Once there were two hogs and a sow who lived in a sturdy pen outside an old man’s hut. Then the old man died. That morning, no one brought food to the pen; the next morning, no one brought food to the pen. By evening the animals were panicked and ravenous, the bottom of the trough licked smooth as tile. “The man will come with food tomorrow,” one hog assured the rest. “He always comes with food.”
“Well, he didn’t come today, smart guy,” the other hog snapped back, his voice rising. “So watch it with that always.” For a long moment they glowered at each other, but then the sow intervened.
