I have a fable to share with you. This fable has roots that go back millenia. However, this version is much more recent. Roughly 60-80 years would be a good estimate. It is relatively unknown by the general public, but i was hoping some of you might be able to help me finish putting it together.

The fable begins with a simple farmer. This farmer is good and god fearing. He tends his fields so that he may provide for his family and the surrounding villages. He cares deeply about the land and works hard in order to make the land bountiful. The land has great potential and the simple farmer wants nothing more than to see it, and the people flourish. At the end of every season, the villages gather all the produce and store it into a safe place, the grain bin. This safe place holds all the hopes and dreams for the future of the people, and they rely on the farmer to keep it safe.

One day, the farmer was inspecting the grain bin where he stores all the wonderful foods the lands produce. He noticed rat droppings, and smelled their foul stench. He began to search in earnest, and he discovered chew marks and spoilt grains drug out from the bins. Then, and from a distance, the farmer spotted something. He saw what appeared to be a rat sharing grains between two other rats. The two rats were bloated and disgusting, filthy beasts. One of the beasts had flies buzzing its face, the other, grotesquely swollen legs to uphold its massive girth. Upon their discovery, the rats disappeared. Vanishing quickly into the night.

The farmer, startled by the discovery pondered its meaning. If rats outside the bin were swollen, fat, and disgusting, logic would dictate that they were feasting on the stores of food held safe for the people. So concerned was the farmer, he dug further into the logic. Whatever the third animal was that he had seen sharing crumbs, he had seen leaving the area of the bin. Concern led to dismay, which lead to a frightening realization. Just because he didn't see the one animal get into the bin, did not mean that others had not succeeded. How many times had the farmer and the villagers kicked certain rats out of the bin when discovered through heinous acts? How many of the rats left by themselves, maybe through fear of discovery, but let no otherword or action explain their motivations? And the most scary thought of all. How many were still in the bin, quietly devouring and feeding their own bloated bodies through the labors of the farmer and villagers? Fearing the worst, the farmer ran to the bin and cracked it open. As soon as he did, something from the darkness hissed a warning, a threat. The farmer quickly backed away and realized he must let the villagers know. It would take all of them to purge the bin if it had become overrun with rats, and they threatened the very survival of the people.

So the farmer ran to the nearest village. There he tried and tried again to get the townsfolk to listen. A few of the villagers noticed, but non-chalantly moved on. The reason for the apathy? The farmer believed that the bad mayor of the town recieved word quickly about the farmers attempt to notify the villagers. The mayor had his men quickly moved the farmers podium to a less noticeable location, and his goons entertained the villagers with many harmless stories and trivial entertainments. The farmer pleaded and pleaded with the villagers to take notice, but eventually stepped down dejected. . The farmer backed away and hurried home, worried about all of the unseen threats in this world.

By the time the farmer had arrived home, he had resolved to do what he must to protect the bin, and all the villagers. He realized that if he was to get the word out, he must go to another village. Further away, but much larger and he knew the people would be willing to listen. He hoped he could gather a group of willing people to come to the farm. Look at the rat trails, the discarded grains, and the despoiled food left behind. He believed that they may recognize the same threat, or they may offer an alternative theory. Maybe the mystery animal the farmer had seen was actually a bird. A very loud and singing bird. Why, if that was the case, the farmer would trust that the bird was working with the gaurddogs to keep safe the bin. But if necessary, the farmer would be willing to walk them to the spots and show them the clues and how he determined the threat.

It appears that i have run to the end of the fable that i know. There is some preamble that i could recall, that would add some depth of understanding to the fable. But at this point is unneccessary. Now, I am certainly not a professional storyteller, or even an amateur one at that, but if anyone would like to add to the preamble, feel free. Thank you for your time and i hope you enjoyed this fable.