This an old but good story sent to us by Martyn Williams.
An American photographer on vacation in the UK was inside a church in London taking pictures, when he noticed a golden telephone mounted on the wall with a sign underneath which read “£10,000 per call”.
The American, intrigued, asked the priest who was strolling by, what the telephone was used for. The priest replied that it was a direct line to heaven, and for £10,000 the caller could talk to God. The American thanked the priest and went on his way.
The next stop for the American was Lincoln, and there at a very large cathedral, he saw the same golden telephone with the same sign underneath. He wondered if this was the same kind of telephone he had seen in London, and asked the nun who had been praying nearby, what was the purpose of the telephone. She told him that the golden telephone was a direct line to heaven, and that for £10,000 he could talk direct to God. He thanked the nun and moved on.
The American then visited Bath, Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester, Southampton and several other large cities in England, each time visiting a church. Each time he found the same golden telephone with the same “£10,000 per call” sign underneath.
The American then decided that he would travel to Wales, to see if the Welsh had the same type of telephone in their churches. He arrived in Cardiff and again, in the first church he entered, there was the same golden telephone .. but this time the sign underneath read “50 pence per call”.
The American was very surprised, so he sought out the priest and enquired about the sign. “Father”, he said, “I have travelled all over the length and breadth of England, visiting countless churches, and I have seen this same golden telephone in all of them. But in the English churches, the price was always “£10,000 per call. Can you tell me why is it only 50 pence here in Wales?”
The priest smiled warmly and replied, “You’re in Wales now my son … it’s just a local call”.
Note
Unless, of course, you’re calling from Satan’s phonebox (Tregaron 666)! In which case, the call is free. This is the nearest phone box to Capel y Zoar (Cefn-cerrig-Telefon)
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