09/27/07

Artemis the Stone Cutter

There once was a man named Artemis. He was a stone cutter. He was the son of a stone cutter who was the son of a stone cutter. One day he was working in the court yard of a wealthy merchant's house. Through the open gateway, he saw many fine possessions and important visitors. "How powerful that businessman must be!" thought the stone cutter. He became very envious and wished that he could be like the merchant.

To his great surprise, POOF! he became the merchant, enjoying more luxuries and power than he had ever imagined, but envied and detested by those less wealthy than himself. He bought anything and everything that pleased him. Then a high official in a beautiful black convertible limousine came into his path, he was accompanied by attendants and escorted by soldiers.. Everyone, no matter how wealthy, had to clear his path and help pay his way. "How powerful that official is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a high official!"

And POOF! he became the high official, carried everywhere in his big beautiful black limousine, feared and hated by the people. It was a hot summer day, so the official felt very uncomfortable in the sticky leather seats. He looked up at the sun. It shone proudly in the sky, unaffected by his presence. "How powerful the sun is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be the sun!"

Then POOF! he became the sun, shining fiercely down on everyone, scorching the fields, cursed by the farmers and laborers. But a huge black cloud moved between him and the earth, so that his light could no longer shine on everything below. "How powerful that storm cloud is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a cloud!"

Then he became the cloud, flooding the fields and villages, shouted at by everyone. But soon he found that he was being pushed away by some great force, and realized that it was the wind. "How powerful it is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be the wind!"

Then he became the wind, blowing tiles off the roofs of houses, uprooting trees, feared and hated by all below him. But after a while, he ran up against something that would not move, no matter how forcefully he blew against it - a huge, towering rock. "How powerful that rock is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a rock!"

Then he became the rock, more powerful than anything else on earth. But as he stood there, he heard the sound of a hammer pounding a chisel into the hard surface, and felt himself being changed. "What could be more powerful than I, the rock?" he thought. He looked down and saw far below him the figure of a stone cutter.