TOM’S SHEEP

       Once upon a time there were two very white sheep that lived among a flurry of mountains; one belonged to Tom and the other was Dick’s. Tom was Dick’s brother, so Dick found himself being Tom’s brother.

       One fine day Dick fenced off a nice bit of Lucerne and clover, and gave it to his sheep.

       On seeing this, Tom did the same. And so…one sheep was on this side and one on the other, separated by a wire fence. The sun was high in the sky, so high that it could go no higher, and shone throwing its rays down into the green, green grass. The sun laughed and laughed, because it already knew.

       Tom’s sheep stuck its mug and eyes into the fence, bleating hungrily, greedy for the grass in the other field. She stood like this for a whole day without touching a thing. On the contrary, Dick’s sheep was right in the middle of the field, happily munching away at her grass.

       Darkness fell when Tom’s sheep made a decision. This is what she did: she dug a tunnel with her paws and stuck her head into the other field, and not being able to eat the grass, she ate the roots underneath.

       The sun had sunk behind the mountains, half out and half in,

and had become as red as red can be, laughing and laughing because it already knew. Already knew.

       Along came Dick, who saw that in just one day his sheep had become nice and plump. He moved over a little and when he saw Tom’s sheep…well, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing!

       Dick called for Tom at the top of his voice, and he came along running to see for himself that his sheep was bleeding from it’s mug and eyes, its mouth full of roots, and that in just one day she had become ugly and reduced to a skeleton. Then Tom saw the tunnel and realised: “You have your own grass, nice and green it is too! Before craving for the other grass at least you could eat your own! Go on and eat your own, there’s enough there to last you till you are old and grey. He who craves another’s stuff gets taken by the devil and then bursts!”

       But his sheep just didn’t listen to Tom, so it lost almost all its wool, until the skin was counting the bones…

       One day turned into another, as did the night and the sun up above went on laughing and laughing…because it already knew.

       And one day went by, as did another and another still, when a funny little man with a long American car appeared and gave them the contract to build two apartment blocks, one facing the other. Tom took one, and Dick the other…

       And the sun was there laughing and laughing, because it already knew…