First published in Beyond Fantasy Fiction Sep 1953
Shadrach Jones owns a failing gas station in the small town of Derryville. He is visited by elves one rainy evening and lets them rest in his home. The elf king dies overnight but not before naming Shadrach as his successor. Shadrach then helps the elves defeat an army of trolls, and he chooses to remain the elf king rather than return to his old life.
Cast of characters
- Shadrach Jones – the king of the elves
- Phineas Judd – Shadrach’s friend who turns out to be the great troll