Sheep Shearing
Another story from the Sheep Pen series.
There once was a mighty Shepherd who was happily serving at another Pen. He was approached by another Pen to move over. The new salary was not too fantastic, but at least some additional benefits were given, like a carriage to take him from his home to the fields where the sheep would graze. Most important of all, however, was the implicit promise that he would be well taken care of, and would have the autonomy to implement the many ideas that he had regarding the raising of sheep.
Half a year before the Shepherd was due to move over, he was requested to go over to fill in the post immediately (the previous shepherd had to leave at short notice). He gave up a lot of goodwill with his previous employer, paid his penalty for breaking his contract, and moved over immediately. He did not want to see a situation where sheep were not being taken care of simply because the new Pen has no Shepherd.
It was there, at the new Pen, that he encountered some of the weirdest policies ever. He found that he did not really have the autonomy to do many things – even decisions on segregating sick sheep, or even the buying of shears, could not be made by him. To compound it, he realised that the carriage he was promised was withdrawn on silly reasons.
Yet he remained faithful, executing his duties to the best of his ability, occasionally talking to his faithful Sheepdog about his frustrations while gazing at the vast expanses of the deep blue sky. The Sheepdog could not do much, but remain by his side, helping him to watch over the sheep, cuddling against him, hoping to at least make him feel better. The Sheepdog had pains of its own too.
Recently, the Sheepdog heard on the grapevine of news that a horse would be provided for the Shepherd. Not as comfortable as a carriage, but at least transportation that was forthcoming. It would help the Shepherd a lot as he moved across the vast field of sheep, and could take him to and from his home.
The grapevine, as usual, could not be trusted in this Pen. The offer of the horse was withdrawn – instead, the Shepherd was told to make his own transport arrangements with a “better” offer…additional pieces of silver to hire carriages at another company. The Sheepdog wanted to bark and bite at the person who made the announcement, but was stopped by the Shepherd. For the sake of the sheep, the Shepherd was not prepared to argue with the person in charge of getting him the horse. That person was the son-in-law of the Penmaster.
The Sheepdog felt so sad. He watched as the Shepherd lay on his back upon the grass, watching the fluffy clouds move across the clear blue sky. He snuggled against the Shepherd, watching the sky together with him. He really could not understand why he enjoyed watching the sky so much.
From the forest nearby, the wolves howled again, their sweet choruses drawing him towards their company. Perhaps once the Shepherd had left. Definitely once the Steward had left. When nothing was left to tie its loyalty to the Pen, the Sheepdog would join the wolves.
The Sheepdog fell asleep, ears pricked for further danger, against the Shepherd, dreaming of the wide blue sky. The clouds were really nice, coming to think of it.
There once was a mighty Shepherd who was happily serving at another Pen. He was approached by another Pen to move over. The new salary was not too fantastic, but at least some additional benefits were given, like a carriage to take him from his home to the fields where the sheep would graze. Most important of all, however, was the implicit promise that he would be well taken care of, and would have the autonomy to implement the many ideas that he had regarding the raising of sheep.
Half a year before the Shepherd was due to move over, he was requested to go over to fill in the post immediately (the previous shepherd had to leave at short notice). He gave up a lot of goodwill with his previous employer, paid his penalty for breaking his contract, and moved over immediately. He did not want to see a situation where sheep were not being taken care of simply because the new Pen has no Shepherd.
It was there, at the new Pen, that he encountered some of the weirdest policies ever. He found that he did not really have the autonomy to do many things – even decisions on segregating sick sheep, or even the buying of shears, could not be made by him. To compound it, he realised that the carriage he was promised was withdrawn on silly reasons.
Yet he remained faithful, executing his duties to the best of his ability, occasionally talking to his faithful Sheepdog about his frustrations while gazing at the vast expanses of the deep blue sky. The Sheepdog could not do much, but remain by his side, helping him to watch over the sheep, cuddling against him, hoping to at least make him feel better. The Sheepdog had pains of its own too.
Recently, the Sheepdog heard on the grapevine of news that a horse would be provided for the Shepherd. Not as comfortable as a carriage, but at least transportation that was forthcoming. It would help the Shepherd a lot as he moved across the vast field of sheep, and could take him to and from his home.
The grapevine, as usual, could not be trusted in this Pen. The offer of the horse was withdrawn – instead, the Shepherd was told to make his own transport arrangements with a “better” offer…additional pieces of silver to hire carriages at another company. The Sheepdog wanted to bark and bite at the person who made the announcement, but was stopped by the Shepherd. For the sake of the sheep, the Shepherd was not prepared to argue with the person in charge of getting him the horse. That person was the son-in-law of the Penmaster.
The Sheepdog felt so sad. He watched as the Shepherd lay on his back upon the grass, watching the fluffy clouds move across the clear blue sky. He snuggled against the Shepherd, watching the sky together with him. He really could not understand why he enjoyed watching the sky so much.
From the forest nearby, the wolves howled again, their sweet choruses drawing him towards their company. Perhaps once the Shepherd had left. Definitely once the Steward had left. When nothing was left to tie its loyalty to the Pen, the Sheepdog would join the wolves.
The Sheepdog fell asleep, ears pricked for further danger, against the Shepherd, dreaming of the wide blue sky. The clouds were really nice, coming to think of it.
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