The goats and the goatherd
Written By - Prabir Rai Chaudhuri
© All Copyright Reserved By Prabir Rai Chaudhuri- 2023
Image By Prabir Rai Chaudhuri
Adaptation
of Aesop's fable
This
is the little story of a goatherd who every morning, as soon as dawn came, left
the farm followed by
Their
goats to eat fresh grass in the field.
One
day, while he was watching them, twelve mountain goats that lived without an
owner, jumping between the rocks, approached his goats calmly. He was
pleasantly surprised to see how they mingled peacefully and shared the grass as
if they had known each other their whole lives.
After
a while, he realized that he had a golden opportunity right before his nose
that he should take advantage of.
-
This is great! Since they get along so well I'll take them all and I'll have
many more in the herd.
With
his cane he swirled them around him and led them to the farm. Both domestic and
wild obeyed without question, entered the stable orderly and spent the night
together.
The
next morning the shepherd got up and had a hearty breakfast of milk, bread, and
ham. Then he cleaned up, put on a straw hat, and gripped his shepherd's stick
firmly. With a firm step he approached the stable, but when he was going to
take the goats out, a huge storm broke out.
-
Wow, what an annoyance! I'm afraid you won't be able to go out today, my little
goats.
I
had to feed the animals but with the rain it was impossible to take them to
graze. The only solution was to change the menu for the day and give them some
of the hay he had in store for the winter.
–
Don't worry, I have dry grass stored in the warehouse. I'll bring it to you
right now!
The
man returned with a wheelbarrow full of fodder and distributed it but not
evenly: he gave a handful to each of his goats and three handfuls to each
mountain goat.
–
You are my guests and I want you to feel comfortable here because now this is
your house. I need you and I don't want you to leave!
In
this way his goats ate just enough while the others enjoyed a huge portion.
The
day passed, the night passed, and by the next morning the storm was gone,
giving way to bright, warm sunshine. The shepherd went to the stable and opened
the thick wooden door.
–
Come on, girls, today we are going to the meadow! It rained a lot yesterday and
today the grass will be wetter and more exquisite than ever!
Giving
short steps all the goats left the stable heading to the field. Already in the
chosen place, the shepherd's women began to eat anxiously while the mountain
women, seeing themselves free, ran out to return to the mountain where they had
always lived.
The
shepherd was stunned seeing how they disappeared in the distance and became
enraged.
–
You are ungrateful, you are ungrateful! I have given you more food than my own
goats and you repay me like this!... How little shame you have!
One
of the runaway goats heard his words and said to him from the top of a rock:
–
You are very wrong, pastor! It's your fault we're leaving!
The
man felt even angrier.
–
What's my fault? But how dare you say that to me!?
The
mountain goat looked into his eyes and without blinking, yelled at him:
–
Yes, yours because your behavior was unfair and we no longer trust you. You
gave less food to the goats that have been with you for so many years than to
us when you don't even know. If we stayed to live with you and one day other
unknown goats arrived, you would treat them better than us. Forgive me for
telling you, but in life, the most loved ones come first.
The
pastor could not reply to anything because he understood that he had made a
huge mistake. The goat was right, but it was already late. Still and silent, he
watched as she and her bouncing companions scurried away, happy to have her
freedom back.
Moral:
Do not trust people who promise you or give you the best, leaving their true
friends aside. If they are not good with the people they love the most, they
will not be good with you either.
