A Parable About Obligation

There once was a woman who lived in the village of the singers.
They sang in the sun.
They sang out the day.
They sang in births.
They sang out deaths.
It was a happy village, productive and joyous.
The woman was one of the most beautiful singers in the village.
She was respected and a vibrant member of the community.
One day word came from the neighboring village of the silent.
The woman's parents had died.
The woman made the journey to the village where she was born to pay her respects.
As was custom the woman held vigil,
for three days and three nights in her parents house,
surrounded by her parents friends,
she sat in stuffy silence,
and all around her was but dour grief.
Her throat ached to sing.
But that was not the way in the village of the silent.
The three days and three nights passed.
Her parents mourned in accordance with tradition.
The woman left and returned to the village of the singers having done her duty.
She swore never to return.