The Fool sat down at the table. It was a small coffeehouse in a
city, much like many others. One of the people at the table had been
complaining about how Life had treated him badly.
"Can I offer something here?" asked the Fool. He looked at the
complainer with eyes that saw thru a trillion years.
The other man nodded, and said, "I guess so."
Well," began the Fool, "It seems that there once was a little
boy, and this little boy wanted a pony more than anything else in the
whole world. He ate, slept, breathed and dreamed about that pony."
"He told his parents that all he wanted for Christmas and his
birthday and everything else that year was a pony."
"So the days went by, and his birthday came around, and he got
no presents at all. Not even a card or a cake from -anybody-."
The Fool took a sip from his coffee and glanced around the table.
"Then, it was Valentine's Day. Not even a smart-ass card from
anyone. Not even from the little girl he was stuck on that sat two rows
over from him in school."
"All the holidays want by like that .... nothing .... but the
little boy got happier and happier."
"Then, it was Christmas! He woke up, and ran out to look under
the tree .... and there was nothing at all there except a note."
"The note read 'Go look in the garage.' "
"He ran out the door, laughing and smiling, and opened up the
garage, to find it full to the top with horse-poop. Files were
everywhere, and the smell was pretty awful."
"Oh that poor kid!" said the man who had been complaining. "I
guess he had it worse than me, huh?"
The Fool looked sharply at him.
"I'm not finished yet. The kid immediately began laughing and
giggling, and digging in the horse-poop. His parents came out, and said,
'Why are you so happy? You got no presents for -anything- all year, and
now you have a garage full of horse-poop! WHY are you so happy?' "
"The kid just looked up at them as he was digging thru the mess,
giggled, and said, 'Hey! With all this horse-poop around, there's -gotta-
be a pony in here -somewhere!-' "
The complainer looked at him with a blank expression.
The Fool got up from the table, pulled a twenty dollar bill out
from behind the complainer's ear, paid the bill, and whispered, "Find your pony."
Thus it was, and so it is, and evermore shall be so!
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