 | Room Number: 36 Resident: Ali Lauderdale Certified SS Member Since: Aug 20, 2022 Ali Lauderdale writes fantasy, sci-fi, and horror that has been known to traumatize adult men. For more from this author you can visit: https://linktr.ee/ladyalibooks |
“The Saint and The Gypsy Man"
by Ali Lauderdale
by Ali Lauderdale
Once, a man guided a band of wanderers through the rolling hills and meadows of the countryside. They engaged in the art of spectacle. The gypsies would capture a man from a nearby village. They would confine him in stocks and subject him to harsh beatings.
It was considered a grand spectacle, bringing forth great success and abundant riches. The villagers, eager for entertainment, offered their coins to witness the cruel punishment, while the sly gypsies, like shadows in the night, slipped through the streets, pilfering treasures, even from the sacred church's coffers.
Though the townsfolk found themselves stripped of their possessions and the captives left in despair, they could not turn away from the show. Alas, the cunning gypsies remained unaccused, for no eyes had seen their thieving misdeeds.
St. Tobias Sinceritas was filled with indignation when the gypsies entered his village, and scolded both the villagers and the gypsies. He rebuked them for gaining wealth at the expense of the misery of others. He brought them before the High Court, accused of theft, cruelty, and profiteering. Before the High Court, the leader of the gypsies raised his voice in protest, declaring that to strip his people of their means of livelihood was akin to stealing from them.
In the hushed chamber of that High Court, St. Tobias Sinceritas was steadfast in his resolve, faced the judge and proclaimed:
"If hardship is your craft, then let fairness be gauged by your own measure. In jesting with compassion and gaining from suffering, you have strayed far from the path of righteousness—now may justice take its rightful course.”
The wise judge, taking heed of Tobias’s counsel, commanded the guards to capture the gypsy leader. He found himself confined within the very stocks that had once held others, a fitting punishment for his own cruel deeds. No crowd was permitted to strike him, for true justice is not born of revenge. Thus, it was the king’s own guards who executed the sentence, administering calculated strikes as the law required.
The villagers, who had once reveled in the plight of others, were each ordered be spattered with the blood of the gypsy, and many grew ill. In the deed, no delight was discovered—only a heavy heart of shame for the pleasures once embraced. Once the punishment had been meted out, the gypsy leader found himself shattered and abandoned. St. Tobias loomed above him and declared:
“In your quest to evade the scales of fairness, you have now found yourself weighed and measured by the very standards you once dismissed. Understand the weight of your own limitations, and seek redemption—so that you may avoid greater misfortune in both the life to come and the afterlife.”
Upon witnessing the grim destiny of their chief, the wanderers took flight in fear, forsaking their nefarious paths. The villagers, burdened by guilt for their past actions, welcomed the injured men they had once cheered against, pledging to shun the joy found in another's pain henceforth.
Thus, virtue emerged triumphant. In a town that had long been a den of cruelty, a remarkable transformation took place, as hearts softened and charity blossomed. Meanwhile, the once-mighty gypsy leader, now a shadow of his former self, faded into the mists of obscurity, his power and malice dissolved like morning fog.
It was considered a grand spectacle, bringing forth great success and abundant riches. The villagers, eager for entertainment, offered their coins to witness the cruel punishment, while the sly gypsies, like shadows in the night, slipped through the streets, pilfering treasures, even from the sacred church's coffers.
Though the townsfolk found themselves stripped of their possessions and the captives left in despair, they could not turn away from the show. Alas, the cunning gypsies remained unaccused, for no eyes had seen their thieving misdeeds.
St. Tobias Sinceritas was filled with indignation when the gypsies entered his village, and scolded both the villagers and the gypsies. He rebuked them for gaining wealth at the expense of the misery of others. He brought them before the High Court, accused of theft, cruelty, and profiteering. Before the High Court, the leader of the gypsies raised his voice in protest, declaring that to strip his people of their means of livelihood was akin to stealing from them.
In the hushed chamber of that High Court, St. Tobias Sinceritas was steadfast in his resolve, faced the judge and proclaimed:
"If hardship is your craft, then let fairness be gauged by your own measure. In jesting with compassion and gaining from suffering, you have strayed far from the path of righteousness—now may justice take its rightful course.”
The wise judge, taking heed of Tobias’s counsel, commanded the guards to capture the gypsy leader. He found himself confined within the very stocks that had once held others, a fitting punishment for his own cruel deeds. No crowd was permitted to strike him, for true justice is not born of revenge. Thus, it was the king’s own guards who executed the sentence, administering calculated strikes as the law required.
The villagers, who had once reveled in the plight of others, were each ordered be spattered with the blood of the gypsy, and many grew ill. In the deed, no delight was discovered—only a heavy heart of shame for the pleasures once embraced. Once the punishment had been meted out, the gypsy leader found himself shattered and abandoned. St. Tobias loomed above him and declared:
“In your quest to evade the scales of fairness, you have now found yourself weighed and measured by the very standards you once dismissed. Understand the weight of your own limitations, and seek redemption—so that you may avoid greater misfortune in both the life to come and the afterlife.”
Upon witnessing the grim destiny of their chief, the wanderers took flight in fear, forsaking their nefarious paths. The villagers, burdened by guilt for their past actions, welcomed the injured men they had once cheered against, pledging to shun the joy found in another's pain henceforth.
Thus, virtue emerged triumphant. In a town that had long been a den of cruelty, a remarkable transformation took place, as hearts softened and charity blossomed. Meanwhile, the once-mighty gypsy leader, now a shadow of his former self, faded into the mists of obscurity, his power and malice dissolved like morning fog.
©2025 Ali Lauderdale, presented by Live Free Live Rich Entertainment
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