The Three were talking in a forested area of the Summerland.
"I just don't know about these humans," muttered the Lord.
"What's that?" asked the Lady, raising one eyebrow.
"Well, here it is, so simple, and they have to go and complicate
it beyond all imagining, and then -fight- about it, for Our sake!"
"I heard a story about that, last time I was down there," said
the Fool.
"Really!" said the Lady. She promptly sat down at the base of a
large oak tree, fluffed Her skirts around Herself, and looked expectantly
at the Fool.
The Lord muttered grumpily. "Not another damn story...."
The Lady turned to Him and said, archly, "Now don't you go
getting into that Jehovah Aspect again on us!"
Abashed, the Lord sat down beside Her.
The Fool made Herself comfortable on the grass, took off His cap-
and-bells, and began to talk.
"I heard this from an old man, on the streets of Damascus. He was
a holy man indeed, and a follower of Muhammad, Blessed Be His Name!"
"It seems that there were several blind men, leading each other
thru the streets ....."
"The blind leading the blind .... typical." muttered the Lord.
" ..... and," continued the Fool, "Soon they came to an
elephant."
"One felt the elephant's leg, and said, 'This elephant is much
like a tree! I know what it looks like, now!'"
"Another felt the elephant's tail, and said, 'Lo! It is much like
a small snake! I know what it looks like, now!'"
"At the other end of the animal, one of the blind men felt the
trunk, and loudly cried, 'Nay! Not so! It is like a snake indeed, but
such a large and powerful one as I cannot describe!'"
"One was under the elephant's belly, and feeling with his hands,
said 'Not snake nor tree but like a barrel!'"
"Each one of them described which part of the elephant he felt,
and was convinced that this was the totality of the elephant. They soon
fell to arguing, and came to blows, while the elephant just walked away
from them."
"Good story!" said the Lady.
"Yes," sighed the Fool. "And they were all wrong .... and all
blind."
Thus it was, and so it is, and evermore shall be so!
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