Mike's Place

By Michael L. Craner

Once upon a time there was a young man who had a beautiful, shiny, brass bell. He had a small lot with the sweetest grass around and a burro that just loved to munch on it all day.

Every morning the young man would go to the door, pick up his shiny brass bell, and go out to ride his burro to town. However, the burro always stopped just at the edge of the man's property and started eating the sweet grass, and wouldn't be budged until the sun began to set. No matter what the man did, or how he rang his bell, the burro would not move any further. Finally, just as the sun began to set, the burro would allow himself to be coaxed back to the barn with his warm, comfortable stall, and dreamed all night of spending the next day eating the sweetest grass in the valley.

This went on day after day, year after year. The more the burro ate, the lazier he got. The bright young man grew into a sour, cynical, old man who lived off the handouts of his neighbors, who took pity on his misfortune, and spent his days watching everyone go by.

Each day, he sat upon the burro, shaking his bell at the old burro and anyone who went by on the lane. Until one day as he was sitting there on the side of the road watching the farmers go by on their way to town to sell their produce, one stopped and turned to the old man. The old man looked up anxiously, expecting some gift of fruit or vegetables, as he couldn't make it to town.

Instead, the farmer looked up and down at the sour, cynical, old man with his shiny brass bell in one hand, and his other hand outstretched. Disgustedly he said to the old man, "Quit playing with your ding-a-ling, get off your fat lazy ass and start making a contribution to society."

And do you know what? The old man did just that. He got off that old jackass who loved to eat the sweet grass all day, he threw down his shiny brass bell, and walked to town, where he accepted the job of Mayor, because it was all he knew how to do.