There's a wheelbarrow by the side of the road.  A man's body is inside, the arms and legs flopping, while the head lays still.  It's twilight, but from what you can see in the dim light, the head is enormous and orange, and the face is featureless. 

"Oh hullo," says a familiar voice.  "I see you're still on your quest to find that castle with the dragon guarding the magic stone, which you intend to take back to your kingdom to save it from orcs & such." 

Sir Irving the Explainer arrives out of the woods, carrying a knapsack.  King Richard is right behind. 

You nod to the wheelbarrow.  "How's the Status of the Hankster?" 

"We've got his head now, see?" 

You frown.  "It looks like a pumpkin." 

Richard nods sadly.  "He got a lot of ribbing about that in school." 

"No, it really looks like a pumpkin.  I mean, where are the eyes and lips and everything?" 

"We're still looking," King Richard replies.  "Henry was holding the firecracker right up to his face when the explosion happened." 

Sir Irving takes a firecracker out of his pocket and holds it up to your gaze.  "The wizard who sold us these assured us the fuse was slow burning.  But obviously not.  It's what the military folk call a 'fast match.'  Woven cornsilk soaked in terpentine, I'd say.  A mixture of four parts -- " 

"No one needs to know that," King Richard says.  "What one needs to know is there's a castle right up the road, and it could well be the one that must be sought." 

"I was going to get to that," Sir Irving replies.  "Along with the rumors about the complex system of caves underneath." 

"How complex?" you ask. 

"Well," says Sir Irving.  "You know how you've already encountered thieves, trolls, monsters, a volcano, an evil gnome, and a guy named Rocky on a motorcycle?" 

"Yes, I know that," you reply.  "What I'd like to know is, how do you know that?" 

"He has nothing better to do than listen to the local gossip," King Richard says.  "While he should be helping me find King Henry's lips.  We find the lips, they can tell us where the rest of the face is."  He gazes at the sky.  "A storm is moving in and night is falling.  Come on, Irv -- let's get back to searching!" 

"But -- " Sir Irving protests.  "But I was just going to tell of the secret passage inside the castle that must be found in order to get down to the caves, and how one must remember, above all, that we are men and not mice -- and if you can remember that, you will be part of the In Crowd among knights." 

"All right -- that actually does sound important," King Richard says.  "So go ahead -- tell us about that." 

"I just did." 

King Richard sighs, and so do you. 

Continue with the Quest . . . .