The Parable of the Stone Circle

One day while teaching, Josh was asked, ”Teacher, will we ever know the purpose of Stonehenge?”

Josh spoke thus:

A real estate agent and a prospective buyer were surveying a back garden.  In the back garden stood a circle of twelve stones.  Each stone was about four feet tall and slender.  There were no markings on the stones, which were partially covered in lichen.

“What does it do?” the prospective buyer asked.

“Nobody knows,” the real estate agent said.

“How long has it been here?” the prospective buyer asked.

“Nobody knows,” the real estate agent said.

“Is it some kind of sundial?” the prospective buyer asked.

“Nobody knows,” the real estate agent said.

“A calendar, maybe?” the prospective buyer said.

“Nobody knows,” the real estate agent said.

“It’s got to do something,” the prospective buyer said.

“Mostly, it scares away buyers,” the real estate agent said, “People consider it creepy.”

“Creepy?” the prospective buyer asked, “Why?”

“I shouldn’t tell you this,” the real estate agent said, “But it has a ghost.”

“A ghost?” the prospective buyer asked, “What kind of ghost?”

“An ancient ghost,” the real estate agent said.

“Like as ancient as the rocks ancient?” the prospective buyer asked.

“At least that ancient,” the real estate agent said.

“What’s the ghost look like?” the prospective buyer asked, “No, don’t tell me:  nobody knows.”

“It’s associated with the seasons,” the real estate agent said, “It appears on the equinoxes and the solstices.”

“The what?” the prospective buyer asked.

“The equinoxes are when the days and nights are of equal length,” the real estate agent said, “The beginning of spring and fall.  The solstices are the longest and shortest days of the year.  Midsummer’s Night, which is the beginning of summer, is the summer equinox.  It’s supposed to be a magical night.  And the winter equinox is the new year.”

“And Christmas!” the prospective buyer said, “The house has a Christmas ghost!”

“You could say that,” the real estate agent said.

“I do say that,” the prospective buyer said, “We have to have a Christmas ghost!”

The prospective buyer took out a phone.

“Honey,” the prospective buyer said into the phone, “We’ve found it.  This place has a Christmas ghost.  Yeah, in an ancient stone circle, no less!  It’s no contest: we’re buying.”  The prospective buyer turned to the real estate agent and said, “We’ll take it.”

The real estate agent took out a phone.

“I’ll meet you inside,” the agent said to the prospective buyer, “I just want to make a call.”

“Sure,” the prospective buyer said, “I’ll see you inside.”

After the prospective buyer had left, the real estate agent said into the phone, “You were right, putting in the stones was a stroke of genius. These Yanks are suckers for ghosts.  I’ll be home for tea.”