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The Original Warm Fuzzy
Tale By Claude Steiner
Once upon a time, a long time
ago there lived two very happy people called Tim and Maggi with their two
children, John and Lucy.
To understand how happy they
were you have to understand how things were in those days. You see, in
those happy days everyone was given, at birth, a small soft Fuzzy Bag.
Anytime a person reached into this bag he was able to pull out a Warm Fuzzy.
Warm Fuzzies were very much
in demand because whenever somebody was given a Warm Fuzzy it made him
feel warm and fuzzy all over. People who didn't get Warm Fuzzies regularly
were in danger of developing a sickness in their backs which caused them
to shrivel up and die.
In those days it was very easy
to get Warm Fuzzies. Anytime that somebody felt like it, he might walk
up to you and say, "I'd like to have a Warm Fuzzy." You would
then reach into your bag and pull out a Fuzzy the size of a little girl's
hand.
As soon as the Fuzzy saw the
light of day it would smile and blossom into a large shaggy Warm Fuzzy.
You then would lay it on the person's shoulder or head or lap and it would
snuggle up and melt right against their skin and make them feel good all
over.
People were always asking each
other for Warm Fuzzies, and since they were always given freely, getting
enough of them was never a problem.
There were always plenty to
go around, and as a consequence everyone was happy and felt warm and fuzzy
most of the time.
One day a bad witch became
angry because everyone was so happy and no one was buying potions and salves.
The witch was very clever and
devised a very wicked plan.
One beautiful morning the witch
crept up to Tim while Maggi was playing with their daughter and whispered
in his ear, "See here, Tim, look at all the Fuzzies that Maggi is
giving to Lucy. You know, if she keeps it up, eventually she is going to
run out and then there won't be any left for you."
Tim was astonished. He turned
to the witch and said, "Do you mean to tell me that there isn't a
Warm Fuzzy in our bag every time we reach into it?" And the witch
said, "No, absolutely not, and once you run out, that's it. You don't
have any more." With this, the witch flew away, laughing and cackling.
Tim took this to heart and
began to notice every time Maggi gave up a Warm Fuzzy to somebody else.
Eventually he got very worried and upset because he liked Maggi's Warm
Fuzzies very much and did not want to give them up. He certainly did not
think it was right for Maggi to be spending all her Warm Fuzzies on the
children and on other people.
He began to complain every
time he saw Maggi giving a Warm Fuzzy to somebody else, and because Maggi
liked him very much, she stopped giving Warm Fuzzies to other people as
often and reserved them for him.
The children watched this and
soon began to get the idea that it was wrong to give up Warm Fuzzies any
time you were asked or felt like it.
They too became very careful.
They would watch their parents closely, and whenever they felt that one
of their parents was giving too many Fuzzies to others, they also began
to object. They began to feel worried whenever they gave away too many
Warm Fuzzies.
Even though they found a Warm
Fuzzy every time they reached into their bag, they reached in less and
less and became more and more stingy. Soon people began to notice the lack
of Warm Fuzzies, and they began to feel less warm and less fuzzy. They
began to shrivel up, and, occasionally, people would die from lack of Warm
Fuzzies.
So the situation was very,
very dismal, and it all started because of the coming of the witch who
made people believe that some day, when least expected, they might reach
into their Warm Fuzzy Bag and find no more.

Not long ago, a lovely, strong
woman with big hips and a happy smile came to this unhappy land. She seemed
not to have heard about the witch and was not worried about running out
of Warm Fuzzies. She gave them out freely, even when not asked. People
called her the Hip Woman and some disapproved of her because she was giving
the children the idea that they should not worry about running out of Warm
Fuzzies.
The children liked her very
much because they felt good around her. They, too, began to give out Warm
Fuzzies whenever they felt like it.
The grownups became concerned
and decided to pass a law to protect the children from using up their supplies
of Warm Fuzzies. The law made it a criminal offense to give out Warm Fuzzies
in a reckless manner, without a license.
Many children, however, seemed
not to know or care, and in spite of the law they continued to give each
other Warm Fuzzies whenever they felt like it and always when asked.
Because there were many many
children...almost as many as grownups...it began to look as if maybe the
children would have their way.
As of now it is hard to say
what will happen. Will the forces of law and order stop the children? Are
the grownups going to join with the Hip Woman and the children in taking
a chance that there will always be as many Warm Fuzzies as needed?
Will Tim and Maggi, recalling
the days when they were so happy and when Warm Fuzzies were unlimited,
begin to give away Warm Fuzzies freely again?
The struggle spread all over
the land and is probably going on right where you live. If you want to,
and I hope you do, you can join by freely giving and asking for Warm Fuzzies
and by being as loving and healthy as you can.
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