In the morning , Seve went outside his tent and found Manuel packing up his belongings . They waited for Grayson to come and then left .
One hour into the walk , a mysterious man named Hans approached Seve . Hans was dressed head to toe in gray clothing . He had orange hair and blue eyes with a mischievous glint to them .
Hans said , “ If you give me that other kid ’ s compass , I will guide you through a shortcut , but only one of you will be able to get home .” “ Absolutely not ,” replied Seve . “ Grayson cherishes that compass .” Seve knew Grayson well enough to understand what the compass meant to him . Hans then approached Grayson and made the same offer . Grayson thought back to the day he had found the compass on the street and how excited he had been . “ I love that compass , but I will give it to you in exchange for a quicker way home .”
This surprised Hans , and he eagerly started guiding Grayson along the shortcut . Meanwhile , Manuel and Seve kept walking by themselves , without Grayson . As soon as Grayson and Hans were out of sight of Manuel and Seve , Hans immediately turned into a caiman and attacked Grayson . “ Aaaaaah !” shrieked Grayson . Hans then ran away with the compass . I love that compass , and now I get nothing ! thought Grayson . Grayson hobbled back to Seve and Manuel . Grayson said , “ I am sorry for being selfish and leaving you so I could take a shortcut . From now on I promise to do things the right way .”
“ It ’ s all right , and I ’ m happy you learned that , even though a shortcut might seem easier , the longer way often pays off in both knowledge and results ,” Seve replied .
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