Enron Mail

From:andrea.ring@enron.com
To:richard.ring@enron.com
Subject:Fwd: Witch's Brew
Cc:
Bcc:
Date:Tue, 3 Apr 2001 08:03:00 -0700 (PDT)

---------------------- 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.