Once upon a time there was a flock of sheep. They lived and grazed in open fields day after day. They were content and generally got along with each other.

One day, the sheep began to hear rumors about a giant rolling rock ball heading their direction from far away. They could not see the rolling rock, or hear the rolling rock, and the sheep went about their business as if all was well.

Soon, a wolf came to the flock. He was not a bad wolf. Rather, he was a wolf who had traveled far and wide. He knew about the rolling rock and came to talk to the sheep.

“Sheep,” the wolf said. “Listen to me. I will be building a fortress of stone to protect us from the rolling rock that is coming this direction. There will be room enough for all you, and you are all welcome to join me inside at no cost to you.”

The sheep were not very interested. Many did not believe the rumors that the rolling rock was coming. They continued to go about their business as if all was well.

The wolf began to build the fortress. The sheep paid little attention as day after day the fortress got bigger and stronger, until at last it was finished. By this time, some of the sheep had heard the sound of the rolling rock, or heard from sheep who had seen the rolling rock.

“Sheep,” the wolf said. “The fortress is finished. The rolling rock is getting closer. You are welcome to come inside and be safe.”

A few of the sheep went into the fortress, but the rest remained in the fields. They did not trust the wolf, and they thought that the sheep who went into the fortress were gullible and stupid. How could something like a rock be so dangerous? they wondered aloud.

The next day, the wolf again invited the sheep into the fortress, but they refused. Now the rolling rock could be seen on the horizon, heading their direction. The sheep wondered aloud how any fortress built so quickly could be any good.

The next day, the wolf again invited the sheep into the fortress, and again they refused.

“Why do you not come inside the fortress and be safe?” the wolf asked.

“You are lying,” the sheep said. “We don’t trust you.”

“Why don’t you trust me?” the wolf asked.

“Because you are a wolf,” the sheep said.

“Who do you trust,” the wolf asked. The sheep thought about this for a while.

“We trust other sheep,” the sheep said.

“Who else do you trust,” the wolf asked. The sheep again thought about this for a while.

“We trust the shepherd,” the sheep said. “If the shepherd tells us that it is safe inside the fortress, then we will go in.”

So the wolf went to talk to the shepherd. As soon as the shepherd saw the wolf approaching his home, he grabbed his gun and shot the wolf. The shepherd did not trust the wolf either. The wolf died on the spot where he fell.

The next day, the rolling rock arrived and crushed most the sheep in the flock, and they died. The rock struck the fortress and caused some damage but the walls held fast and those who were inside were unharmed.

The next day, the shepherd came to the field of dead sheep. He was not concerned that the rolling rock had crushed them. He skinned them all and butchered them. He was pleased to be well stocked in meat and wool for a very long time.

The sheep inside the fortress came out and started a new flock. As they moved from pasture to pasture, they came upon other sheep. They told the other flocks about the rolling rock and how the wolf saved them with his fortress and how the shepherd did nothing to help them. The other flocks did not believe this story.

Years went by, and everyone forgot that this ever happened.

The End