Brambles

Many beginnings. Beginning 1. Kitten was very very lazy. She used to hunt slugs but now she only hunted carrots. She was such a good carrot hunter! * Starting is easy, it's the middle that is often a muddle. And I won't even mention the endings. Here are some beginnings for children stories that flitter through my head.

A DISPUTE IN SIGN LANGUAGE. From Favorite Folktales from Around the World by Jane Yolen. And this is what the poultry dealer related: “The priest pointed with one finger to my eyes, meaning to take out my eye. I pointed with two fingers to imply, I would take out both his eyes." ... At the same time the priest’s friends questioned him: “What did you ask the Jew? What did he reply?” The priest related: “At first I pointed one finger, meaning that there is only one king. He pointed with two fingers, meaning that there are two kings, the King in Heaven and the king on earth."

From "A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities" by Anthony Kaldellis Divorce. By law, a man could ask for divorce if his wife had questioned his masculine honour - say, through infidelity or immoral behavior; caused him bodily harm by attempts on his live through magic or physical violence; or jeopardized his attempts to procreate - for example, through infidelity or abortion. He could also demand divorce if his wife was incapable of fulfilling her conjugal duties due to an incurable illness - say, madness or leprosy. Madness was sometimes distinguished from demonic possession, which did not constitute grounds for divorce. Attachments area