Once while strolling down the woods, a boy, who is generally full of beans, saw a beautiful lamb dancing to the mellow tones of the river beside. The boy couldn’t take off his eyes till she stopped to catch her breath. He felt something… Wanted to see her more.

The lamb reminded him of his darling pet that passed away a few winters back.

A few timid steps towards her and she looked even more beautiful. He finally acknowledged her graceful moves. The lamb wondered for a moment and smiled back.

A conversation began.

They sat beneath the tallest tree till the sun hid behind the far-fetched mountains. During their conversation, the boy learnt that her caretaker had left her all at once, someone she had spent most of her baby years with. Oblivious of all answers, she left home to wonder in the woods.

When the boy gently asked if she would like to come to his home where he would take good care of her… like his own child… like his old pet… she just nodded her head. In the sketchy journey back home, he looked up the heavens thanking God for bringing him a sense of completeness and a light of hope…

while the lamb rested her head on his shoulders, she felt home again.

They lived happily for over a year, during which he made sure to do everything and sacrifice anything just to make her smile and grow healthy again. She became his whole world while he was happy to be her partner in ‘good times’.

Under unforeseen circumstances and times of distress, she would go back to the woods. The boy, seemingly worried, would leave all errands and look for her.

Every time he found her strolling ignorantly in the woods.

When asked where did she go, she would not utter a single word. Instead rest her head on his shoulders on their way back home. After many such instances, there unfolded a sudden fear in his heart that came along with several doubts, a fear of losing his beloved partner and doubts of having being incompetent in loving her all this while.

One fine evening as the boy grabbed his glass of milk and rushed as usual to sit beside his beloved lamb to enjoy the sunset together… his world turned upside down.

The lamb’s caretaker appeared in his front yard, he come back looking for her. He cited the reason, whispering to the boy he was finding it too difficult to raise her and he loved her too much to make her suffer for his sins. Hence, decided to leave her in the woods one morning. He claimed to miss her now.

The lamb starred at both of them all this while… wishing this moment never existed. When the time came, she kept her head down and grabbed the caretaker’s hand.

She left… she left for real.

The boy tried to take a sip of his milk but instead sat down with one hand on his heart. He once again looked up the heavens but this time in disarray.

As the sun set down, he wondered if his beautiful lamb ever loved him back.