​A Voice from the Cloud

As the story goes, there was a nineteenth-century English headmaster named Dr. Parr who insulted some visiting Americans who, with Parr, were dinner guests. The host of the dinner was angry that Dr. Parr had offended the Americans and rebuked him for his remarks. Parr left the room in ill humor and retired to his bedroom. The other guests walked outside with the Americans to ease tension by describing Parr’s blunt temperament and personality. Parr taught private students as though he were a Zeus with little patience.
 
As the group talked outside, a very dark cloud passed over them. Suddenly, Parr’s voice seemed to come from the cloud. Again they heard Parr’s voice emanating from the dark cloud. Bewildered, they asked where Parr was. They rushed back into the house to locate him and entered his bedroom. Seems that Parr, still in a huff for being ostracized by the group, sat on a fireplace grate in the room to smoke his pipe. The grate collapsed beneath him, and he had tumbled backwards, getting himself stuck in the process. His cry for help had gone up the chimney and then descended upon the group outside, his voice seemingly coming from the dark cloud.
 
Those who would be Zeus are usually those whose voices only appear to emanate from the heavens. Many are really just people stuck behind a grate.