A Fable and a Brief Interlude

The Techie and the Bully were taking a load of melons to market one day in their old pickup truck.

The Techie was driving but pulled up at the foot of a very steep hill. “What’s up”? demanded the bully, “give her the gun, this old truck will take that hill no problem”. “But ….” Said the Techie but before he could make his point the Bully insisted again, “Go on, put your foot down”. “But………. But ………” said the techie to no avail as the Bully declared “Look, if you can’t do it move over and I’ll drive this truck up the hill, seems I have to do everything around here myself anyhow”.

But the Techie did not move over and instead climbed out of the cab and onto the back with the melons. “Well if you can’t stand the heat ……. Har har har” the Bully shouted after him as he took the wheel and rammed his foot down on the accelerator.

As the truck started up the incline the melons started to roll towards the back just as the Techie knew they would. He also knew that the faulty tailgate would fail to hold back the melons and that they would all roll off the truck and splatter on the road. He had told the Bully about the faulty tailgate several months ago but the Bully had replied, “Oh you techies, always wanting more gear, there’s nothing wrong with that tailgate. It aint abart the technology after all”.

And so the melons started to roll to the back and the tailgate flapped open as the incline increased. The Techie grabbed the melons and pushed them back but at each bump in the road he was thrown here and there and had a fair old task keeping all the melons on board. Somehow he managed it and the truck reached the top of the hill and soon after arrived at the market.

The Bully stopped the truck and climbed out. He took one look at the Techie sat beside the melons sweating profusely and declared “see, I told you it would be fine absolutely no problem, now lets get these melons onto the stall and make us some money”

And so the Bully went about his business completely oblivious of his own stupidity and totally unaware of the the Techies role in protecting him from his own stupidity.

Read A Visitor from the North