he smiled his weary way and drank some water
“let’s see, where were we, had the prince found the magic sword?”
“no, no, no!” they protested “a man was about to murder the prince
the princess was locked in a tower where another man wanted her
and the dog was trying to lead their horse out of the mire”
“what a mess I’ve gotten us into, huh?” the story teller chuckled
“and how bad my timing is! your mothers are about to send you to bed!
I don’t suppose you’d settle for ‘and then the gods, tired of it all,
swept the oceans over the highest mountains and started it over’?”
he grinned and a little boy slugged him, “that would be cheating!”
and a little girl scolded, “you’re leaving aren’t you?
your bags are all packed and by the door with your shoes
you’re waiting til we’re all in bed to tie some travel bread to your belt
and when we wake in the morning, you’ll have walked too far for us to catch you”
“no, no, no,” he winced then nodded, “well, yes, but I’ll return
I always have, haven’t I? and I’ll finish the story then
all you have to do is remember the details so you can remind me
so I can finish the right story and not get us confused, will you do that?”
they chorused that of course they would, then their mothers descended
the story teller finished his beer and lit up his pipe
“isn’t it cheating a bit,” his host mildly chid, “to leave your story in such a mess?”
“is it now?” said the story teller, taking another draught on his pipe
“isn’t that what life does with us all?”
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