English: Primary target locations for Soviet nuclear strikes during 1980s. The resulting fall-out is indicated with the darkest considered as “lethal” to relatively fall-out free yellow zones. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
For as long as she could remember, Elodie had fantasized about what it would be like to save the world. She had not settled on what she would most like to save it from or what she would do afterward, but all her happiest dreams involved the thwarting of some certain doom or another. Her favorite ends of the world to imagine preventing were usually the ones with evil wizards or alien invasion, but she thought natural disasters and nuclear war were OK too. It was all hypothetical, so it didn’t really matter. Until today, that is.
Today, Elodie checked her email and found an interesting message.
“Dear friends,
I have your pets. I will keep them forever unless each of you take one pudding to one of the holes by the river (you know the one) and waits patiently there. You and 13 others will do this on April 4th. Get there early or else.
-Friend”
It looked kind of like a chain letter, but it didn’t promise any kind of reward or say to send it on X people as would be expected. And the last sentence included “or else” without saying what that else would be.
Whatever it was, it was almost surely a good opportunity to save the world. It was April 3rd, so she began packing her word-saving kit.
The Slowest of all Possible Elevators 
So glad the map had a caption. I would have guessed it was a hot fudge, caramel and blueberry sauce sundae with cherries on top in the shape of the United States.
In this new context, it might be.
Elodie,- I love the name. I prefer Sticky Toffee Pudding. I am going out to ransom some pets so I can get more puddings.