A Pillow Full of Feathers

It was a cold and blustery evening in Willowdale the wind howling outside and the rain beating against the windows. Cordinellas sat by a roaring fire, the flames dancing and casting shadows across the room. His guests huddled around him, listening intently as he regaled them with a tale about a man with a terrible affliction - gossipmongering.

The man in question was a tavern keeper, named Zvi at the Boar and Thistle, a jolly sort who loved nothing more than to entertain his friends with stories and anecdotes. But his love of gossip was his downfall. He couldn't resist sharing every juicy detail he heard, no matter how personal or sensitive.

One day, he heard something particularly scandalous about a stable keeper in town, and he simply couldn't resist sharing it with his friends. From there, the story spread like wildfire, until it reached the ears of the stable keeper himself. He was devastated - his reputation ruined and his livelihood threatened.

Cordinellas knew the tavern keeper well and decided to take matters into his own hands. He summoned the man and gave him a stern lecture about the evils of slander. The tavern keeper was contrite, but Cordinellas knew he needed to drive the lesson home..

He asked the man if he had any feather pillows at home, and when he confirmed that he did, Cordinellas ordered him to bring one to his study. The man was confused but complied, holding the pillow gingerly under his arm.

Cordinellas then did something unexpected. He asked the man to cut open the pillow, right there in his study. Feathers flew everywhere, covering every surface in a fluffy white blanket. The man looked horrified, but Cordinellas was not done yet.

"Now, gather up all the feathers," he commanded. "Every last one of them. Put them back in the pillow."

The man was aghast. "But sir, it's impossible. Some of them have flown out the window, and I can't get them back!"

Cordinellas nodded gravely. "That's the point," he said. "Once a rumor or a piece of gossip leaves your lips, you can never take it back. It spreads like feathers in the wind, and you can't control where it goes or who it affects."

The tavern keeper was shaken by the lesson, and Cordinellas gave him several tasks to make amends. He was to apologize to the stable keeper and to everyone else he had shared the story with. He was to study the laws of slander every day for a year and come back to Cordinellas when he was done.

To his credit, the tavern keeper did just that. He studied diligently, and he spoke to everyone he knew about the importance of guarding one's tongue. In time, he became known not for his gossiping but for his wisdom and discretion. And so it was that a man who once had a terrible affliction overcame it and became a model of virtue and self-control.