---------------------- Forwarded by Andrea Ring/HOU/ECT on 04/03/2001 03:03 
PM ---------------------------
   
	
	
	From:  Karen D McIlvoy                           03/27/2001 12:32 PM
	

To: ragan.bond@bhlp.com
cc:  (bcc: Andrea Ring/HOU/ECT)
Subject: Fwd: Witch's Brew


  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 youthful happiness. 
   So he offered him freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult 
   question.  Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer;  if, after 
a 
   year, he still had no  answer, he would be killed. 
   The question was: "What do women really want?"  Such a question would 
   perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and, to young Arthur, it seemed 
an 
   impossible query.  Since it was better than death, however, he accepted 
the 
   monarchs proposition to have an answer by year's end. 
   He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everybody: the princess, 
the 
   prostitutes, the priests, the wise men, the court jester.  In all, he 
spoke 
   with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer. What 
most 
   people did tell him, was to consult the old witch, as only she would 
know 
   the answer. The price would be high, since the witch was famous 
throughout 
   the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged. 
   The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no alternative but to 
talk 
   to the witch. She agreed to answer his question, but he'd have to accept 
her 
   price first:  The old witch wanted to marry Gawain, the most noble of 
the 
   Knights of the Round Table and Arthur's closest friend! 
   Young Arthur was horrified: she was hunchbacked and awfully hideous, had 
   only one tooth, smelled like sewage water, often made obscene noises. He 
had 
   never run across such a repugnant creature.  He refused to force his 
friend 
   to marry her and have to endure such a burden. 
   Gawain, upon learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur.  He told him 
that 
   nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life and the 
   preservation of the Round  Table.  Hence, their wedding was 
   proclaimed, and the witch  answered Arthur's question:  "What a woman 
really 
   wants is to be able to be in charge of her own life." 
   Everyone instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth and 
that 
   Arthur's life would be spared.  And so it went. 
   The neighboring monarch spared Arthur's life and granted him total 
freedom. 
 What a wedding Gawain and the witch had! Arthur was torn between relief 
and 
   anguish.  Gawain was proper as always, gentle and courteous. The old 
witch 
   put her worst manners on display.  She ate with her hands, belched and 
passed 
   gas, and made everyone uncomfortable as ever. 
   The wedding night approached:  Gawain, steeling himself for a horrific 
   night, entered the bedroom.  What a sight awaited!  The most beautiful 
woman 
   he'd ever seen lay before him!  Gawain was astounded and asked what had 
   happened.  The beauty replied that since he  had been so kind to her 
(when 
   she was a witch), half the time she would  be her horrible, deformed 
self,and 
   the other half, she would be her beautiful maiden self.  Which would he 
want 
   her to be during the day and which during the night? 
   What a cruel question!  Gawain began to think of his predicament: 
   during the day a beautiful woman to show off to  his friends, but at 
night, 
   in the privacy of his home, an old spooky witch?  Or would he prefer 
having 
   by day  a hideous witch, but by night a beautiful  woman 
   to enjoy many intimate  moments? 

 What would you do? 

   What Gawain chose follows below, but don't read  until you've made your 
own 
   choice. 









   The Answer: * * 



   Noble Gawain replied that he would let her choose for herself. 

   Upon hearing this, she announced that she would  be beautiful all the 
time, 
   because he had respected her and had let her be in charge of her own 
life. 
   What is the moral of this story? 

   The moral is that it doesn't matter if your woman is pretty or ugly, 
smart or 
   dumb. Underneath it all, she's still a witch.