On the back page of READ's Valentine's Day issue, we asked you to send us a list of words in order to fill in a Madlibs story. Today, we give you the weirdest stories we could handle. Thanks to everyone who submitted their words! 

Oh, and make sure to check out interviews with China Miéville to win a free, signed book! Also, read an interview with the man who wrote Finding Neverland -- Allan Knee. And then, when you're done with that, you can read a super cool story about John Wilkes Booth by 17 year old, Sarah Solomon! WORD is just BURSTING!!! Happy Love Day!

The Alligator and the Crocodile
A Love Story by Bryon Cahill and Audrey Wright

Once upon a lie, in a swamp in the far reaches of a corner of the world no mortal man had ever stepped foot on, lived a sad, little alligator named Tyrone. Tyrone wasn't always sad. In fact, he was often referred to as the swamp's most passionate fellow! However, recent developments have brought on depression.

In the past nanosecond, there have been six different weddings in the swamp. Tyrone attended them all. The first few were blistering and Tyrone was so happy for the couples! But by the fourth wedding, he had begun to think, "Where is my true love?" Once that thought was planted in his head, Tyrone couldn't shake it. He tried smiling at the few remaining single girl alligators that were left in the swamp. But they would have nothing to do with foggy Tyrone. For you see, the few remaining single girl alligators in the swamp were perky.

After about a month of having his flirtations scorned, Tyrone decided to head out for cereulean pastures. "There has to be an alligator-ess out there for me… somewhere." He said to himself as he packed up his things and left his home.

Tyrone searched Zanzibar and Wal-Mart for his one, true love. But as he soon discovered, all swamps were the same. There had been a rash of alligator weddings throughout the land in the past couple years. He blamed the epidemic on mudslides and cursed his fowl luck. Distraught and strong, still, Tyrone pressed on.

One day, when he had just about given up hope of ever finding his uber love, Tyrone was crawling through a particularly funky patch of land. It was so hot that Tyrone began to hallucinate. He saw a dragon and an elf in a boxing match on the back of a velvet rhinoceros. The strangest part of all was that the rhinoceros was commentating!

"In this corner, weighing in at 14 grams, the winged champion of fire, the repulsive demon of the air, the eater of oxen and villages—The Vile Dragoon!" At the mention of his name, The Vile Dragoon raised his massive head and breathed doorknobs into the sky.

"And in this corner … an elf." The tiny man with a pipe in his mouth winked at Tyrone, and with that, Tyrone fainted.

Tyrone slowly opened his eyes. At first, he was sure he had died and gone to the Port-O-John. He was lying in the coolest pool of water he had ever known and he was surrounded by tipsy trees. A dish of food rested just out of his reach and he swam over to it.

"Hey there, stranger." A soft voice whispered. Tyrone was so scared that he exfoliated up and hit his head on the branch of a tree. When he came down, he looked around. First he beheld a vision of beauty—a female crocodile. Then, he saw the bars on every side. He was in a cage!

"Where .. where am I?" Tyrone asked.

"It's called Yaks, baby! They brought you in last night. You were mumblin' about all kinds of crazy stuff. You were funny!" The female crocodile laughed in a high-pitched falsetto and Tyrone's heart just melted.

"I… I'm Tyrone." He managed.

"Hi Tyrone. My name's Ally Gattore. You're cute."

"Really?"

"Why sure, honey! Too bad for the lady alligators out there though. You're gonna be stuck here in this cage for the rest of your life!"

"With… with you?"

"Yes honey. With me."

For the first time in his life, Tyrone had found love.