The phone rang, and a voice in Spanish said, "I'm Carlos. In excavations in Rome, they have found a new Gospel, in Latin, on clay tablets. The tablets went directly into the Vatican. However, I have a copy from a friend within the Vatican-we'd like to have it in English. He said, "I have a Spanish translation. If I post you the transcript, could you translate it?" I said I could.
I'm simply an Australian journalist, who worked for United Press. Carlos said, "I only ask your word that you will not photocopy the Spanish version, and when you finish, you'll hand it back to me, together with a copy of your own version." Leaving me hanging out on a limb, in thin air but when I read it, I could see that it was authentic.
When I finished, we met. I asked him for his phone number, and he told me they'd call me if needed. A week later, he rang, and said, "That's beautifully written, what you've done." I never heard from him again.