Creative Writing by Jim Fuess (Member of the Watchung Arts Center)

THE IDIOT

    There was a plague and pestilence across the land.
The Fields lay fallow.
The crops turned brown, fell over, and turned to dust.
The sun cracked theearth and no rain fell.
   Even the buildings in the town seemed loose, hollow and brittle.
   The townspeople stood at the edge of the fields, their heads bent,
their bodiesbowed, feet shuffling in the dust.
   " Where is our redeemer - the promised one ?"
   The birds had fled, there were no more rats in the grain, the only
dogs left werethe ones that were tied up.
   The air was filled with sighs and lamentations.
" Why us?" "What is our sin?"
   A loud voice challenged the moans.
" Bare bodkins, knives, rope,defective gas jets.
Hurry, hurry, buy now before its too late.
" As the dust storm of the village idiot and his pack danced across the field.
   A collective moan of strained self-righteous tolerance rose from the people.
"Godamn idiot." " moron." " For this we pay taxes to aid the disabled?"
   They soundly thrashed the idiot, momentarily forgetting their problems and
venting their fear and rage.

" Wait" the idiot screamed, " you don't understand.
I bring you a message from the Gods.
Don't you realize that truth comes from the mouths of babes and fools, and
that God moves in mysterious ways?"
   The people hesitated, thinking maybe just maybe.
They stood the idiot up and dusted him off.
"So tell us."  " This better be good."   " Speak up, you idiot."
   The idiot, looking puzzled and confused shook some of the dust from his hair
and sneezed.
" Let me see if I can remember this correctly."
   " Oh no, he'll screw it up."
"Why don't the Gods entrust their will to someone with brains?" " What if he gets it wrong?"
   The Idiot spoke hesitantly.
"Someone among you has committed the most heinous of sins and must do penance."
   " Who? " " What? " " Which sin? " " What penance? "
"Wipe the stupid grin off your face. "
   " That's all the Gods said, " replied the Idiot.
   The people fell on the Idiot again and almost pounded his into the ground. "
Next time don't be so stupid. Ask questions and get the facts."
   The people returned to the empty streets of the town to convene a council,
leaving the Idiot muttering in the dirt.


                The meeting was full of rancor, with each citizen accusing the other of sins venal
and mortal, real or imagined.
In the end all of them realized  that they weren't
perfect but that no one seemed to have done anything that would justify this
extreme a retribution.
Someone finally suggested that they send the Idiot back to the Gods for clarification.
   They went back to the fields were the Idiot was binding his wounds.
   Full of condescension and a little bit embarrassed, they tried to convince the
Idiot to return to the Gods, but he would have none of it.
"You beat me before I brought you the message
and then you beat me when you didn't like what I said.
There is no making  you happy.
I'm in great pain and you have had all the help you are going to get from me."
   The people tried all the arguments that they could think of and then threatened
the Idiot with the most painful beating of his life.
At this the fool relented.
   The Idiot then arose, walked  across the fields and into the dark woods.
He walked until he came to a clearing with a large bush in it.
Pulling out his lighter he set the bush on fire, went into a trance and waited for the voices.
The voices whispered t him over and over
"You people should treat Idiots with more tolerance
and respect.
"Feeling that he had understood the message and repeating it to
himself continuously, the Idiot returned to the people.


   They waited by the side of the field , praying that this time he
might have gotten it right.
   " What is the message?"  "What is the sin?"   "Who is to blame."
   The Idiot just kept muttering to himself.
"You people should treat Idiots with more tolerance and respect."
   " Speak up. "  " Louder. " 
"What, that can't be the message." " you are only looking out for yourself."
"How can you distort the message of the Gods for your
own gain and our loss.?"
   The people became so enraged that they beat the Idiot to death.
It was then that the boils and sores began appearing on the people's bodies and they
turned to dust.