SKANDA

Tales of Karmic Becoming

Ræl H. Bishop

The Lamb

Two lambs lived peacefully on a farm, one curious and one noble. They became the best of friends, and wallowed with their playmates gleefully. One day, the noble lamb vowed to their curious friend that they would always stay by the other’s side.

It was that very day when the head butcher of the village rounded up the finest lambs for slaughter. The curious lamb, the more replete of the two, was taken and placed into a pen with the rest of the to-be-slaughtered lambs. The noble lamb realized he needed to save his friend, and schemed a way to free the lambs. Wrestling a nearby scythe, he knocked over the pen and freed their friends with much commotion. Knowing his time was limited, the noble lamb stood in place and ordered his friend to go. The head butcher caught wind of this, and hesitantly the curious lamb fled the farm.

The curious lamb spent the next seasons of her life wandering the forest she once gazed at. Her coat grew coarse and unkempt, and the sorrow for her lost friend only amplified over the years as she grew into an adult.

∞

Then, by chance, she wandered into the yard of a modest farming family. Upon entering, she caught sight of a young child – and he caught sight of her. The two headed to each other’s direction, and became quick friends. Though complete strangers, the two felt like close friends; the sheep was reminded of her noble friend’s sacrifice from long ago. With some coaxing, the child convinced his parents to take in the sheep. They became the best of friends, and wallowed with their neighbors gleefully – a sight rather strange to passersby, but a wholesome sight nonetheless.

∞

One day, the two were out playing in the forest. The two stopped to pick flowers. There, the sheep noticed one of the trees was rather rickety at its base, and had a noticeable crack on its side. The child didn’t notice; he continued to pick flowers. Suddenly, a chopping noise could be heard, followed by a loud crack. Knowing what she had to do, the sheep rammed herself into the child and pushed him out of the tree’s way; she was not losing her friend again. The two made it out in time, running into a nearby rock. Without knowing it, this moment would become pivotal to the sheep’s future. The two returned home. The sheep and the child lived out their lives in peace, and upon her passing the child dedicated his life to helping those in need – especially animals.

Notes

0. Image at the top of the page is a modification of Allaert van Everdingen’s “The Shepherd and the Lamb”, 17th century, public domain.