The boy who helped in the outbreak

[mellow]

Once upon a time, two zombies wandered into the village.

There had been a village watch for zombies, but a small boy had chased them away.

"Hoax!" said the small boy. "Fake news!"

"It's no worse than the flu," agreed Reynard, the fox, thinking of unguarded hen houses. "The flu killed 10 villagers last year. The zombies have killed only one, in this first week, so far."

Some villagers listened to Reynard and the small boy. They ridiculed the concerns others had about the zombie outbreak, and took no precautions themselves.

"It's no worse than the flu!" they shouted angrily in people's faces.

Soon there were six zombies.

Other villagers had learned not to trust the small boy and the fox. If they say there's nothing to worry about, thought the villagers, then the village must be in extremely great danger. They didn't know what to do, but knew they had to do something.

They started hoarding corn husks.

Corn husks grew scarce. Villagers descended on the one small field left. Zombies descended on the crowded villagers.

Fourteen zombies wandered the west side of the town, looking for brains. The small boy was safe. He was on the east side. He was playing in his clubhouse.

"All the zombies are going to disappear," said the boy, playing with a little ball. "Poof. Like a miracle. They’ll all just go away after winter. We’ll see what happens. Nobody knows."

The town doctor knew. He disagreed with the small boy. "It's going to get worse," he said. "The mortality rate is much higher from zombies than the flu. And zombies spread faster." But the doctor was told to clear all future comments with the small boy’s smaller friend.

"Spreading fear of zombies is irresponsible," Reynard said. "This is just a new conspiracy theory to hurt the small boy."

Villagers started staying at home, and locking their doors. The small boy was concerned.

"Go to work!" said the small boy. "The village market will be fine!"

The thirty zombies in the village spread into the town square. The small boy made an important decision.

"I'm closing the town gate!" said the small boy. "I'm doing a great job!"

Most of the younger villagers could outrun the zombies. But their older relatives were more at risk. And the villagers loved their parents and grandparents, their aunts and uncles, their older brothers and sisters.

Sixty zombies spread throughout the village.

"It wasn't my fault!" said the small boy. "I'm not responsible!"

Finally, the small boy had said one true thing. But no one heard him. All the remaining villagers were locked in their houses, with supplies dwindling, other than corn husks. A hundred zombies pressed against their doors.

[RussellCattle]

1. OK, I'll bite. Who is Reynard the Fox supposed to be?

[mellow]

2. He's a news source ...

From wikipedia:

"[a] trickster figure. His adventures usually involve him deceiving other anthropomorphic animals for his own advantage or trying to avoid their retaliatory efforts. "

Also from wikipedia:

"Fox News has been described as practicing biased reporting in favor of the Republican Party, the George W. Bush and Donald Trump administrations, and conservative causes while slandering the Democratic Party and spreading harmful propaganda intended to negatively affect its members' electoral performances. Critics have cited the channel as detrimental to the integrity of news overall."

[RussellCattle]

4. Fox News! How did I miss that one? I was hung up on one of the little boys immediate posse.

Thanks.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

3. K & R!

[Bayard]

5. I love anything involving zombies!

Oh, wait......is this one of those alagorie things?

Speaking of zombies, I have a dilemma. The debate Sunday night is on against The Walking Dead. Which one do I watch first?