THE TRUTH FAIRY

By Rita Grimaldi

What if there was a truth fairy

And every time a storyteller told a personal story and he or she strayed from how things really happened, this Truth Fairy would appear and say, “Now now that is not how it really happened. You must retell that part of the story again as it really happened.”

But no Truth Fairy exists and those of us who have the innocence to be gullible, suffer from her non-existence.

Telling the old stories is different. When I tell the old stories, everyone is aware that these oral gems have been passed down word of mouth for hundreds of years. Everyone knows that they are always changing and evolving.

But personal stories are not like the old stories. They belong to those who lived them and they become part of a relationship between the teller and the listener. When the teller obviously changes what happened, as in telling tall tales, the relationship remains in tact. But for me, when the changes that are made are not obvious and I find out later about these changes, I feel some how misled and cheated.

In defending his or her stretching of the facts, the teller might say, “Well if I tell the story with these changes to what really happened then I will effect the listener more.” This for me is not a good reason to change the story.

A simple solution exists. This solution would keep the honesty of the teller/listener relationship intact.

If the teller chooses to change facts or circumstances in the story, before telling the story he or she would say,

“I have changed certain things in this story. For me these changes make the story more interesting.”

Then the Truth Fairy will be satisfied. The story will come into the realm of fantasy and out of the realm of reality.