I hate to admit it but this is pretty good... It's another long one though!
THE BEST FABLE I'VE EVER READ
> 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 a
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.
>
> .
> .
> .
> .
>
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
>
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
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>
> .
> .
> 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 he moral of this story?
> THE MORAL IS THAT IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOUR WOMAN IS PRETTY OR UGLY,
> UNDERNEATH IT ALL, SHE'S STILL A WITCH
>
>
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