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Feb 11, 2012
Daisy crowded to the back of the flock, her wooly rump smashed against the hay feeder. The banging and scraping gave way to brilliant beams of sunlight as the barn door slid open. Joy scuttled through the flock like clouds on a windy day. The storm had passed and unmarked snow lay beyond the door.
EweNika, the flock matriarch, snorted and stamped a front hoof. The shepherd moved to the side, one hand still on the door. EweNika lowered her head and charged. A shovel fell sideways across the open doorway but the large ewe leaped over it with ease. Dance and Mingle followed a half-step behind, leaping the shovel handle just before the shepherd pulled it back out of the way.
Queen and Lilly skidded to a halt, eyes wide, ears pitched forward. Lily cast one nervous glance at the shepherd before the lure of sunshine overrode her fear. She leaped through the doorway with Queen on her heels.
Daisy rolled her eyes at the doorway. The other young ewes crowded behind her, pushing her into the unwelcome lead position. A gust of sweet air blew into the stale barn and she couldn’t hold back any longer. Head high and hooves scarcely touching the ground, she bolted for the opening, leaping through and wheeling around as soon as she was clear of the doorway.
“What a bunch of loonies!” Tam, the black and white Border Collie, snickered outside the door. “What did you think you were leaping over?”
“Everyone leaped through the door.”
“The first three leaped over the shovel handle, but it was gone long before you came through. You leaped for nothing!”
Daisy watched the shepherd open the gate, shovel in one hand, and whistle for Tam to follow. The dog slipped through the gate and then sat with her nose pressed between with fence wires.
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you to look before you leap?”
“My mother leaped and so did I.”
“If you had a brain, you’d be dangerous.” The dog snorted and trotted off behind the shepherd.
Daisy took a step back, her ears swiveling back and forth. She pawed through the snow to find some dried grass beneath. The dog’s silent laughter rang in her sheepish ears.
This post is part of Christian Writers’ February Blog Chain on the topic, “Leap.” Check out the other Blog Chain posts by clicking the links right.
EweNika, the flock matriarch, snorted and stamped a front hoof. The shepherd moved to the side, one hand still on the door. EweNika lowered her head and charged. A shovel fell sideways across the open doorway but the large ewe leaped over it with ease. Dance and Mingle followed a half-step behind, leaping the shovel handle just before the shepherd pulled it back out of the way.
Queen and Lilly skidded to a halt, eyes wide, ears pitched forward. Lily cast one nervous glance at the shepherd before the lure of sunshine overrode her fear. She leaped through the doorway with Queen on her heels.
Daisy rolled her eyes at the doorway. The other young ewes crowded behind her, pushing her into the unwelcome lead position. A gust of sweet air blew into the stale barn and she couldn’t hold back any longer. Head high and hooves scarcely touching the ground, she bolted for the opening, leaping through and wheeling around as soon as she was clear of the doorway.
“What a bunch of loonies!” Tam, the black and white Border Collie, snickered outside the door. “What did you think you were leaping over?”“Everyone leaped through the door.”
“The first three leaped over the shovel handle, but it was gone long before you came through. You leaped for nothing!”
Daisy watched the shepherd open the gate, shovel in one hand, and whistle for Tam to follow. The dog slipped through the gate and then sat with her nose pressed between with fence wires.
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you to look before you leap?”
“My mother leaped and so did I.”
“If you had a brain, you’d be dangerous.” The dog snorted and trotted off behind the shepherd.
Daisy took a step back, her ears swiveling back and forth. She pawed through the snow to find some dried grass beneath. The dog’s silent laughter rang in her sheepish ears.
This post is part of Christian Writers’ February Blog Chain on the topic, “Leap.” Check out the other Blog Chain posts by clicking the links right.
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20 comments:
HAHAH! :) A farm girl myself, it was wonderful to read this little story from the animals perspective.
Cute. But then sheep aren't particularly known for the common sense, are they? (Maybe that's why Christ always calls us his sheep.) A fun read. Peace and Blessings.
Having not grown up on a farm, I've always struggled with the connection between sheep and people. This post helps. Thank you.
Ewenka is a great name! Super cute story - I could imagine many such tales of interest to children from Tam's POV. Looking forward to more!
Nope, common sense is not their strong suit!
When God calls us His sheep... it's not a compliment! Sheep don't spend time in deep thought and contemplation. They are reactive creatures.
Her mother's name was EweReka. :)
Of course another farm girl would understand. :) You don't have to spend much time with animals before you learn to "listen" to what they tell you.
Sheep may not be smart, but one thing a shepherd does is "don't give up the sheep." (Okay, I hear those groans.)
I have a sheep story on my website, one of the Story Shorts based on Psalm 23. They do make great analogies for us humans, compared with God's intelligence.
~ VT
Loved your story, Pegg! Great take on the topic, and a good object lesson about thinking before we react to a situation. :)
Cute story!
LOL, Loved this!
Loved your story and given you are a shepherd, this brings a totally new prospective! It is truly amazing how we tend to "follow the leader" even if the leader leads off a cliff or over an imaginary obstacle. I think unfounded fear is like that-we react before we consider the actual object of fear.
Thank you Pegg. Is this part of a larger work?
Since I started this blog, I have written the occasional piece from a sheepish perspective. You can find more under the label "Sheep Talk". I do learn a lot from my sheep. They teach me about life, about myself, and about my relationship with God. Sometimes it's good... sometimes it's humbling. :)
Bad dog! Trying to ruin the joy of escape by the ewes. There's always a spoilsport in the pack! LOL
I love the way you bring these critters to life and teach us lessons. Your posts are way fun. And I enjoy the undercurrent that makes me think. Thanks Pegg.
I'm glad you enjoy my sheepish observations of life. :)
I'm enjoying following the monthly adventures of these sheep.
We laugh at how foolish sheep can be, then we remember just how often the Bible compares us to sheep. How many times have we followed the crowd and leapt because those in front of us did?
What a cute story, Pegg. Love the dog. You always have the best pictures.
I'll let Tam know she had fan mail. ;)
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