Short Stories
Parables and moral fables drawn from Dinka tradition — stories that teach through narrative.
Know Thy Friends
Once upon a time, there lived a kind-hearted man called Piɔn ɣer (Pure Heart) in "Love your neighbor as yourself" town in Jonglei State, South Sudan. Piɔn ɣer was admired by people from near and far for his kindness and altruistic leadership. A wise man called Aŋic Piɔthke Kɔcyic lived in the same town, just a few blocks away.
One day, Piɔn ɣer visited Aŋic Piɔthke Kɔcyic as part of his regular leadership practice. While they talked, Aŋic Piɔthke Kɔcyic asked him to name his three best friends. Piɔn ɣer obliged.
On hearing the names, Aŋic Piɔthke Kɔcyic smiled and asked, "How do you know these are your best friends?"
"Because I trust them and they trust me," Piɔn ɣer replied.
Aŋic Piɔthke Kɔcyic decided to test them. "A friend in need is a friend indeed," he said, and gave Piɔn ɣer three boiled eggs to share with his first friend. He asked Piɔn ɣer to observe the friend's behavior and report back.
Piɔn ɣer met his first friend and they each ate an egg. When Piɔn ɣer offered the third, his friend declined—"You eat it"—but after some back-and-forth, finally agreed and ate it.
The next day, Piɔn ɣer reported this to Aŋic Piɔthke Kɔcyic, who said, "This man is not your friend."
Aŋic Piɔthke Kɔcyic gave him three more eggs for his second friend. Piɔn ɣer met his second friend and they each ate an egg. When Piɔn ɣer offered the third, his friend took it without hesitation and ate it whole.
When Piɔn ɣer reported this, Aŋic Piɔthke Kɔcyic shook his head. "This man is not your friend either."
Finally, Aŋic Piɔthke Kɔcyic gave him three eggs for his third friend. This time, the friend cut the third egg in half and they shared it together.
When Piɔn ɣer reported this, Aŋic Piɔthke Kɔcyic jumped in jubilation. "This man," he said, "is indeed your best friend."
SOURCE: Gai Bol Luom
© 2017 Alier Reng
Trial by Fire
One day, the hyena and the fox travelled together to visit their in-laws. On arrival, they were warmly welcomed and served the finest meal. Their hosts kept a large compound filled with goats and sheep—a sign of both wealth and generosity.
After eating, everyone sat together and talked for hours before retiring for the night. As tradition required, the visitors were given the best sleeping place.
But the hyena, true to his nature, waited until everyone was fast asleep. In the middle of the night, he quietly crept to where the goats and sheep were kept, killed a goat, and ate until he was full. Then, hoping to shift the blame, he smeared the fox's mouth with the goat's blood and fat and slipped back to bed.
What the hyena did not know was that the fox had been awake the entire time.
After the hyena returned to his place, the fox got up, cleaned himself, picked up the goat's head from where the hyena had thrown it, and hid it inside the hyena. Then he returned to bed and slept as though nothing had happened.
At dawn, the household woke to the troubling discovery that one goat was missing. As the questions began, the hyena quickly accused the fox, insisting it was the fox who had eaten the goat.
But the fox, calm and clever, proposed a test.
"Let us dig a long trench, light a fire in it, and let each of us jump across," he said. "The truth will reveal itself."
The fox volunteered to go first. He jumped cleanly across to the other side.
Then it was the hyena's turn.
As he leapt over the fire, the goat's head fell out, and the truth was exposed before everyone. That was how the real thief was discovered.
In this life, some friends will try to trap you to save themselves. If you are not careful, they will gladly make you carry the blame for what they have done.
Moral Lesson
© 2026 Alier Reng
The Hedgehog and the Fox
A Night of Truth and Consequence
On a stormy night, beneath a sky torn open by thunder, the hedgehog and the fox set out for a dance gathering in a nearby village. The road was dark, the rain steady, and the night alive with uncertainty.
Along the way, they encountered what appeared to be a strong, quiet bull. Seeing opportunity, the fox took a rope and led it from the front, while the hedgehog followed behind, guiding it carefully through the mud.
Then the sky split open.
A flash of lightning.
In that instant, the fox saw it clearly—not the calm of a bull, but the sharp, unmistakable canines of a lion.
Danger. Immediate. Absolute.
But instead of warning his companion, the fox chose silence.
"I need to relieve myself," he said casually, handing the rope to the hedgehog.
And then he vanished into the night.
He ran. Not just from the lion—but from responsibility.
The hedgehog said nothing. But he saw everything.
Quietly, deliberately, he redirected the animal—not to the village, but to the fox's own home. There, he tied the lion firmly at the entrance. Only then did he continue on to the dance.
Later that night, as songs rose and laughter filled the air, the fox—emboldened by his escape—began to sing mockingly:
When lightning flashed, I saw its teeth! I left the hedgehog to pull the beast!
The crowd stirred.
And then another voice joined in. Calm. Measured. Unshaken.
The hedgehog.
Sing if you must, my clever friend—but know this: I tied it at your door before I came.
Silence followed.
Because truth, once revealed, does not need to shout.
Intelligence without integrity is temporary. Quiet wisdom always finishes the story.
Moral Lesson
© 2026 Alier Reng