Keepers of Lore/Regions/Giask

Theodorus the Thespian

In the great city of Giask there is a story about a thespian by the name of Theodorus. He was a short, curly-haired young man who made his living by telling stories to the travelers. One of his favorites was one about a man and his cat. Upon meeting a new traveler, Theodorus asked for his trade. When the traveler told it, a carpenter, for example, the cheeky lad said he had a story about a carpenter and his cat that he would like to tell. Rarely did anyone refuse. This is what he told:

”Once upon a time there was a carpenter who had a cat, a very black cat it was too. The carpenter worked hard for day and night, for he was in very much debt, not due to his own fault but the mischievous traders in the town. All the while he worked, the cat sat there, not lifting her paw to help. Then one day when the carpenter had finished a set of quite delicately carved chairs, he decided it was the time to take a little nap. When he woke up, he saw that all the chairs had been scratched, completely ruined, and the cat laying on top of one of them, linking his paw in deep satisfaction. The man yelled:

"Why, oh WHY have you done this? All the day I work in my shop to feed you, I pour you milk when I do not drink any myself, I find you the best meat, and this is how you reward me? You never help me and I do everything for you! Why?"

Theodorus held his breath for awhile and then continued:

"You know what the cat answered?”

This is when the traveler always told the thespian that no, he did not know and Theodorus asked if the traveler wanted to know. They always wanted to know and Theodorus always told them:

”Well, I can tell you, but it will cost you a silver penny.”

Some smiled at this, some grumbled, some threw things at him, but they always paid him the penny. They all wanted to know what the cat said. And the cat always said ”meow”.