GARY is walking along the sidewalk. It is beginning to grow dark and there is a light fog on the ground. He is about to walk past a graveyard when he glances at his watch. Seeing the time, he decides to take a short cut through the cemetary. He walks up through the desolate path when he sees up ahead an old, ragged man standing in the center of the path with several bodies scattered about the ground around him. The old man beckons him to come near. As Gary approaches, the old man bends down towards a tap coming out from the ground and fills up a paper cup.
OLD MAN
This here water comes up from the ground where all these folks are
buried. When you walk through their grounds they have to decide whether
you are fit to pass or not. Take this water, it is their test to you. If
they like you then they will let you live and you can continue on across
these grounds unharmed. But if they don't like you, well it is hard to
say what will happen.
GARY
If they don't like you they kill you?
OLD MAN
What makes you think any harm could come of you? Drink up and take
the test.
GARY
No thank you, I think I'll just go around the long way.
OLD MAN
Now I didn't ask you if you'd like to have a drink, I told you to drink.
There ain't no choice in the matter. You've stepped on their ground. Now
if you'd like to leave, whether it's this way or back the way you came,
then you must drink their water.
GARY
Did all these people drink the water?
OLD MAN
Maybe.
GARY
Did anyone drink the water and pass?
OLD MAN
Maybe.
The old man passes the cup over to Gary and he drinks the water down. After several seconds he clutches his throat and drops dead. The old man laughs softly to himself and throws the cup in the garbage. He pulls out another cup, fills it up with water from the tap and takes a long gulp. He sees the shadow of another person coming up the path. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a large vial of poison and pours a few drops into the cup before filling it up again. He sees the person pause a short distance away and he waves his arm for them to approach.
OLD MAN
Here comes another one of those damn fools.
Okay, so it's pretty foolish! I guess this was caused by a few too many trips past the graveyard (and sometimes through it) on my way to and from work. But there was indeed an old man at the cemetary getting water out of a tap that came out of the ground. You never know, maybe I was just lucky that he let me pass... If you have any wonderful comments, you can biff a letter over to: