“A Medieval Legend”

Once upon a time, there lived a family in a certain medieval town. The couple had a young son, a toddler, who in his early age was already displaying an exceptional talent: the ability to tell the truth. What he spoke was always the truth.

Everything that he felt and observed, he told his parents, like if he was hungry or needed a diaper change. At that time, it was not diaper but swaddling bands.

Whenever he saw birds fluttering in the air through the open window, he would say, “Birds, Ma.” Whenever he saw a lizard crawling on the ceiling, he would say, “Lizard, Ma.”

One day, the head of household was seen fixing his attire in front of the mirror.

“Where art thou going” the mother of the child asked.

“To the tribunal go I. Today, an important session have we.”

“About what is it?”

“Drowning some heretic into the river.”

“Drowning? That means the man shall die, does it not?”

“Ah… Yeah?”

“About such things, I don’t know of.”

“Just do not concern thyself of such things. This is what I and my colleagues are about. The food that we eat on the table depends upon it.”

“Canst not thou just talk to the man?”

“We do not want to talk to the man. Anyone who thinks he is smart enough to challenge our truth will taste the wrath of heaven.”

At that moment, the toddler saw a mangy fluffy animal standing at the door. As he has always done with regularity, he immediately called out, “Dog, Ma.”

“Look at thy son. Dost thou want him to be well provided for, to have a good education? Dost thou want our family to remain in this respected status? If so, such thing as I told you must I do. That is what I and my colleagues are about. We pour down the wrath of heaven for our truth. Like what thy son said, this is our truth. This is our, ‘Dog, Ma.’ Anyone who interferes with this truth must be silenced.”

He arrived at the tribunal and presided the torture of the heretic. He stood in front of his colleagues and addressed them:

“Dear colleagues, my son earlier this morning reminded me of the importance of fighting for our truth. If we don’t maintain this truth, our power will disappear. My son always tells the truth. When he saw a dog in our house, he instantly called our attention saying, ‘Dog, Ma.’ Friends, it is for the purity of this truth that we’re condemning this heretic to drown in the river. This is our truth. This is our, ‘Dog, Ma.’ We should do everything to keep our ‘Dog, Ma’ uncompromised.”

The tribunal thundered in applause. “Hear! Hear! ‘Dog, Ma’ rules!”

Since that time, this coined word was used by the apostate clergies of the Middle Ages to keep an eye on individuals who would dare interfere with their most-precious truth, and the family adopted the old mangy dog.

by: Marven T. Baldo