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A Tale for Sale.

This morning as I left my house to go into town to do some shopping a man that told me that he had a tale for sale stopped me. I looked the man over, after all there are some weird people walking the streets nowadays. He looked harmless enough and I decided to humour him. After all I needed a story for today to write in my computer and send on to the ABCtales. Perhaps this man had a tale interesting enough for me to send in. I heard myself asking, “How much will the tale cost?” I could have kicked myself for being so daft as to fall for such a trick. The man answered, “For you one shilling; that is not too expensive for such a tale as I have to tell.” I reluctantly gave the man a shilling and listened to his, “Once upon a time there was a giant. This giant could eat a whole cow and drink a stream empty of its water.” I had heard enough and turning I walked away I had more important things to do than listen to a story about a giant that had an enormous appetite.

I heard a shout and something hit me in my back I heard the man’s voice, “I am not a beggar I wanted to honestly tell you a story. Have your money back.” I turned and picked up the shilling, yes it was the shilling that I had given him that he threw back to me. Slipping the shilling into my pocket I carried on into town. On the way back home laden with shopping I saw the same man standing by my front gate. I do not think that he had moved, as I neared him he said, “Give me the shilling you paid for a story and a story you will get.” I felt that I had to listen to the man and realised that I could not move my legs it was as if my feet were stuck to the pavement. I felt my hand dip into my pocket. My fingers grasped the shilling and as if on their own accord they dropped the shilling into the man’s outstretched hand. “The giant could pull mighty oak trees out of the ground using just his powerful arms, for each cow he ate he pulled out twenty trees for the villagers.” “That is the story it was well worth the shilling you paid for it.” My legs regained some feeling and I was able to move one leg after the other and went on into the house. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. A story about a giant that could eat a cow and drink a stream dry and pull out twenty trees was not really my idea of a story at least not a story that I could send to ABCtales then as I sat down to my computer I grinned to myself. The man had just by his presence given me a much better story to tell. The story is well worth a shilling and who knows with a little luck a cherry or two. Bern