- Parables -

Lure & Folly 

 From “Illyon” by Cynthia Mayne, 1995 

Path to Power

"It gives me great secret pleasure to know the people are

unaware of what is really happening."        Adolph Hitler 

There was once a very wealthy and powerful man; he controlled everything around him and delighted in his personal collection of every known species of animal. 

One day he heard of an animal few had ever seen. It was an animal of rare beauty and, although many had tried, no one had ever been able to trap to one. An independent herd living deep is a lush forest; they were united in their ability to avoid capture. 

He wanted this animal for his own; he saw its capture as the crowning victory completing his personal collection. And so it came about that he journeyed to the village nestled in the shadow of the forest and asked of the whereabouts of this rare and beautiful animal he had come to trap. 

The villagers laughed and told him many had tried and all had failed. When those with large armies came back empty handed, what chance would he have, alone and without weapons? The man was not deterred and set off into the forest is search of his prey. 

The villagers soon forgot him as they went about their business. Months after, they were surprised to see him emerge from the forest. Seeing he was empty handed, they teased good-naturedly, inviting him to join them for the midday meal. Their laughter turned to amazement as he told them he had captured not one but the entire herd, which was now ready for shipment! 

They asked him his secret for success where all others had failed. This is what he told them: 

“I located the herd then looked for a clearing near-by where I put some food I had collected. Soon a few animals came to eat. At first they were wary of me, but I seemed to pose no threat and they soon accepted my presence. 

Each day I put food in the clearing and each day more and more animals came. The new arrivals were also wary at first, but as I seemed to pose no threat they too accepted my presence. 

Each day as they ate, I dug a hole and put one post in the ground. They weren’t troubled by the posts, the posts seemed to pose no threat and so they continued to come to the clearing for the food I provided. 

Post by post I formed a circle around the clearing and then began to put rails across each section. Starting with the low ones I mailed a new one in place each day, leaving one section open. The low rails seemed to pose no threat because the animals could step over them as they came to the clearing in greater numbers. 

After the low rails were in place I began to nail top railings on. The top railings began to block their entry and so they then began to move in through the open section. 

I continued to collect food and give it to them, and as more animals came I took more from their forest making it harder for them to survive unaided. They lost sight of the fact the food I gave was originally theirs, and accepted the fact that food was hard to come by. 

I continued to give, and they continued to take. I gave only what I considered was necessary to herd them in, stockpiling the balance for my own use. 

I waited until the entire herd was coming to the corral and then, one day after they had all entered and were busily eating, I quietly nailed a gate across the entrance.”

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