User:Tempodivalse/A short story

''This is just a short story, not intended as a judgment of any particular individual. Make of it whatever you wish.''

The residents of one riverside village had once built a big, beautiful ship. The villagers would show off their creation with pride to any passing visitors.

One day, for some reason, the ship sprung a small leak while at the dock. The villagers became quite alarmed upon discovering this problem. Someone offered to plug the leak from the interior, but started arguing with another resident who thought the hole should be plugged from the exterior. A third villager demanded proof that plugging the leak would stop the flow of water, and yet another person questioned whether the leak would hurt the boat at all.

Soon the entire community became involved and started arguing on the dockside, each repeating his own opinion and refusing to listen to anyone else. Meanwhile, in the background, the boat started to slowly sink, unnoticed by the group. When the villagers finally realised what had happened, their prized possession was at the bottom of the river.