Whether it's the big-hearted hooker, the henchman priest, the fate of poor Bobby Fischer, tripping with Tom O'Leary, or the last thoughts of a dying man, we are told their secrets by the only one who knows them all, The Storyteller. Yet what haunts the mind still lingers. What is his secret, or dare we ask? Well, here's what I think it is: I believe that each of the stories the aged one offers up contains one morsel of his mystery. When they are all ingested by the mind and the soul, they will reconstitute as one. It is truly a jigsaw puzzle of sorts in that, as each piece of the puzzle is examined, an image starts to form in mind. As each remaining piece is examined in turn and integrated into the whole, the secret starts to emerge. Many may, of course, challenge my assumptions, perceptions, or illusions, but I shall remain steadfast in my belief, albeit delusional. It's the best I've got and I'm sticking with it. So before you lay this splendid book down and we part company, I leave you with the words of the old tall taleteller himself, as he describes what can happen when we fail to recognize the truth before us. Perhaps that recognition is his secret. His voyage ended fruitless For he never found that sought He failed to let words point To where, in truth, they ought
