Once upon a time, in a quiet little town, there lived a little boy named Ronnie. Ronnie was an adventurous spirit, with a head full of dreams and a heart full of curiosity. But there was one thing he simply couldn't stand - chores. "Ronnie! How many times do I have to tell you?" Ronnie's mother shouted as she barged into his room. "I've asked you 3 times today to clean your room. If I tell you one more time, I'm taking away all of your video games!" "Fine, I'll do it, just one more game," Ronnie responded. His mother shook her head in disgust and slammed the door as she left. His parents had always insisted that he help out with the dishes, the laundry, and cleaning his room, and Ronnie couldn't bear it any longer. "I hate my parents," Ronnie thought to himself. "I'm just a kid, why do I have to work? I just want to play all day long." Once the sun set and everything got silent, Ronnie hatched a daring plan. He decided to run away from home.

       He packed a small bag with a few clothes and his piggy bank. He carefully climbed out his bedroom window and made his way to the bus station. When he got to the bus station he went straight to the ticket booth. The attendant peered over the counter and saw a small boy. "Can, I help you, little one?" "I want to buy a bus ticket," Ronnie replied as he emptied his piggy bank on the counter. "Take me as far as my money can take me!" The attendant looked at the pile of coins with a curious look on his face. "That's an odd request from such a young boy," the man said. "Let me see what I can do." He counts the coins and moments later he pulls out a bus ticket. "Lucky for you I have the perfect bus for you and it leaves in only a few minutes." Ronnie was ecstatic and snatched the ticket and took off running toward the buses. The bus pulled up and Ronnie got on, walked to the back of the bus, and took a seat. He was the only person on the bus except for the driver. After a few minutes, the door closed and the bus drove off. Ronnie was a little nervous and didn't know where he was going but was excited to start a new journey.

       "Hey, Wake up!" Ronnie heard as he jumped from his slumber. "The bus route ends here!" Ronnie rubbed his eyes and looked out the window. It was obvious he was a long way from home. "Where are we?" Ronnie asked. "We are in Inkerdink!" said the bus driver. "You wanted to go as far as your money can take you and this is it!" Ronnie grabbed his things and got off the bus. "Be careful young one," said the bus driver. "Inkerdink is not the most normal town out there." The driver laughed as he closed the door and drove off. Ronnie is getting a little scared but at least he was far away from his bossy parents. As he walked down the street, he realized that he didn't bring any food with him and he spent all his money on the bus ticket. He looked around the town and noticed how run down it was. Everything is dark and gloomy. After about an hour, Ronnie gets tired of walking and sits down on the curb. He had no idea where to go and started to regret his decision. He put his head in his hands and began to sob.

       "Who do we have here!!!!?" Ronnie heard as he snapped back to reality. Suddenly, an old man was standing before him. He was very old with a long white beard and had a large smile on his face. "Who are you?" Ronnie asked. "Why, I am the old man of Inkerdink," the man said. "I have lived here longer than anyone, so long that they named this town after me. I am sort of a legend around here." "Then you can help me!" Ronnie cried. "I ran away from home to get away from my parents and took the bus to this random town. Now I'm hungry and have no idea what to do now!" "Hungry you say!" exclaimed the old man. "How about I let you try one of my famous donuts?" He pointed over to a donut shop that Ronnie swore he had not seen before. "Oh my gosh! I would love a donut," Ronnie said. "But I don't have any money." "Oh, don't worry," said the old man. "This one's on me." Ronnie and the old man went into the donut shop and the old man bought Ronnie a chocolate-covered donut with sprinkles. Ronnie instantly devoured the donut within seconds. "Wow, you sure were hungry," said the old man. "How about I make you an offer." Ronnie started to get curious. "What do you mean?" "How about you come stay with me for a long while," said the old man. "I'll feed you all the donuts and want and you won't have to worry about your parents anymore." "Will I have to do chores?" Ronnie asked. "Ha, ha, ha, of course not!" said the old man. Ronnie couldn't believe it. All of a sudden the strange town of Inkerdink was looking a lot less gloomy. All of his dreams were coming true. "I would love to stay with you!" Ronnie said. The old man takes Ronnie's hand and they start walking toward the old man's house.

       After what felt like hours, they finally got to the old man's house. It is a very large, castle-looking house. It was dark and gloomy looking like the rest of the city. Ronnie was still a little nervous, but the man's offer was too good to pass over. They get inside and the old man goes to the kitchen. Ronnie followed him in there and saw that the old man pulled out a large pot. "What are you doing sir!" asked Ronnie. "Oh, I'm preparing for a big feast!" the old man said. Ronnie's eyes got wide "A big feast? Oh boy!!!" Ronnie said. "Oh yes, said the old man. "I know you really like donuts, but you never asked me what my favorite food is?" "What is that?" asked Ronnie. The old man started drooling and had a crazy look on his face. The old man got closer, kneeled, and whispered to Ronnie, "...little boys..." The old man reached out to grab Ronnie. "AAAAHHHH!" Ronnie screamed as he leaped out of the way. Ronnie took off running toward the front door. He grabbed the doorknob and frantically tried the open it. It wouldn't budge. Ronnie looked behind him and the old man was right there. "I got you now little boy!" The old man tried to grab him again but Ronnie jumped out of the way. Ronnie saw a small window and knew that was his only chance to escape. The old man was right on his heels as Ronnie jumped toward the window and squeezed his way through just in time. Ronnie took off running away from the house as fast as he could. Ronnie ran and ran for as long as his little legs could take him. After a long while, he ended up in a field full of giant marshmallows. Ronnie stopped and looked behind him. There is no old man in sight. Relieved, Ronnie sat down and wondered what to do next. His stomach grumbled and he realized it had been long since he had eaten. Ronnie looked around and realized that he was surrounded by giant marshmallows. After everything that has happened so far, it was almost worth it for this. Ronnie grabbed a marshmallow and began to feast. He ate until his stomach was about to explode. Finally satisfied, Ronnie laid down in the field of marshmallows, closed his eyes, and tried to get some much-needed rest.

       "Hey Ronnie, it's time to get up!" Ronnie heard as he was abruptly awakened by a familiar voice. He looked around and saw his clothes, his piggy bank, and his Mom standing at the door. Ronnie was in his bed. It was all a dream. "What was all that screaming?" said Ronnie's mom. "You sounded terrified. Are you having nightmares again?" Ronnie's mom walks over and puts her hand on his shoulder. "I see you still haven't cleaned your room!" Ronnie thinks about everything that happened with the bus, Inkerdink, and the old man. "Sorry Mom, I meant to do it before I went to bed but I fell asleep," said Ronnie. "I'll go do it right now." "That's great," said his mom. "That's the kind of attitude I want to hear." Ronnie's mom gave him a big hug before she left the room. After everything that happened in his dream, Ronnie realized that he never wanted to run away from home again, even if it meant doing some chores from time to time. Anything better than getting eaten. As Ronnie started to get out of bed he noticed a familiar taste in his mouth. He licked his lips and realized what it was. Marshmallows. He then turned around, looked at his bed, and noticed half his pillow was gone.