mystery, so I accepted the request and went on the hunt for the book in question. I’m happy to say that on my fourth Horizon Goodwill store visit I stumbled across the book in question; a large, brown leather volume.
I eagerly purchased the creepy-looking volume and raced back to my office filled with anticipation; finally I was going to learn the secret hidden within this perplexing text.
Everyone Should Hear The Story Of The Town That Helped Each Other
Keep in mind, this book seems to be from well over a century ago, —handwritten mind you—but I still believe in keeping the integrity of the author’s copyright! So, what I will do here is give you the overall gist of the story. For anyone who has previously owned this book and read the story, please feel free to enlighten us with your interpretation in the comments section below.
Ready? Here we go!
Once upon a time, a wealthy industrialist wished to build a great factory in the poor village of Helpin Odders. He chose this town as the property was inexpensive and would be the perfect location for his assembly line to churn out his new fangled gizmos. Upon completion of this state-of-the-art facility, he quickly realized he didn’t have enough skilled laborers to operate his machinery.
He turned to the Mayor of Helpin Odders, a wise man named Will Good. The businessman informed the town leader that if he weren’t able to find trained workers he would need to move his business to another community.
Will Good realized this new business was the solution to the town’s economic troubles. He created an organization, funded by donations of clothing and products from residents of the village, that was able to not only provide the manpower the business needed, this new group, consisting of sincere, well meaning residents, was also able to help train those seeking employment at the new factory.
In time, the small town of Helpin Odders began to economically thrive. Will Good attributed this success to the generosity and sincerity of the townsfolk. Soon, word spread far and wide of how helping others could help a town grow and prosper by investing in community job training.
Friends, the final sentence of the book will stay with me forever:
“Share This Knowledge With Others And Help Your Community Thrive!”
Where’s the book now, you ask? I donated it to a local Horizon Goodwill store. I won’t tell you which one, but I’m sure someone will be pick it up, flip the pages and decide to purchase it very soon. If that person is you, do your part. Read it, share the story of Helpin Odders—and, when completed, donate it again for others to discover.