Once there was a man who was terribly unlucky. In fact he was so unlucky, he was famous for being successful at failing. Everything he tried to do he made a mess of. It was very distressing and one day he said to his friends "I am going to go to get some luck."
And his friends scoffed and said "Don't be silly, you can't go and get luck. It isn't something you buy in a shop."

And he said "I can. I can go and get some luck. I know where to get it."

And they said "Where?"

And he said "God's got some. In fact God's got a lot and I am going to go and see God to find out how much I can have. I am not going to be greedy. I am only going to ask for about a bucketful."

And they said "Don't be silly, you don't know where God is."

The man said "I do. He lives in a house on the far side of the great forest."

Well they mocked him and they ridiculed him and so on, but it didn't matter. One morning he set off to see God. He almost reached the trees when he met a wolf. And the wolf was in a terrible condition. Its eyes were red-rimmed and its ribs showed through its skin and it was very, very ill - very ill.

And he looked at him, and this was back in the days when wolves could talk to men, and he looked at him and said "Oh, can you help me please? I feel so ill."

The man said "I'm sorry, I am very sorry, I can't help you. I'm on the way to God to get some luck."

"Oh, er could you ask him for some for me please?"

"Oh, yes" he said "you are one of God's creatures, I am sure he will have some for you, yes, oh yes."

And he went on. He got half way through the forest when he came to a tree that was all twisted and bent and gnarled.

And the tree looked at him, and this was back in the days when trees could talk to men, and the tree said "Aah, can you help me please? I've got a terrible pain in my feet."

The man said "I'm very sorry. I can't help you, I'm in a hurry. I'm going to God to get some luck."

The tree said "Aah, can you ask him for some for me please?"

And the man said "Oh, I am sure he will have some for you. Of course, yes."

And he went on. He reached the far edge of the trees and walked out into the sunlight and there was a huge white tower and half way up the tower was a window and sitting in the window was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life.

And she looked down at him, and this was back in the days when girls could talk to men, and she said "Oh please can you help me. I am so miserable, I am so unhappy."

He said "I would love to stay and help you but I haven't got time. I am going to God to get some luck you see."

"Oh" she said "could you ask him for some for me please?" "Of course" he said "I'm sure he'll have plenty for you, yes, haha, oh yes. See you when I come back."

He finally reached God's House and he went in and there was a long room with God at the far end on a chair. And he went up to God and he said "God, I've come. and God said "I know why you have come. You have come for some luck and I am going to help you."

Then the man said "Oh I am so grateful. Thank you very, very much. I, er I'm not greedy, I just want about a bucketful."

And God said "Well, I am not going to give you any but I will tell you where it is."

So the man looked round and said, "Oh right, where do you keep it?"

And God said, "Well there is none in here. But, go home and just keep your eyes open because luck is all around you. All you have to do is to keep your eyes open and you will find it."

Well the man thought that was rather an odd thing to say because he didn't walk around with his eyes shut. And he had never seen any lumps of luck lying around anywhere.

And so he said "Oh, right, okay. Well, perhaps, could you just start me off with a handful, just to get me going?"

God shook his head.

"Well" he said "just er, just a bit to fill a pocket, sort of?"

God shook his head again.

"Well" he said "how about a pinch of luck just to get me started?

"No. No, it's all around me, I just have to keep my eyes open."

God nodded and said "That's right."

Well, the man turned to go and then he remembered the wolf and the tree and the girl and he told God about them and God told him what to say. So he set off back home feeling very disconsolate. He wasn't very happy with God. He felt God had let him down because he could have just given him some luck. It wouldn't have been too much trouble. Just a little bit. And all he had said was "It's all around you, just keep your eyes open."

What a silly thing to say!

He reached the tower and the gorgeous girl was still sitting in the window and she looked down at him, and she said "Oh, hello. Did you see God?"

"Oh yes, I did, yes."

"What did he say about me?"

"Oh" he said "what you have got to do is find a handsome, unattached young man and fall in love and get married and you will be happy for the rest of your life."

"Oh, I see. I, er, I think you are very handsome. What do you think about me?"

"Oh" he said "I think you are absolutely beautiful."

"Oh thank you. Um, are you, er, are you married?"

"No, no, I am not married, no."

"Have you got a girlfriend?"

"No, I haven't got a girlfriend."

"Would you like a girlfriend?"

"Oh, I'd love a girlfriend."

"Would you like a girlfriend like me?"

"Oh, I would LOVE a girlfriend like you. Ooooh!"

"Well, what about you and me getting together and being girlfriend and boyfriend?"

"Oh no" he said "no, I would love it, Oh I would love to be your boyfriend but you see, I'm looking for my luck and God said it is all around you. You just have to keep your eyes open and so I am sorry, I can't. Oh, I would love to stay but I haven't got the time. I am sorry."

And he went on. He had gone half way through the forest and the tree saw him coming and said "Aah hello. Did you see God?"

The man said "Oh yes" he said "I saw God. He said the reason you have got a pain in your feet is that there is a metal box under your tap root and it is full of gold and your root can't get through it, which is what's giving you the pain. All you have to do is dig out the box".

And the tree said "Well, I'm a tree and trees can't dig but over there, there's a shovel. You could do it for me."

"Oh no" he said "no, no. You see I am looking for my luck and it is all around you. You just have to keep your eyes open. I haven't got time to dig."

And he went on. He reached the far edge of the trees and there was the wolf looking even worse than before. It looked very, very ill. And it looked at him and said "Ooh, did you see God? What did he say about me?"

And the man said "Ah, your problem is an easy one. The only thing that's wrong with you is that you are hungry and God said what you've got to do is to jump on the first silly fool that comes along and eat him."

And that's exactly what the wolf did.