The Carpenter

There once was a carpenter who lived in the forest and was known to none. He supplied for himself, and had no need to enter town. However, he often would walk to the edge of the forest, where it ended upon the crest of a hill, and gaze into the town below to watch people. Over the course of his observations, the carpenter noticed one man who was very much alone, always moving about by himself and never having anyone over. Seeing his isolation, the carpenter loved this man.

For the next six days the carpenter set about making the lonely man a table. He started by wandering through the forest to find the best quality wood. Once the wood was had, the carpenter brought the materials back to his home and began constructing the table. Endless hours and sleepless nights were spent in delicate care and master craftsmanship. Never before had such love been physically molded. After six strenuous days, the carpenter saw that the table was good, and rested.

Two days later, after rising, the carpenter loaded the table into his cart and set out, for the first time, to the town. He came to the lonely man's house and knocked eagerly on the door. Within a moment the man opened it. "Hello? What is it you want?"

The carpenter's eyes glowed with love, "I have brought you a gift, sir."

After a short mumbling, the man responded, a bit off-set, "Bring it in I suppose."

The two carefully worked the table into the house and set it down. Without another word, the man set about inspecting the table closely. He was no carpenter, no master of the trade, in fact, his experience with tables was the equivalent of a flat-piece on four legs. That did not stop his scrutiny. He easily gazed over the intricacies of the figurines carved on the legs, and the complex woodwork that comprised the precise measurements of the joints, so that no glue was used, but the wood all fit perfectly together. All the man saw, in truth, was a flat-piece on four legs. The carpenter knew this. He could see that no wonder was displayed in the lonely man's eyes. All the same, the carpenter was well-pleased with his gift (for he was honest, and knew his quality), and held no fault on the lonely man for his ignorance.

Within a few minutes of beginning his phantom observation, the lonely man ended, and looked to the carpenter. "I sir, being a wise man, can determine two things from this table. One: it is no beauty, but a simple evolution of wood. And that two: you sir, do not exist."

Now where is the logic in that?

Jason