The Alligator-River Story

Characters:

Rosemary

Geoffrey

Sinbad

Frederick

Dennis

Rosemary is a young woman of about 21 years of age. For several months, she has been engaged to a young man named Geoffrey. The problem she faces is that between her and her fiancé, there lies a river. No ordinary river, but a deep, wide river filled with hungry alligators.

Rosemary wonders how she can cross the river. She remembers Sinbad, who owns the only boat in the area. She then approaches Sinbad, asking him to take her across. He replies, “Yes, I’ll take you across if you spend the night with me.” Shocked at this offer, she turns to another acquaintance, Frederick. Frederick responds by saying, “Yes, Rosemary, I understand your problem – but it’s your problem, not mine.” Rosemary decides to return to Sinbad, spends the night with him, and in the morning, he takes her across the river.

Her meeting with Geoffrey is warm. But on the evening before they are to be married, Rosemary feels she must tell Geoffrey how she succeeded in getting across the river. Geoffrey responds by saying, “I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last woman on earth.”

Finally, Rosemary turns to her friend Dennis. Dennis listens to her story and says, “Well, Rosemary, I don’t love you…but I will marry you.” And that’s all we know of the story.