THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 23, 1995 TAG: 9504200211
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
SOURCE: Ron Speer
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
Once upon a time, in the lovely land of Dare, the sheep were so fat and prolific that for a long time nobody complained when a wolf darted in and gobbled up a few.
But as more people moved to the bountiful village, all the sheep were needed for everyone to enjoy life.
So the people of Dare chose a new shepherd to help watch the flock and keep the wolves at bay.
The new shepherd had long complained that the other shepherds never saw the wolves that were thinning the flock. Sometimes, she said, some of the old-timers even closed their eyes while a sheep was slaughtered.
The old shepherds did not take kindly to the new shepherd's criticism. Realizing, however, that times were changing, they tried to welcome her to their fold.
But the new shepherd became even shriller, and said only she could save the sheep from the wolves. The old-timers said there were no wolves, and told the villagers not to worry.
But the new shepherd swung her staff at anything that looked remotely like a wolf.
On her first day of tending the sheep, she saw danger. ``Wolf!'' she cried. ``Wolf! Wolf!''
The villagers came running to fight off the animals.
But there was no sign of wolves. The townsfolk went back to their beds, and the other shepherds looked wonderingly at each other.
Next morning, the new shepherd no sooner had taken up her staff than once again her cry rang out, even more strident than before. ``Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!''
Once again the trusting people rushed out to help. But they saw no wolves. And the faces of the other shepherds grew more anguished.
On the third day, the new shepherd sounded the alert yet again, at the top of her voice: ``Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!''
The neighbors came slowly, grumbling about leaving their beds, but still ready to rescue the flock. When the villagers again saw no wolves, they were not happy campers.
The new shepherd said she could show them the wolves if the other shepherds would just give her information - lots of information - about the village of Dare.
Day after day she asked for more paper, and when information was slow in coming she said some not nice things - in a very shrill voice - about the other shepherds.
They, in return, said some not nice things about their new colleague. The shepherds all became so busy squabbling that nobody watched for wolves - and the villagers were sorely troubled.
They said that if the new shepherd kept slashing at the other shepherds with her shepherd's staff, and they slashed back, the staffs might be broken and nobody would be armed to lead them when the wolves did come.
The new shepherd made it clear that to her it was more important to get information than to provide for the well-being of the sheep. The veteran sheepherders continued to insist that the sheep were not in danger.
``There are no wolves in these parts,'' they told the townfolk. The villagers believed them, since all the new shepherd could produce were paper wolves.
And at the next dawn, nobody came when the new shepherd shouted, ``Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!''
The people went back to sleep as the cry continued to echo through the village. The old shepherds, exhausted and frustrated after another day of parrying the new shepherd's never-ending attacks, returned, too, to their beds.
While they slept, and the new shepherd crusaded for still more information, the wolves brushed aside her facts and figures and dragged off the fattest and wooliest of the sheep.
When the villagers arose, nobody complained about the missing sheep. In the land of Dare, everybody knew there were no wolves - so they all lived happily ever after.
Or did they? by CNB