Galen of the Woods... (original) (raw)

In all of my life, Galen has had but one secret. And Galen is a clever little child, yes, for she hid it where no one could ever see - in plain view. Indeed, the great and mighty Attila, for the life of him, never realised my deepest secret, though he acknowledged it every time I ever saw him. I hid it carefully and skillfully beneath an unlovable exterior; covered my round face with mud, and my clothing with leaves and unflattering furs. On my head, my beautiful crown - for, you see, Galen was the queen of the forest and woodland creatures! - made of reeds and grasses and a little birdie's broken nest. So clever and smart was Galen! So clever was she, that I shall bet that even you, in your self-assured wisdom, have not discovered it! But all right, all right, do not be angry at Galen, she will tell you...I will tell you my little secret.

For you see, what I have hidden all my years, is the simple and most obvious of facts: I am a woman. Yes, you say, but that is so terribly obvious! Of course it is. So obvious, that you never once paid attention to it. Never once accepted that, yes, that Galen, she is a woman. She sounds like a woman and, beneath her tricky facade, is built like a woman, and, underneath everything, at the very core of her being...feels things like a woman. Never once did you notice. And that is why it is my deepest, and darkest, secret.