The Shepherd

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Le Père Martin" (1888) by Ruben Saillens and unwittingly plagiarized as " Papa Panov's Special Christmas" by Leo Tolstoy Then there is Murgatroyd from Midland, in Emperor, who is on vacation in Mauritius with his wife and a young colleague, due to the bank he has worked all his life for appreciating his initiative in a whole lot of accounts being opened at the branch - he has suggested the new factory pay the workers in cheques the way they do executives, so the salary shall be safe from theft and pubs. Mauritius would be wasted in spite of the beauty and the infinite ocean he appreciates while his wife does her best to ignore it all and be as unpleasant as in ever rainy and cold Bognor they live in, but for one accidental cancellation of a fishing trip the younger man discovers he can go on for half the usual price, and gets the older one to go on with him - "don't tell your wife" is the most practical suggestion he gives. The story relates accidental discovery of a simple soldier with not much mental acuity, born poor and in the British army because it was one way to survive and earn at a very young age, and his life and accidental discovery of him by a couple travelling from Ireland. Horror for one, complete unawareness for another, and comprehension of both for third, while yet another not even able to understand much of English.

The British ruling however failed to assess the people's hearts and had some of the men executed in Dublin instead of transporting them to Liverpool, and this turned the tide, and south with Dublin was free in two years. Discerning readers will notice that the tone of The Shepherd is comparable to the narrative structure and thematic of Hemingway’s The old Man and The Sea. In many respects, the real drama of The Shepherd is dictated by the unknown. Like Santiago in Hemingway’s novel, Forsyth’s R.A.F. pilot protagonist is pinned against natural forces that test the limits of human ingenuity and fortitude. All that is bad enough, but it can get worse when it is not private gossip spoken of with some guilt combined with concealed joy in misery of others, whispered amongst colleagues or neighbours or relatives or general society, in drawing rooms or around lunch tables or water coolers in offices. What if it is published in a newspaper, and worse, one with large circulation and some credibility amongst readers generally? The main themes of the story are how he is guided to a safe landing and how he tries to find the pilot who saved him.

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Since 1979, the story has been told on the Canadian news show As It Happens on CBC Radio One. It is always read by Alan Maitland and is always on the last episode, which is always on or before Christmas Eve. As it Happens had a 50th anniversary special in 2018, and Carol Off, Michael Enright, and Tom Power read lines from The Shepherd to honour the tradition.

What do you do when someone gossips and spreads false accusations and insinuations about you in public? Precious little unless the said person is honest and likely to correct his or her mistake with a public retraction to begin with, and possibly an apology. Most people have experienced some form of this what with gossip and false bad news being quite so spicy most people who hear such things would like to do so and further spread it about with a virtuous air of protecting others. Marvel: WandaVision • The Falcon and The Winter Soldier • Loki • What If...? • Hawkeye • Moon Knight • Ms. Marvel • She-Hulk: Attorney at Law • Secret InvasionFor one Royal Air Force pilot, one last hurdle remains between himself and a cozy Christmas morning in England. A sixty-six-minute flight in his Vampire fighter plane from Germany to Lakenheath. The synopsis everywhere pretty much tells what it is about, although it does not say how beautifully it is written. Quite lyrical, unlike most work of this author, although that is not to say his other works are lesser, merely different. This one is comparable rather to works of Richard Bach and James Hilton in its qualities of lyrical beauty. There is suspense of course, a matter of life and death, and more. Every year, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts a reading of The Shepherd by Alan Maitland. Maitland passed away in 1999, but recordings of him reading The Shepherd are available, like this 32 minute reading on You Tube. The unforgettable - No Snakes in Ireland - and other equally good ones one has come to expect from Forsyth.