The gathering…a short story about bells and sheep.
The flock got together to try and figure out how to get the bloody bells off of their necks. They were going insane. Not only did the bells constantly make noise with every step they took, it they rang when others walked as well, so there was never any peace. They wanted to kill the farmer who put the bells around their necks, but didn’t see how that would solve their problem, even if it would make them all very happy. Someone suggested attaching a bell to HIS neck and that got a smattering of baaaaa’s.
After a half hour of grazing, Alberta, the black sheep in the group (she’s in the back, on the right), said they should bite the straps off of each other. All the sheep thought that was a great idea, but they were a bit twitchy taking advice from the black sheep in the family. After all, she never followed the rules and refused to consider herself a member of the HERD. She said she was an individual, not a group.
After much baaaing and walking around, they all agreed to try. So they started gnawing on the strap that held the bells around their necks. Eventually, they worked the leather into a thin enough strip that they could catch it on a branch and pull it until the strap broke.
The black sheep was happy to have helped. When everyone was bell free, she said she was striking out on her own, because if she went back to the barn, the man would just attach another bell to her neck and she wasn’t having any of it.
The other sheep considered that fact and decided to follow her. Sheep like to follow someone, it makes them feel safe, even if it’s not for their own good. The black sheep turned to the others and said, “This is what the government is all about. One side removes the bells, and the other side, not only wants to put the bells on us, they want to tighten the strap until we can’t breath. It’s time we have a third party, the freedom party, where sheep have a say in what happens to them.”
The sheep grunted and started walking after the black sheep, toward whatever was waiting for them.
Photo: Jürgen Scheeff
Unsplash
Recent Comments