The Boy Who Cried Injustice
Entry posted by WorkingClassRuler
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There once was a shepherd boy who was bored as he sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. To amuse himself he took a great breath and sang out, "Injustice! Injustice! The Injustice is chasing the sheep!"
The villagers came running up the hill to help the boy drive the Injustice away. But when they arrived at the top of the hill, they found no Injustice. The boy laughed at the sight of their angry faces.
"Don't cry 'Injustice!', shepherd boy," said the villagers, "when there's no Injustice" They went grumbling back down the hill.
Later, the boy sang out again, "Injustice! Injustice! The Injustice is chasing the sheep!" To his naughty delight, he watched the villagers run up the hill to help him drive the Injustice away.
When the villagers saw no Injustice they sternly said, "Save your frightened song for when there is really something wrong! Don't cry 'Injustice' when there is NO Injustice!"
But the boy just grinned and watched them go grumbling down the hill once more.
Later, he saw a REAL Injustice prowling about his flock. Alarmed, he leaped to his feet and sang out as loudly as he could, "Injustice! Injustice!"
But the villagers thought he was trying to fool them again, and so they didn't come.
At sunset, everyone wondered why the shepherd boy hadn't returned to the village with their sheep. They went up the hill to find the boy. They found him weeping.
"There really was Injustice! here! The flock has scattered! I cried out, "Injustice!" Why didn't you come?"
An old man tried to comfort the boy as they walked back to the village.
"We'll help you look for the lost sheep in the morning," he said, putting his arm around the youth, "Nobody believes a liar...even when he is telling the truth!"
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