tale
tale (tāl) noun
1. A recital of events or happenings; a report or revelation: told us a long tale of woe.
2. A malicious story, piece of gossip, or petty complaint.
3. A deliberate lie; a falsehood.
4. A narrative of real or imaginary events; a story.
5. Archaic. A tally or reckoning; a total.
[Middle English, from Old English talu.]