| The Final Parable "What happened THEN?" asked one of the Students. The Astonishing Stephanie shrugged. "I'm not quite sure," she admitted. "Cass made a growly sort of noise," she said. "At which point one of the wolves (I assume it was the Alpha Male) howled something and they all left. "Man, that's really WEIRD," said the Student. "TELL me about it," said the A. S. At this point the Lez Witch entered the Meeting Room and, taking a seat in the center, she called the meeting to order. "Today is the Feast Day of Didymus Thomas," she said. "And, as is our custom, tonight's session will be a Question and Answer session in honor of the saint…." "You worship Simon Templar?" the A. S. inquired. Her friend and lover gave her a glance. "Shut up," she said affectionately. "Saint Thomas, the Doubter," she explained for the benefit of the others who suddenly got comprehending looks and nodded knowingly. "So," she went on. "Who has a Question for the Lez Witch?" "I have," said a young man. "I'm Ralph," he added, by way of introduction. QUESTION AND ANSWER WITH THE LEZ WITCH. The Lez Witch nodded. "And your question?" "Why am I here?" he asked. "I don't mean why am I here…I mean why am I HERE!" The Lez Witch nodded again. "I understand," she said, with a warm smile for Ralph. "Sooner or later EVERY young person is confronted with this question: `Why am I here?' `Why was I born?' `What is my PURPOSE here?'" she paused for a second. "It's a GOOD question," she said. "And if there aren't any others we'll see you all next week… good night!" The Disciples looked at each other in surprise. "Just kidding," the Lez Witch said then. "But before I answer this question…let us explore it for a moment. Permit me, if you will, to tell you a little bit of my autobiography…for I think it helps to illustrate the problem. You see: I also used to wonder why I was HERE…why I had been born and all the rest of it. And I used to spend a lot of time pondering it. Now it so happened that along about the time I was seven or eight years old I rescued a friend who was drowning. Not that that's any big deal, you understand…any one of you would do the same, I'm sure. But my point is that although because of my various issues (transsexuality being not least among these) my life seemed to be stalled. For I was afraid to live in those days…and afraid to die, too…else one of my many suicide attempts would surely have been successful…anyway, while my life was on hold, my friend grew up, got married, produced children…and those CHILDREN had children in their turn. And so I began to wonder if, perhaps, THAT was why I had been born. If I hadn't been there my friend would have drowned and NONE of his descendants would ever have been born." The chelas all made various sounds such as "Ah" and "Oooh!" and "Like, wow, man". "But that was not the answer," the Lez Witch went on. "My being here had nothing to do with my happening to be present when my boyhood chum was headed for Davy Jones' Locker." "Is that the Monkees' version of Al Capone's Vaults?" the Astonishing Stephanie wondered aloud. "No." "OK." "Now what about my pairing with my lover here?" the Lez Witch went on. "For I do love her, you know. Since meeting her I have found a quiet joy that enhances every waking moment. The touch of her hand…the sound of her voice…the light in her eyes…all these are a source of happiness to me. She completes me, you see." "As you complete me," Steph said, serious for once, as she reached out and took the Lez Witch's hand. They smiled at each other for a moment with that special smile that only two who have become one have. "So one might suspect that I was born into this world to be a companion for Stephanie just as she was born into this world to be a companion for me, mightn't one?" The students all nodded while one or two (who were easily moved) surreptitiously wiped away a few tears. "But THAT isn't the answer EITHER!" said the Lez Witch. "Well, dammit, Cassandra!" Ralph expostulated. "What IS the answer then?" The Lez Witch laughed. "But it is so obvious!" she said. "Not to us!" the students cried. "Oh? OK, then: the answer is….aaargh!" she cried, then, her hand pressed to her chest she fell to the floor where she lay still and seemingly lifeless. (continue) |
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