Tuesday, July 06, 2010

A wise tale


Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom.
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The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur's youth and ideals.
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So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question.
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Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer and, if after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death.
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The question?...
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What do women really want?
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Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query
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But, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's end.
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He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: the princess, the priests, the wise men and even the court jester.
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He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer.
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Many people advised him to consult the old witch, for only she would have the answer.
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But the price would be high, as the witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.
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The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk to the witch.
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She agreed to answer the question, but he would have to agree to her price first ...
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The old witch wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, the most noble of the Knights of the Round Table and Arthur's closest friend!
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Young Arthur was horrified.
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She was hunchbacked and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc.
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He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life.
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He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden; but Lancelot, learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur.
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He said nothing was too big a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life and the preservation of the Round Table.
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Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the witch answered Arthur's question thus:
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What a woman really wants, she answered....is to be in charge of her own life.
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Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth and that Arthur's life would be spared.
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And so it was, the neighboring monarch granted Arthur his freedom and Lancelot and the witch had a wonderful wedding.
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The honeymoon hour approached and Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom.
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But, what a sight awaited him..
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The most beautiful woman he had ever seen lay before him on the bed..
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The astounded Lancelot asked what had happened.
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The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared as a witch, she would henceforth, be her horrible deformed self only half the time and the beautiful maiden the other half.
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Which would he prefer?
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Beautiful during the day....or night?
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Lancelot pondered the predicament.
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During the day, a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch?
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Or, would he prefer having a hideous witch during the day, but by night, a beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous intimate moments?
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What would YOU do?
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Noble Lancelot said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself..
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Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time because he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life.
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Now....what is the moral to this story?
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The moral is.....
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If you don't let a woman have her own way.....
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Things are going to get really ugly!

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