Animal Activities #28

Source

Title: “The Wisdom of Old Bako”

Bako was an old goat who lived in the middle of a small, quiet village in Nigeria, where the sunrises turned the earth a golden color, the crowing of the rooster was the morning song and the sticky clay soil stuck to the bottoms of your shoes became the thick milk of the cow. He was not the common goat. Bako had seen three generations of farmers grow up, work and die. He had a thick beard, easy eyes and slow deliberate way, and the villagers said that he had been present at the creation.

the other goats all jumped and ran at the sound of footsteps, but Bako stood still and gazed with watching eyes like the mute chief. Under the mango tree children were apt to gather around him, taking him to be a story-teller, and to put questions in his ears and swear he nodded his head in confirmation.

Source

But there came one year when the village was struck with a weird drought. And the river went dry, crops dried up and also the animals became lean. So the people of the village prayed, had meetings and offered chickens through sacrifice-all to no avail. On one evening, when the sun went down and melted its way into the horizon, a boy called Obinna sat next to him (Bako) shedding tears. Were you only able to talksome one says. You should learn something."

Bako stared at the boy, and stood up, which he did not do so any longer. With infinite slowness he started off,--through the huts, past the ruined borehole, through the brushy track which led behind the village. Interested, Obinna accompanied. The goat continued on, and now and again turned back to make a remark to the effect that, “Come on.”
.

Source

After almost an hour they came to a forgotten corner of the country. And there, growing under tangled vines, was an old well--with clear water down below.

And on the following day the village was in rejoicing. The well delivered them. Life came back and crops started growing up again.

Since that day Bako was not goat anymore. He was a legendized person. and they made a small rough hut near the well, and on the inside was written, carved in wood:
Vision sometimes comes with horns.

It was when Bako eventually died that the village was burying him just like a king. Never again would anyone ever look at animals in the same light, because, every now and then even the most passive of creatures holds the answers we seem to have forgotten.

Thanks for reading my post I'm inviting @bela90, @joymm and @chant to participate.