Posted by Gobnait on January 7, 2000 at 20:10:27:

In Reply to: Stories for your enjoyment. posted by Gobnait on January 7, 2000 at 19:49:52:

The story of Talking, a tale of an oiling rag (this story is closely based on a traditional African folktale, just with Theran people and objects)

Once there was a warrior resting on the road just north of New
Thalos, and he never took good care of his armor or weapons, but today he was
oiling his sword.
His oiling rag remarked, "The sword is already rusted all up one side
and down the other. You've never oiled it before, and now I'm all dirty, too,
so why don't you just leave us alone!"
The warrior, thinking he was alone, started up with fright and swung
his sword as he looked around for the speaker.
"Who said that?"
His sword said, "It was the oiling rag who spoke to you, and it said
to leave us alone, and I agree."
The man dropped both his rag and his sword in the dirt of the road
and backed away, running right into a tree.
And the tree said from behind him, "Hey, watch where you're going!"
This was quite enough for the warrior, and he started to run for New
Thalos and the safety of the city walls. On the way, he met a woodcutter
felling some trees with a huge axe.
"What's the hurry?" the woodcutter asked.
Breathlessly, the warrior explained, "My rag said, 'Leave us alone!'
And my sword said, 'Listen to the rag!' Then when I ran away, a tree said,
'Watch where you're going!'"
"Is that all?" scorned the woodcutter. "Is that so frightening?"
"Well," the woodcutter's axe said, "did he leave his rag alone?"
The woodcutter dropped her axe in fright, and they both started to
run for New Thalos. Just outside of New Thalos, they came upon a bard, tuning
his harp by the side of the road.
"Where are you going in such a rush?" the bard asked.
"My rag said, 'Leave us alone!' The sword said, 'Listen to the rag!'
A tree said, 'Watch where you're going!'"
"And then," the woodcutter broke in, "My axe said, 'Did he leave it
alone?'"
"That's nothing to get excited about," the bard said. "No reason at
all."
"Oh, yes it is," the harp said. "If it happened to you, you'd run,
too!"

All three shrieked with fright and ran so fast through the city gates
that the guards hardly knew what had happened before the three were already
through the palace gates as well! They went to the Sultan's court and begged
him to hear their troubles.
The warrior began, "I was just oiling my sword, and everything began
to talk! My rag said, 'Leave us alone!' My sword said, 'Listen to the rag!'
And a tree said, 'Watch where you're going!'"
"And my axe said, 'Did he leave it alone?'" the woodcutter continued.
"And my harp said, 'You'd run, too!'" the bard said.
The sultan listened patiently, but he couldn't refrain from scowling.
"Now this is a really wild story," he said at last. "You'd all better go back
to your own business before I punish you for disturbing the peace."
So the warrior, the woodcutter, and the bard went away, but none of
them ever went back to collect their belongings from the north road, nor
indeed ever traveled that way again.
And the sultan shook his head. "Nonsense like that upsets the whole
city!"
"Fantastic, isn't it?" his throne said. "Imagine, a talking rag!"

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