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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 youth and ideals. So the
monarch offered him freedom, as long as he could answer a very
difficult question. 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.
The question: What do women really want?
Such a question would perplex even the
most knowledgeable man, and to young Arthur, it seemed an
impossible query. But, 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, and the court ! jester. He spoke with everyone, but no
one could give him a satisfactory answer.
Many people advised him to consult the
old witch -- only she would know the answer.
The price would be high; the witch was
famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she
charged. Finally, the last day of the year arrived and Arthur
had no alternative but to talk to the witch. She agreed to
answer the question, but he had to accept her price first. The
old witch wanted to marry Gawain, the most notable of the
Knights of the Round Table and Arthur's closest friend!
Young Arthur was horrified: she was
hunchbacked and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like
sewage, made obscene noises... etc. He had never encountered
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 a
sacrifi! ce compared to Arthur's life and the preservation of
the Round Table.
Hence, their wedding was proclaimed, and
the witch answered Arthur thus: What a woman really wants is 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 was. The neighboring monarch granted Arthur
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, and generally made everyone very
uncomfortable.
The hour approached, Gawain, steeling
himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But what
a sight waited him! The most beautiful woman he had never seen
lay before him!
The astounded Gawain asked what had
happened. The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to
her when she'd appeared a! s a witch, she would henceforth be
her horrible, deformed self half the time, and the other half,
she would be her beautiful maiden self. Which would he want her
to be during the day, and during the night?
What a cruel question! Gawain pondered
his predicament. During the day, a beautiful woman to show off
to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his home, an old
witch?
Or would he prefer having by day a
hideous witch, but by night a beautiful woman with whom to enjoy
many intimate moments?
What would you do?
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 enough to let her be in charge of her own life.
What is the moral of this story?
If a women doesn't get her own way,
things get ugly!
Submitted by John, Upton, Long
Island.
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