At auction a miller bought a beautiful well-trained one-trick pony. Each time the pony performed the miller encouraged her with sweet words, and gave her apples.

Soon the miller decided he wanted to get his pony into the Olympics. So he took the pony to the Olympic Committee and while waiting in the hallway he met another fella also waiting to show off his act.

So they got to talking and the miller showed off his pony and her one trick to the fella, named Mike, in the waiting room. And Mike said, “Well you know your pony is ok but her mane and tail are too long and wild. The Olympic Committee will not like the way it looks.”

So the miller agreed, and took his prized pony outside, and he neatly cut the full mane and long tail off, then tied big pink bows where the mane and tail used to be. He returned to show the pony off again to Mike in the waiting room. This time Mike said, “Well, you know, I don’t like the way your pony smells like a horse. The Olympic Committee will not like the smell.”

So the miller thought about it and agreed, and thanked his friend for the advice. He took his pony out to get a nice grooming, a warm shower and a rub down with a fragrant shampoo, and returned to show off the pony again to Mike in the waiting room. This time Mike said, “Well, you know, I don’t know about your pony’s trick, it really isn’t very good. The Olympic Committee will not like the trick, it is too complex.”

So the miller took his pony aside and whispered in her ear, “Well, Pony besides all those other things, your trick isn’t any good”, and the performing pony thought, “Well, ok, I only have one trick and if its not good enough for my owner to give me compliments or apples -- I throw in the towel.” Dejected, she stopped doing her one trick.

Feeling confident the miller went back to the waiting room, and said to his friend Mike, who he had developed such a great relationship with, “Look I fixed everything, her mane and tail, the smell, and the pony isn’t doing her trick any more”. The miller gratefully offered the last apple to Mike.

All smiles, Mike lead his own one trick pony, who looked, smelled, and acted just like a horse, into perform for the Olympic Committee. As the door closed behind them, Mike yelled over his shoulder to the miller, “Hey that’s perfect!!! -- Know any tricks?” as he bit into the apple.

Seattle, Washington
August 14, 2004