CHAPTER 1

"Hey, you!"

Lloyd slowly sat up, yawned, and opened his eyes. Three rough looking men stood before him.

"That's right, we're talking to you! Give us all your gald, and we'll consider letting you live!"

Lloyd ignored them and tried to go back to sleep.

"Hey!"

Lloyd sighed. "What?"

"Your gald, give it here, right now!" The bandit thumbed his knife. "Or perhaps you need some convincing." The other two men drew knives.

Lloyd turned to his bag, pulled out a banana, and began to peel it. He took a bite and cringed. "I hate green bananas…so stiff and nasty, especially for breakfast." He turned to the three men. "You have anything to eat? I've been eating these things for days, and it's really rather—"

The lead bandit snarled. "I don't think you understand us—this is a robbery! Your money, hand it over!"

Lloyd sat back and took another bite. "Nah…I'd rather keep it, if you don't mind."

"I guess we'll have to cut you up then!"

Lloyd took another bite of his banana. "Excuse me if I'm not shaking in my boots, but it's eight in the morning, and I'm still not really awake…come back in a few hours. You sure you don't want a banana?" Lloyd offered, pulling another one from his bag.

The bandit was looking a little more red in the face. "Take us seriously, or we'll cut you up!"

Lloyd stopped eating and looked the man in the eye. "I'll give you twenty seconds to leave."

One of the other bandits sneered. "Big words, with nothing to back it up. Whatcha gonna do, fool?"

Lloyd twirled the banana between his fingers. "You can leave now…or I can beat you all into unconsciousness with this banana."

The lead bandit laughed harshly, then charged. With a flick of Lloyd's fingers, the hard, green banana flew swiftly through the air, and with a loud thunk, the banana bounced off the attacking bandit's forehead. Lloyd pulled out another banana as the bandit fell with a thump.

"I have a bunch of these from helping an old lady with her gardening, and I'm not afraid to use 'em, they're not good for much else," Lloyd said, "—especially not for eating. So once again, you have twenty seconds, starting…now."

The remaining two bandits ran for their lives.

Lloyd chuckled and started peeling another banana.