Tales or Tailes!
There was a war on and there was food rationing. There was not much to eat and many existed on a meagre supply of whatever happened to be sold under rationing systems in the shops in Britain. The government encouraged everyone to grow vegetables and to farm any animals if they could, to supplement whatever there was to feed themselves.
In the suburbs the soldiers on guarding duty were told to keep their eyes open and to protect people from anyone who might be poaching and stealing since this happened specially during the curfew hours.
At their guarding post on a small country lane a soldier interviewed the Priest that night like almost every other night.
The Priest gave a different reason on any such nights whenever he wanted to be excused for breaking the curfew and for venturing out, to visit the village below. At the bottom of the hills sat a small village where this country lane led to it. From the guarding post the soldiers could observe any coming and goings. However a little further down and all below the hills there was not much anyone could see other than the night shadows.
The Priest always talked of the elderly, the needy, the lonely and the frightened, the orphans and many more. He needed to pass the guards and break the curfew because he had to; this he always told the soldiers. His cause he made sure was heard and understood to be one that was selfless, noble and essential.
That night, the soldier who had met this Priest many times before, had stopped the Priest on his way back from the village. This soldier told the Priest that from that night on he will not be allowed through, and that the curfew restrictions will apply to him too. He made it clear that he will not be permitted to break the curfew at any nights, not any more. Hearing this, the Priest got very upset and started arguing his reasons. At the end, while being very angry, and unable to get the soldier to agree with him, the Priest became abusive and rude and insisting that “I am not telling you tails other than the actual truth when I tell you that they need me there!”
The soldier looked at him hard and long and finally said “What should I believe to be your truth? Is it the tale that you tell me whenever you pass through on your way to the village below or the telling tail of the stolen chickens sticking out from under your sleeves when you come back from your nightly visits?!”
That may have been then, but “the telling tales” and “the telling tails” is a dilemma that we still have with us till today.
Should we believe his tale if someone tells us of his fighting to secure Mr Obama’s victory or base our opinions on other telling tails of his angry words when he fights against the Afro-Argentine issues as well as the Negristas arguments of the history of Blacks and how they have been denied this in Argentina?!
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