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 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; 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.
As the last day of the year approached, 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
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 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 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 honeymoon hour approached. Gawain, steeling
himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But what a sight
awaited him. The most beautiful woman he'd ever 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 as 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
which during the night, the witch asked?
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?
What Gawain chose follows below, but don't read until
you've made your own choice.
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; 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.
As the last day of the year approached, 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
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 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 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 honeymoon hour approached. Gawain, steeling
himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But what a sight
awaited him. The most beautiful woman he'd ever 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 as 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
which during the night, the witch asked?
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?
What Gawain chose follows below, but don't read until
you've made your own choice.
************************************************************************
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?
The moral of the story is: If a woman doesn't get her own way,
things are going to get ugly.
Many people may
agree or not, but this is so funny. I got this from one of the few forwarded
emails to me more than 10years ago.. I was going through old emails from
friends that I have kept. I will be posting more of these little stories and
articles as the day pass. I hope you enjoyed this funny short story.
CIAO!
CARMI
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