Digression

Once upon a time, there was a very talkative King who loved to tell stories. He had a gift for telling long and engaging tales that left everyone entertained, but he also had a problem. Whenever he told his stories, he would often get sidetracked and go off on a tangent, forgetting the point he was trying to make.

One day, the King decided to hold a contest amongst his subjects. He asked them to come up with a word that best described what he often did when telling stories. He promised a great reward to whomever could come up with the word he was thinking of.

Many people submitted their guesses, but nobody was able to guess the King’s word. Finally, a young peasant boy stepped forward with his answer, “ASIDE!” He explained that the King often would go ‘aside’ from the story to share a related side story or anecdote.

The King was thoroughly impressed with the boy’s insight and declared him the winner of the contest, rewarding him handsomely. From that day on, whenever the King would tell a story, the word ‘aside’ would be used by all in his court as a reminder to stay focused on the main point of the story, but also embrace the related anecdotes that make it all the more interesting.