Photographer: Suzanne Beard
There once was a woman who could talk to
animals. She enjoyed that very much because although there are many people who
can talk to animals, there are very few who can hear animals’ answers. On her
journeys through the forests, on the banks of little streams and strolling
through meadows she constantly talked to the animals. She asked them
interesting questions: What do they want to get out of life? What do they love
doing most and why? Would they change the world if they could?
Sometimes the animals invited her to do things
with them. “Come climb with me” the hairy worm would say. “Today you must swim”
the fish invited. And then she did.
One day, she was having a conversation with a
cow when the cow asked the woman: “How is it” said the cow, chewing her cud, “that
you can talk to us animals and understand our answers?”
“Well” said the woman, “one day when I was
young I came across a distorted tree. An owl was caught in its branches. ‘Please
help me’ the owl pleaded. ‘If you would free me from this tree I would give you
something that very few people receive.’
‘But of course I'll help you’ I said. I love
animals and would have freed him even without the promise of a special gift. But
the branches were all tangled and twisted and it took me a while and a lot of
effort to get the owl out.
Released, the owl shook his feathers, moved his
feet one by one, blinked his eyes three times at me and off he went. From that
moment on I could talk to animals.”
“Aaah” said the cow, “a beautiful story. But
something puzzles me – the owl talked to you even before you freed him from the
branches and you could understand him.”
“Good gracious” said the woman, “I believe you’re
right! What on earth was the special gift then that the owl gave to me?”
And then she flew away.
Story by Bronte Hienz
George
George
Oh, my!
ReplyDelete