The Village Mute
And what might have happened to him
Phyllis and her husband were delighted when Phyllis’ sister Megan and her husband and 12-year-old boy visited. They lived far away and could visit no more than once a year.
Megan’s family was very outdoorsy and liked nothing better than going on hikes so Phyllis and her husband had planned on hiking with them in the hills just outside of the village.
They had barely started their hike when they reached the top of the small hill just outside the village. Atop the hill was a marble statue of an old skinny man with long scraggly hair and a long beard sitting in meditation looking out over the village.
“Oh my,” said Megan. “This is new. When was this statue put here?”
“Last year shortly after you guys last visited.”
The 12-year-old boy asked, “Who is that a statue of?”
“It’s a statue of the village mute. Some people called him the village idiot. He lived in our village many years ago. I was just a little girl when he was an old man and disappeared.”
“He disappeared? And what’s a mute?”
“Well, no one ever knew what happened to him. You see, he was born without a tongue so he could not talk. He could only make a few sounds like aaaa and uuuu and mmmm. So he…
