No, no, no. This is not a take on The Lion, The witch and The wardrobe. Not even close. The man in the story dies at the beginning. The Lion in this story is GUILTY. The donkey in the story is kind of a normal donkey. So the story goes like this:
Flare was blind with rage, quite literally. He seemed to leap out of no where, landing quite nowhere tearing up a man riding a donkey. Almost immediately, his anger seemed to morbidly transform into something he couldn't describe. Shame? Guilt? Do animals feel that? He froze. Was it intentional? He couldn't tell. He was mad at the humans for killing his friend who had no intentions of harming them. The thought of their repulsive celebration as they carried the carcass on a pole made him gag. Why did he not feel the thrill or the satisfaction of having avenged?
I don't know how long he could have gone on like that, because you see that's the thing with thoughts. you can live a life time in two minutes. Or spend a lifetime reminiscing on some particular two minutes. Anyway, Flare couldn't continue his internal dialogue soon as he remembered the donkey. He wasn't taken aback by Mullet, apparently because lions aren't scared of a tame donkey. But he was surprised because Mullet did not run in fear.
Rooted to the spot like himself, Mullet seemed to not mind the dead master or the messed up lion. He just went on munching the last bit of the straw he was fed at the previous stop. He looked up at the lion at last and with a bit of an awkward or dumb courage said, "What's the matter?"
Flare said, "What's the matter with you? You like getting torn to pieces?"
Mullet coolly replied: "not unless it is 'kill - one - and - eat - the - other - Day'. And I know you were coming for him. He was told that. You know? The dead man-my master, let himself get deceived by a prophet. Ate and drank with him even after he had been warned by God not to do so. It is the same old story. God says something, others say something else, and they want to listen to the others and then Death!
"Mmm... What are you saying??? God sent me to kill?" Flare cut in.
"And then they blame God!" muttered the donkey and continued loudly,
"Whoa! Don't be too hasty to blame God for your actions. Do you think the omnipotent God would not know your intensions and if my master chose the wrong path to come in the way of your mad rage, can you blame God for it?"
You know full well, God didn't send you, same as the prophet.
"What prophet?" interrupted the lion again. "The old deceiver. I told you. He lied to my master. He said God sent him to feed my master"
"And God didn't. That's what you're saying. But, what about my friend? Is it lawful for humans to enter our homes and kill for sport?" cut in Flare, true to his name, nostrils flaring.
"So, that's what is bothering you?" said Mullet and went back to munching his straw.
What?
You can't expect a donkey to have all the answers. And Flare got back to his thought sequence.
"Have I been too hasty? Blind rage is too bad, I know, but I had to do something, or I'd hurt myself."
As soon as he came to that thought. Flare realised selfishness lurking behind the mask of his self-righteous attitude. Now, he felt helpless and alone.
Flare noticed people. They seemed appropriately astonished at the lion and the donkey standing next to a dead man and they walked on. "I wish they'd avenge their friend and end it here. I would not have to face my pride" Flare caught himself saying. At every turn, everything seemed to be about him. Probably, if he could shake that off, he wouldn't feel alone and hopeless.
They made a strange trio, almost like an exhibition. Someone said, "you must never overlook what God told you to fit in others' good intentions."
Someone else said, "but you wait and watch, even the dead man's words will come to pass because when he spoke them, they were words of God."
Flare and Mullet stood by the dead man till the old prophet came and took away the dead man's body.
And so, the lion went back in search for something bigger than himself to live for. The donkey stubborn as it was, realised his dead master still finished his mission, The dead man - well God saw to it that what he spoke in His name would come to pass.
Sometimes, we are startled by unusual happenings and weird things confuse us. and at those times, we may tend to question God and His ways. Stay put, you might be the lesson someone needs to turn to God. It is good to remember the dead man's life and mission were important to God even though his end seemed ignominious. You can read how he was remembered long after his death in 2 Chr:23:15-17.
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