A Round Table Story

[lollib]

A little long....

Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a

neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him, but was moved by

Arthur's youthful happiness.

So he offered him freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult

question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer; if, after a

year, he still had no answer, he would be killed.

The question was:

What do women really want? Such a question would perplex even the most

knowledgeable man, and, to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query.

Well, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch's proposition

to have an answer by year's end.

He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everybody: the princess, the

prostitutes, the priests, the wise men, the court jester. In all, he spoke

with everyone but no one could give him a satisfactory answer.

What most people did tell him was to consult the old witch, as only she

would know the answer. The price would be high, since the witch was famous

throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.

The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no alternative but to talk

to the witch. She agreed to answer his question, but he'd have to accept

her

price first: The old witch wanted to marry Gawain, the most noble of the

Knights of the Round Table and Arthur's closest friend!

Young Arthur was horrified: she was hunchbacked and awfully hideous, had

only one tooth, smelled like sewage water, often made obscene noises... He

had never run across such a repugnant creature. He refused to force his

friend to marry her and have to endure such a burden. Gawain, upon learning

of the proposal, spoke with Arthur. He told him that nothing was too big of

a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life and the preservation of the Round

Table.

Hence, their wedding was proclaimed, and the witch answered Arthur's

question:

What a woman really wants is to be able to be in charge of her own life.

Everyone instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth and that

Arthur's life would be spared. And so it went. The neighboring monarch

spared Arthur's life and granted him total freedom.

What a wedding Gawain and the witch had! Arthur was torn between relief and

anguish. Gawain was proper as always, gentle and courteous. The old witch

put her worst manners on display. She ate with her hands, belched and

farted, and made everyone uncomfortable.

The wedding night approached: Gawain, steeling himself for horrific night,

entered the bedroom. What a sight awaited! The most beautiful woman he'd

ever seen lay before him! Gawain was astounded and asked what had happened.

The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her (when she'd been a

witch), half the time she would be her horrible, deformed self, and the

other half, she would be her beautiful maiden self.

Which would he want her to be during the day and which during the night?

What a cruel question? Gawain began to think of his Predicament: During the

day a beautiful woman to show off to his friend, but at night, in the

privacy of his home, an old spooky witch? Or would he prefer having by day

a

hideous witch, but by night a beautiful woman to enjoy many intimate

moments?

What would you do?

What Gawain chose follows below, but don't read until you've made your own

choice.

(scroll down)

Noble Gawain replied that he would let her choose for herself.

Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time,

because he had respected her and had let her be in charge of her own life.

What is the moral of this story? The moral is that it doesn't matter if

your

woman is pretty or ugly, smart or dumb, underneath it all, she's still a

witch.

And don't you forget it.