Who Shall Have The Tail

 

 
            “Hey, Willie. Wake up.” Suzy looked taken up with some sudden realization.
            “I can’t  hear you,” said Willie. The furry lump tightened up tighter under the shelf, a good spot.
            “Yes you can. This is important. I just thought of something,” insisted Suzy, giving him a little biff on the forehead.
            “Remember when we were talking about fables, fairytales, folk stories and all like that?”
            “I’m not likely to forget Suzy,” said Willie. “What’s pulling your tail tonight?”
            “I just realized that we didn’t talk about parables at all! I was so distracted by the F words that I didn’t even think of a P word at all.” She stared at her brother.
            “Maybe if I hold my breath, she won’t think of poetry or prose either,” Willie thought silently. Which is quite a trick if you think about it.
            “OK. Speak to me Suzy. What does your analysis tell you about parables?” Realizing that he was in for a lesson, he rolled up into his most scholarly loaf position, to be ready for it.
            “What I think is this. A parable, in the original sense, deals the most directly of all those story forms with a moral lesson. It’s meant to teach a spiritual principle in simple terms, to make it really obvious and easy to understand. It’s a bit like a Punch and Judy show in a way.”
            “Hold up, girl. I thought a Punch and Judy show was mainly about getting hit in the head,” said Willie.
            “That works better than you might think. Sometimes a punch in the head really cements a concept! Lol. Oh you know what I mean. I just didn’t want to leave anything important out,” added Suzy.
            “Alright, how about an example? A parable a ’la Suzy Q? A statement without legs will not stand my girl!” announced Willie, with a smug little smile.
            “How about this one?” Suzy had one ready to tell him, and she began:

 

     Who Shall Have The Tail?

            Once upon a new world before all that is formed was formed, there were cats of course. And there were humans. It was very hard to tell them apart. Sometimes the cats walked upright on two legs, and sometimes the people walked on all fours.

            Then, all of a sudden, tails appeared, waving from the soil like newly sprung plant fronds of some kind.  All sorts of beautiful tails. Striped. Orange. Black and white, or just black. Some were even parti-colored like a medieval jester’s romper suit.

            The cats felt that the tails must surely be their own, for they matched their furry clothing. But, the men were already beginning to feel like the lords of creation, so they said the tails must surely belong to mankind.

            It never occurred to either of them that both could have tails. Oh, no! It must be one or the other.

            Finally, the leader and spokesman for the human creatures said to the cats, “if you will scamper and scatter before us, and kill small vermin in our homes, and let our children pet and dress you, and be in awe of mankind forever more, you may have the tails!”

            The cats sprang at the deal!  Each one seized a beautiful tail to match his suit, or some of the hipper ones went for contrast. Each cat lashed his tail back and forth, grinning from the sheer glory of it!

            Then they began to serve mankind, as they do to this day, usually, more or less, depending.  

The End

            “For Heaven’s sake, Suzy! How is that a parable?” demanded Willie, exasperated. “Whatever is the spiritual principle that story teaches?”
            “Can you truly not discern the lesson Willie,” asked his sister.
            “It’s just a pile of baseless assertions,” said Willie.  “What am I to take from that?” His whiskers bristled with irritation, and his own tail whipped back and forth.
            “Alright, then, I will spell it out for you,” said Suzy.
 
Never tempt your brother beyond his power to resist. For you may put him into bondage thereby!
           
            “OK, I still don’t know if it’s really a parable, but OK, Suzy, OK,” said Willie. “Where did you hear that?”
            “I didn’t exactly hear it. I was half asleep out behind the curtain, and it kind of rolled in like almost a dream. So I was careful to remember it.  I had to ask, ‘what are you?’ and the silent voice said ‘parable’.” said Suzy.