Going through old journals, I found a story I had jotted down from college. It’s from Aesop’s Fables. My version featured skyscrapers, bankers, and a battle between two gods (a theme I used in my own opus). Thought I’d highlight the original (some stories do last forever, even if the sun cheated a bit):
The North Wind boasted of great strength. The Sun argued that there was great power in gentleness.
“We shall have a contest,” said the Sun.
Far below, a man traveled a winding road. He was wearing a warm winter coat.
“As a test of strength,” said the Sun, “Let us see which of us can take the coat off of that man.”
“It will be quite simple for me to force him to remove his coat,” bragged the Wind.
The Wind blew so hard, the birds clung to the trees. The world was filled with dust and leaves. But the harder the wind blew down the road, the tighter the shivering man clung to his coat.
Then, the Sun came out from behind a cloud. Sun warmed the air and the frosty ground. The man on the road unbuttoned his coat.
The sun grew slowly brighter and brighter.
Soon the man felt so hot, he took off his coat and sat down in a shady spot.
The wind asked, “How did you do that?”
“It was easy,” said the Sun, “I lit the day. Through gentleness, I got my way.”
Notes:
- The picture is from a Florida beach, close to the barrier islands near Georgia.
