The Fourth Wise Man (a Christmas Proofreading Story)
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We all know the story of the Three Wise Men who came bearing gifts at the birth of Jesus. But did you know that a fourth wise man was left out of the nativity story? This Christmas, we will finally tell the untold part of this tale: the story of Barry the proofreader.
Three Kings from the East
The traditional tale of the Three Wise Men focuses on three people, Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, who traveled to Bethlehem after spotting a star that prophesized the birth of Jesus.
As we all know, Bethlehem was short on accommodation at the time. And this meant that Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar had to stay the night with a mutual friend called Barry, who lived in Bethlehem having moved there from Lyme Regis in England two years previously.
“Hiya, lads!” Barry bellowed as he answered the door to the Wise Men. “Fun journey?”
“Greetings, friend!” said Melchior. “We come with good tidings! The King of the Jews has been born and we are here to pay tribute with three valuable gifts.”
“Oooh, that is big news!” said Barry, gesturing for them to enter his home. “Come on in and get comfortable. Is that a new robe, Cas? Suits you. Nice to see you, too, Balth. How’s the missus?”
And so the Wise Men crossed the threshold of Barry’s humble abode.
Three (Misspelled) Gifts for a Holy Child
Warming themselves by the fire, the Three Wise Men told Barry of their astrological studies: that they knew a king would be born in Bethlehem, and that a star would lead them there.
“And that’s why,” Balthazar said, “we came to pay tribute to the holy child.”
“Very exciting!” replied Barry. “What did you get the kid, then?”
Balthazar lifted a package from a bag. It was an urn labelled “Murr.”
“Murr?” asked Barry. “What’s that?”
Balthazar beamed proudly. “It is a rare perfume and anointing oil!”
“Oh, you mean ‘myrrh’!” said Barry. “You’ve misspelled it on the label, but that’s understandable. It’s a tricky word! Here, let me correct it for you.” As he said this, Barry retrieved a scrap of parchment and a pen, then wrote “Myrrh” in clear lettering. “Here you go!”
As Balthazar replaced the label on his vial, Barry turned to Caspar. “What’s your gift?” he asked.
“My gift is an incense held in high esteem by the Hebrews,” Caspar replied, proffering a neatly wrapped package with the words “Franking Sense” written on it.
Barry took the package and inhaled. “Oh, wow,” he said. “That does smell amazing. But I think you might have made a spelling mistake, too. May I?” As with the previous gift, Barry corrected the spelling, writing the word “Frankincense” in neat letters on a piece of parchment.
When he was done, Barry looked to Melchior. “Should I even ask?” he said.
Melchior held up a small box labelled with the word “Glod.”
Barry smiled. “That’s all right! Pass it here and I’ll correct it.” And so he did.
“Thank you, Barry,” Melchior replied. “Truly, you are the wisest among us when it comes to spelling. But how did you become so proficient with the art of letters?”
“Easy!” said Barry. “I took a course on the internet.”
The Fate of Barry the Proofreader
The next morning, the Three Wise Men left to search for the prophesized child.
Of course, Barry’s decision not to attend the tiny Christ’s birthday shindig meant he was written out of the official story. And most people have not heard of this fourth Wise Man.
This wouldn’t bother Barry, though. As a proofreader, he didn’t expect credit. Nobody puts the proofreader on a cover of a book, after all! And Barry was happy knowing that he had made a difference, making sure his friends didn’t embarrass themselves with their sloppy spelling.
And so, this Christmas, spare a thought for the proofreaders and editors out there. We might not hog the limelight, but you’d certainly notice if we weren’t there to help when you needed it!
Becoming A Proofreader
We hope that everyone reading this is having a wonderful Christmas period. But if you’re looking ahead to the new year already, why not make learning to proofread one of your resolutions?
Our Becoming A Proofreader course covers everything you need to know to work as a freelance proofreader. And with our free trial, you can try it out before you pay a penny. Sign up today to find out more!
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