King Arthur and the Witch

"King Arthur and the Witch"*

*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 his 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 everyone:
the princess, the priests, the wise men and even 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, for
only she would have the answer. But the price would
be high; as the witch was famous throughout the
kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.

The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no
choice but to talk to the witch. She agreed to answer
the question, but he would have to agree to her price first.

The old witch wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, 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 in all his life. He refused to force his
friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden;
but Lancelot, learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur.

He said nothing was too big a sacrifice compared to
Arthur's life and the preservation of the Round Table.

Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the witch
answered Arthur's question thus:

What a woman really wants, she answered ....is to
be in charge of her own life.

Everyone in the kingdom 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
his freedom and Lancelot and the witch had a wonderful wedding.

The honeymoon hour approached and Lancelot, steeling
himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom.
But, what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful
woman he had ever seen lay before him on the bed. The
astounded Lancelot asked what had happened.

The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her
when she appeared as a witch, she would henceforth be
her horrible deformed self only half the time and the
beautiful maiden the other half.

Which would he prefer? Beautiful during the day....or night?

Lancelot pondered the predicament. During the day, a
beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night,
in the privacy of his castle, an old witch? Or, would he
prefer having a hideous witch during the day, but by
night, a beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous
intimate moments?

What would YOU do?

What Lancelot chose is below. BUT....make YOUR choice
before you scroll down below. OK?
Received on Sat Nov 7 10:22:18 2009