Patrons: Barbara & Bill McGillivray
Tale..
Do they care?
On a cold winters day, with a biting wind blowing from the east, I passed the field as I has on many previous occasions. It was late in the evening and a full moon was shining on high; I could see the silhouettes of various animals, silent in the darkness of the harsh winter night. There were many donkeys in the field and, for some reason, I decided to stop and watch them for a while. Why?, I do not know but several of the donkeys came over to greet me.
One donkey, in particular, came closer to me than the others and stood with his head bowed and his ears back; he shivered with the cold and I could see that he was very thin, with back bone arched and his haunches protruding-clearly visible in the silvery light of the moon. I started to talk to the donkey, reassuring him that there were people who cared about his plight and that of his companions in the field.
In the distance, I could hear the chimes of the church clock suggesting that, by this time, it was late in the evening; Suddenly, the donkey spoke to me. I was somewhat bewildered, was I touched with some kind of insanity?, yet as I listened I could hear the gentle tones of the animal. Legend believes that on the stroke of midnight, on Christmas Eve, all animals speak the language of man.
The donkey said "Do not be afraid, it is me, I have seen you here many times, showing your concern about my well-being and that of my friends. Many people have come and gone, but do these people really care? They removed some of my friends, some time ago, but they returned them why?" I ask myself.
In response, I said to my donkey friend "I do not know either; I am as bewildered as you are but one day, this promise I make to you now, you will enjoy the comfort of a warm stable with fresh water and ample food to eat as will all your friends with whom you share the field".
On hearing my reply, the donkey gathered his legs underneath him and laid down on the cold, hard ground. He said thank you for my comforting words repeated his request for his friends to be taken care of and promised never to forget me.
Without further ado, the donkey passed away but I could see in his face that he was now at peace and his suffering was now at an end.