The Old Man and His Cyst

The Old Man and His Cyst

There once lived an old man who had a cyst on his cheek. It was a rather big, ugly cyst and very hard to hide. “ Ooh! I wish you were gone! ” the man shouted at his cyst. The old man took medicines and applied creams. He even tried removing it by force. Whatever he did was useless because the cyst continued to grow bigger each day. Despite the ugly cyst, the old man had a good heart.

He shared what he had with others. “ I have more than enough! ” he often said. While walking home one day, the sky suddenly turned dark. A terrible thunderstorm began, so the man ran for shelter. He found a hollow tree and hid inside it until the storm passed. When the rain finally stopped, the man stepped out of the tree.

Suddenly he heard strange sounds of laughter and singing. “ What in the world?” he wondered. The old man gasped at the sight. Just behind the tree, a group of goblins had gathered. They appeared to be having a party—dancing, singing, and drinking. As the old man watched, he soon began to enjoy himself too.

One of the goblins was a terrible dancer. The goblin leader could not stand to watch him anymore. “ Stop! You’re making me dizzy! Can anyone teach this poor goblin to dance?” he begged. “ Oh, I can! ” The old man stepped into their view. “ I used to be a dancer. See?” the old man said cheerfully. He showed the goblins his dancing skills.

Well, there was no doubt, the old man knew how to move. All the goblins, including the leader, were impressed. “ You must come back tomorrow night and teach us more steps! ” said the leader. “ I can teach you the tango! ” the old man replied eagerly. “ As a sign of promise, give me something that belongs to you, ” said the leader.