Once upon a time, dear friends, there was a child who said nothing. All the medical examinations performed to determine why the child didn't speak led to the same conclusions: "He is in excellent health and his vocal cords are perfectly formed; the reason(s) for his mutisme are unknown".

The years passed and the child grew up. He was, as he had always been, healthy and strong, but still said not a word. He studied well and succeeded in written exams, though he failed—for obvious reasons—on oral tests. However, he was found to be at a satisfactory level at the end of his school years and was given his diploma. When it came time for him to serve in the military, he was declared unfit for service because the examiners were unable to get a word out of him. He continued his life, unperturbed and as silent as ever.
One day, when he was twenty-six years old and had been invited to tea at the home of a friend of his mother's, he suddenly said, "May I have another sugar, please?"
As you might imagine, my friends, everyone was quite surprised, not least of all his mother, who said, "You're speaking!"
The young man nodded his head.
His mother insisted, "But why, during all these years, did you remain silent? Why didn't you ever say anything before?"
Her son answered, "Because, until now, everything was fine."

Before I forget this time, this story and the last six or so that I've posted have been translated from a collection entitled "Le Cercle des Menteurs, contes philosophiques du monde entier"

cheers,

Aux<