Of course he wasn't eaten by wolves, silly!
After walking for a long while, Ed came upon a forest, thick with trees and boulders. Beginning to peacefully weave his way through the tall maze of trees, Ed suddenly crossed the path of a small, wrinkled old man with large, white eyebrows, the man bent over almost double. "Where are you going, young man?" he asked, his voice high-pitched, shaky, and reedy.
Ed blinked, holding his small blanket tightly. After a moment of thought, he smiled, nodding. "I'm gonna go marry the princess Nazz!" He paused, scratching his head. "But i gotta get a flying ship first."
"How do you plan on doing that?" The old man asked.
Our fool, though, had not thought that far ahead, and simply shrugged. "I dunno...it worked for Space-Age Jim, galactic universe protector and alien bounty hunter."
"Well then, let's rest a bit and have a bit to eat." The man said carefully, ignoring the last bit of Ed's outburst.
"Oh..." Ed looked down at his blanket, frowning and remembering what was inside. "I don't have much, mister. but...if you want some, I can share." He offered the man a big, friendly grin, and the man consented.
So the two sat down on some convenient boulders and Ed began to unpack his meager ration of food. As he began to pull it open, though, the familiar puddle of drool collected in his gaping mouth and his eyes popped open wide.
There, instead of the stale breadcrusts, were bottles of brandy, fine cheeses, tons of cooked meats, gravy boats filled to the top with creamy, thick gravy, and fine china trimmed in gold! All of Ed's favorite food and more came pouring out of the folds of his blanket, covering the floor with more than enough for two. The old man and our hero ate and ate, talking and laughing until they could eat no more! And before he knew it, Ed had fallen asleep leaning against a large, wide tree.
*~*~*
Waking up a few hours later, Ed sleepily looked around for his new friend, but the old man was nowhere to be seen.
Standing up, Ed stretched and put out his hand to for support against the tree he had been sleeping on. When he did so, his hand didn't meet rough, dirty bark, but the smooth, polished hull of a huge ship!
Turning to face the gigantic vessel, Ed's eyes popped open. "Whoa...Man, I'm good!" Ed yelled, laughing and beginning to dance around the ship. "I can even do this in my sleep!" Ed laughed as he climbed up onto the deck. Turning the wheel happily to the direction of the Queen's palace, the beautiful ship leapt into the air and sailed off across the countryside.