THE OGRE THAT NEVER DIES

The following is a paraphrasing of an old tale written by an anonymous writer and should particularly interest those who have plans of running for public office.

THE TALE OF THE OGRE THAT NEVER DIES

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there was a village that was tormented by a huge and ugly ogre. Everyday, the ugly ogre would go down to the village from his home in the mountain and take away the villagers' food and other belongings. Those who resist were either killed or swallowed alive.

Not a few people tried to come up with a plan to kill the ogre. Men of great strength and skills would go up the mountain to attempt to kill the beast. All of them would no longer return to tell of their story.

Still, the villagers refused to lose all hope. Two brothers, in fact, trained long and hard so that at the appropriate time, they would both go up the mountain and kill the ogre together.

Alas, when the time did come, the elder of the two brothers refused to take the younger one with him.

"You need to stay", he advised. "If ever I fail to return, you can train further and then go on and avenge my fall".

The young man did as he was told. Silently, he watched his older brother as he went up the mountain, uttering a short prayer that he will return the morning after.

But return the older brother did not. The entire village mourned his death, for he was considered strong and capable of defeating the ogre.

Yet, his death served to fuel the younger brother's resolve to kill the ogre. He continued his training, and in time, he became as strong and as skilled as his late brother.

When the time came, the younger brother went up the mountain. There, he came face to face with the mighty and ugly beast that was the ogre.

The two fought long and hard, with neither gaining a distinct upperhand.

Eventually, fatigue caught up with the ogre. With one strong blow, the young man was able to bring down his monstrous opponent.

He drew his sword one last time. As he was about to lunge his bladed weapon to the body of the beast, he saw the ogre's face changing to that of his older brother. Instinctively, he dropped his sword and came to his brother's aid.

"Well done, my brother," the ogre said in between gasps of air. "I can see that you have trained well."

"How did this happen?" the younger brother asked in disbelief. "Why...what.."

"You see, my brother," explained the ogre. "The true enemy is not the ogre who lives in the mountain, but the ogre who lives inside you."

"I don't understand..."

"Be strong... for now you are about to face your true enemy - yourself. The real test is not merely defeating the physical ogre, but defeating the temptations that will cause you to become the ogre that you have always hated."