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The Marked Man, a fable
Once there was a man who became a thief, whose crimes grew so great that he was forced to flee for his life. His greed had mastered him, and one night without meaning to (but not meaning not to) he caused a death. Once found out, he was a marked man, wanted dead just as good as alive.
And so the thief fled from his city. They hunted him for a time, so he traveled across the fields, and into the hills, and finally into the wild, where he knew they would no longer bother to search for him. Living there was difficult, but he was able to find enough food to stay alive.
Then came the rains, and without shelter the thief was cold and miserable. He sat shivering beneath dripping trees, and knew he must find a better place or he would die. He forced himself to go higher into the hills, toward the mountains, struggling in the pouring rain through thick woods and up rocks. And near evening, he found a cave large enough to shelter in, and he went in and collapsed, falling asleep at once.
The thief awoke in the night to the sensation that he was no longer alone in the cave. Something large had come in, breathing, dripping. It gave off a wet musky animal smell, and it was very warm. He lay the rest of the night awake, too terrified to move.
At dawn, he saw that beside him in the cave was a tiger. Now he knew what he feared, but he was no less afraid. When the tiger woke, it looked at him with yellow, opaque eyes, and said, "You came into my cave. Why should I not eat you?"
The thief had no answer. He only trembled. But the tiger did not eat him; it watched him for a time, then watched the rain falling outside, then slept again. The thief's fear never waned, but eventually exhaustion overcame him and he slept too.
The next morning man and tiger woke, and again the tiger watched him, asking, "You are in my cave, so why shouldn't I eat you?" Again the thief had no answer but quaked in fear, but again the tiger did not eat him. Both sat in the cave together while it rained, and slept at night. And so it went again for another day, and another night.
On this fourth night the rains stopped, and at dawn the man saw that he could leave. But first he bowed to the tiger and asked, "Why, while I sheltered in your cave, did you not eat me?"
The tiger studied him, and then said, "It is a mystery."
He waited, but it said nothing else. And so he turned and left, a man marked for life by something he could not explain.
And so the thief fled from his city. They hunted him for a time, so he traveled across the fields, and into the hills, and finally into the wild, where he knew they would no longer bother to search for him. Living there was difficult, but he was able to find enough food to stay alive.
Then came the rains, and without shelter the thief was cold and miserable. He sat shivering beneath dripping trees, and knew he must find a better place or he would die. He forced himself to go higher into the hills, toward the mountains, struggling in the pouring rain through thick woods and up rocks. And near evening, he found a cave large enough to shelter in, and he went in and collapsed, falling asleep at once.
The thief awoke in the night to the sensation that he was no longer alone in the cave. Something large had come in, breathing, dripping. It gave off a wet musky animal smell, and it was very warm. He lay the rest of the night awake, too terrified to move.
At dawn, he saw that beside him in the cave was a tiger. Now he knew what he feared, but he was no less afraid. When the tiger woke, it looked at him with yellow, opaque eyes, and said, "You came into my cave. Why should I not eat you?"
The thief had no answer. He only trembled. But the tiger did not eat him; it watched him for a time, then watched the rain falling outside, then slept again. The thief's fear never waned, but eventually exhaustion overcame him and he slept too.
The next morning man and tiger woke, and again the tiger watched him, asking, "You are in my cave, so why shouldn't I eat you?" Again the thief had no answer but quaked in fear, but again the tiger did not eat him. Both sat in the cave together while it rained, and slept at night. And so it went again for another day, and another night.
On this fourth night the rains stopped, and at dawn the man saw that he could leave. But first he bowed to the tiger and asked, "Why, while I sheltered in your cave, did you not eat me?"
The tiger studied him, and then said, "It is a mystery."
He waited, but it said nothing else. And so he turned and left, a man marked for life by something he could not explain.
fun
Burma 1943-ish
Ooh!
"We live our lives
from then until now
by the mercies received
or the mark upon our brow."
- Carrie Newcomer
slow glow
thank you