<P>"If a fable is a legendary story of supernatural happenings," Mr. Swann says, "or a narration intended to enforce a useful truth, then these four <EM>are</EM> fables--which shouldn't be confused with fairy tales targeted only for children. These, then, are tales for kind and loving people of all ages."</P><P>"The Temple of Sanity" tells of an idea that became a reality and grew into an insitution, only to develop rules and leaders, cliques and critics . . .</P><P>"A Clay-Modeling Lesson" tells of the four identical boys separated at birth and raised Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and atheist, and how they met as representatives of their respective communities . . .</P><P>"The Fate and Destiny of a Traveling Clairvoyant" tells of a woman with a special talent, who found that people prefer seeing dimly to seeing clearly . . .</P><P>"Watcher of the Purple River" tells of an old woman and a young man, and how she taught him to watch the river of life . . .</P><P>These fables came to Ingo Swann as a gift from a part of himself: He awoke four mornings in a row and literally <EM>had </EM>to write them. They have in common a gentle wisdom, a kindness, an empathy, that will make them immediately precious--and then unforgettable--to the reader whose heart is open.</P>