Wordsmith at work

  I’m rumour. Don’t confuse me with gossip. Gossip is generally an unkind conversation about a person in their absence, while I’m an unofficial story that could be true or invented. I come from no specific place or person. I’m nobody’s child. Once I’m in circulation, I travel quickly, often leaving the truth far behind. Truth is evidence, context, hurtful at times, and boring. I generally come from hearsay, an incomplete or misunderstood conversation, a half-heard sentence, no clarification, or an overactive imagination. As I gather momentum. I grow spicier and longer. However, I cannot be vouched for. You humans just love passing me on. You give me legs and wings and wheels, and I speed along through offices, canteens, street corners, boardrooms, and classrooms. My endings are quiet. I die a natural death when something more interesting comes along, or, to everyone's shock and embarrassment, I’m disproved. I would advise you to refrain from passing me on, as I might br...