“Old beggars in stories are never really old beggars,” Simmon said with a hint of accusation in his voice. “They’re always a witch or a prince or an angel or something.” “In real life old beggars are almost always old beggars,” I pointed out. “But I know what kind of story you two are thinking about. Those are stories we tell other people to entertain them. This story is different. It’s one we tell each other.” “Why tell a story if it’s not entertaining?” “To help us remember. To teach us—” I made a vague gesture. “Things.”
