I was still thrilling under the effect of the violent and criminal attacks I was victim of , and the prospect of my eventual death and slaughtering by a crazy murderer like 'gorgon' . Weak , dizzy and apathetic I followed , along with my flock ,the way of the farm . At home everyone was surprised by seeing me in such a pityful state : torn cloths , face and body in blood and my soulless look and eyes . But I couldn't say a word to whomever about all the things which happened to me and the violent fight I was witness of. How could I express any complain or showing my helplessness and misery to all those people who were totally indifferent about my life and destiny , I couldn't share my sorrow and heartbreaking pain and suffering with the ones who had not any compassion toward me , moreover no complain could change the process of my way of life and my destiny . So , since my childhood I learned to keep all my suffering for myself and never complain about anything concerning my life , because I knew that it would be useless , for nobody cares about a weak and miserable creature who had no benefit for someone and was always a charge for all the others , without being useful and considerable .
20
Among those few people who knew me and were informed about the details of the story of my life , the only one who had always showed disinterested kindness and compassion and was ready to defend and to protect me by all means was 'sherven'. He was not a relative of mine , neither a boy of my age who exposed himself to the danger with devotion and ready to sacrifice himself for me , I had no benefit for him and he wouldn't gain anything by his devotional reaction and behaviour , he was just a young man with a noble nature and character , always in the side of the justice and ready to defend the cause and the rights of all oppressed humans and to help them without expecting any reward or acknowledgment . This sort of humans are just like some rare pearls in the deep ocean of the humanity , while the others are busy to take advantage over the poors and the miserable ones and to satisfy their greedy mind by gathering wealth and becoming powerful in order to rule and to oppress the weaker ones , and so they think that have achieved their 'happiness' and they are the 'winners' and consider all the others 'the losers'.
At the same night of that horrible afternoon during which I could be murdered and has been saved by 'miracle' , I fell sick and couldn't go back to my usual sheepherding work the next day . I was in a sort of coma caused by fever so I didn't keep a clear remembrance of all the days I spent in bed in the cabin of the old servant , but I know that they changed my place and laid me on the damp barn which communicated with the cowshed of the sheep . Someday when I felt a little better I could sit near a broken small window of the barn and watching the outdoor . From there I could see the villa and the terrace where the children and the family members of the 'charitable woman' in company of some guests were enjoying their afternoon tea time , sat comfortably on the white garden seats , tasting different sort of cakes and pies , jams and all sort of fruits on the table . The children were playing and laughing loudly and I could hear their voice rejoicing the games they were playing and also the voice of the 'charitable woman' who was complaining about the lack of appetit of her children and the guests in their turn were complaining about the anorexia of their own children . But they ignored my starving state , my great need to taste just a bit of those chocolates, jams, cakes and fruits drew up abundantly on that table . In those days no one apart that old servant came visiting me , he was worrying about me just because he wanted that I got over of my illness in order he could use me as a help for himself . No one cared about me and nobody in that family asked about the cause of my illness , I was just a useless object for them , even lesser than the animals of the flock . At this moment I remembered the face of 'sherven' all in blood who fought a dangerous criminal and exposed himself to the deadly knife of his rival just for protecting me from the danger and saving me .
I gazed the gate of the villa which was built with long iron rods through which I could see the people who were moving or the vehicles which were passing . The villa had two gates , one in the middle of the garden in front of the way which ended to the house and another at the end of the garden for the passage of the cars and the flock which led to the barn and the cowshed . Meanwhile the roaring of a horse in the nearby surprised me , few seconds later the figure of two horse riders appeared in front of the iron rods gate and stopped there . The ringing bell attracted the servants to the gate and the children fascinated by the horses run toward those riders who asked the permission of entering . All the family members were gathered in front of the gate to welcome those gorgeous horse riders who were descending their mount .These riders were no ones apart 'sherven' in company of his beautiful fiancee . Everyone welcomed them with enthusiasm and admired their impressive look and the 'charitable woman' invited them warmly to enter . Sherven after responding politely to all the enthusiastic greetings asked her the permission of visiting me . The whole audience remained speechless out of surprise and astonishment , they couldn't realize the subject of the interest and attention of 'sherven', a noble landlord, for a miserable and unworthy creature like me . A minute later 'sherven' came at the barn where I was located and expressed his affection and kindness by comforting me and offered a box of cookies to me . Astound , I was so touched by this kind and compassionate visit that I began crying non-stop for some minutes in a way that I couldn't say a word . Sherven removed my tears with his scarf and comforted me by saying that everything would be okay since then . His fiancee who was the girl I met before in the attraction park looked very beautiful and was gentle like an angel , she took me in her arms and brought me out of that barn and we sat on a bench under the trees and after consoling me she offered to me an amazing toy , a brilliant and colourful car for kids . I couldn't believe my eyes , having such a car that I had already seen the similar ones in the hands of the rich kids with sigh and deprivation, was a dream for me . It was as if they have offered to me the whole world and under this impression I forgot all my misery and I felt myself very happy . Meanwhile all the guests of the 'charitable woman' and all her family members were gathered around us . The young women around looked with envy to this couple and the others were astonished by the unconventional friendship between them and me and could not realize the nature of our relationship . At this time the 'charitable woman' joined these two young people and invited them with insistence to join her at the dinner table . Sherven refused politely this invitation and postponed it to another time . This strange visit impressed them all . The 'charitable woman' begun telling the story of all her devotions during all those years and thanked 'sherven' for his visit , at the end , as if she remembered something asked him , by showing me , if he had any familial relationship with me , or if he knew my parents . Sherven , surprised by all these successive questions shaked his head and with a meaningful smile and a soft tone of voice replied :" no madam , I'm not one of his relatives , neither I know his father or his mother , I only know my own conscience and my principles and by following them I express compassion and kindness toward this child ". These words were pronounced by such an impressive tone that the 'charitable woman' remained astound and speechless for few seconds and as if they had touched the deepest veiled corner of her conscience , and had shocked her , she seemed embarrassed . I was following the effect of 'sherven' 's words on the 'charitable woman' and I noticed an obvious change in her eyes and the expression of her face , suddenly she looked at me with the same affection and kindness which was not unfamiliar to me when I met her for the first time in the orphanage , then with a voice full of emotion said to 'sherven' :" in fact , your sense of charity toward helpless people is considerable , I really admire your unselfishness and humanity" , then she accompanied the two young people till the iron rods gate . Meanwhile I felt so happy by this discussion betwee
n them and was enthralled that I run after them with the car I got as a gift in my hand . Sherven in reply to the gratefullness ot the 'charitable woman' who was 'praising' his humanity and his sense of compassion , said :" no magnanimous madam , in the contrary we should be grateful toward you who take care of an orphan child in this troubled times of social crisis and shortage of foods , in comparison with all the mean people who had forgotten their conscience in such a way that not only they ignore this sort of helpless people but instead they take advantage over the misery of this ones and they torture and abuse them , in fact , your behaviour toward this child is considered a holy deed ...." . The 'charitable woman' who was a sensible woman by nature was so impressed by the words of 'sherven' that she expressed with emotion :" only god knows that , no one understand all the good things I do , instead people are always criticising our least weakness and ignoring their own sins , never acknowledge all the troubles I get through to protecting and caring about the poor and the miserable ones , and considering my acts as 'holy' will never pass their mind , the attention you payed to this subject impresses me too much and warms my heart that I feel optimistic about everything"... Sherven who was thinking about this talk with a philosophical air , added :" madam , the genuine charity and compassion is not something to be noticed by the others at the moment you 're doing that , charity is mostly ignored by people , they are too busy with their own selfishness and greeds to acknowledge your charitable deeds , if the 'providence' has offered to you all the things necessary for your happiness , it never claims any gratitude or acknowledgment , but what we can do instead is to help the miserable ones who are in need , I don't see in fact what you are expecting in exchange of all your good deeds while you already have beautiful and healthy children , lot of properties and wealth and all the reasons for your happiness , you can only be grateful for all of this which is not given to everyone of us " . Sherven and his fiancee were urged to leave , so the 'charitable woman' accompanied them till their mounts and in her astonishment she was looking them moving away and disappearing from our sight . Then as if suddenly she had remembered something, she turned her face full of kindness toward me and took me in her arms and began crying and with a trembling voice she said to me :" oh my poor little child , how sinful I am and how negligent and careless I was toward you , please forgive me my little child , just forgive me " , and while she was pressing me in her arms she was crying like a spring and her tears were poured on my skinny and injured face . At this moment , those drops of tears she cast for me , a miserable orphan kid , were more valuable than the priceless and rare pearls , because they were the witness of the awakened conscience of the 'charitable woman' ...
21
Since the next day my life took a better 'texture' . The 'charitable woman' provieded for me very beautiful cloths and I was allowed to share their family table and eating in the company of all of them and playing games with the children and having good time . I didn't go for the sheepherding anymore, so the sheep and cows of my flock have been entrusted to a young sheepherd to whom most of the families in the surrounding entrusted their flock for the pasturing . Each morning he came taking the flock with him and in the afternoon he returned them back to the barn . I spent joyfully almost twenty days of that late summer , the weather was becoming a bit cold , that was the arrival of the fall .
One of those days , before noon , we saw the young sheephered upset , returning back the whole flock to the barn . The 'charitable woman' in a great surprise and disturbance asked him why he returned back the hungry flock to the farm . The young sheepherd , breathbroken and anxious replied :" you should be grateful that you didn't lost any animal of your flock and you have them save and unharmed , because today it happened something bad in the nearby of my flock , thank god that your flock hadn't become the victim of this fatal event. One hour before I was carelessly pasturing my flock that suddenly I've been surprised by the screech of someone who asked for help . We were few people there and we speeded up to the side we were hearing the voice . Then we saw a sheepherd who was beating himself on his head and face and told us that all over behind the hill some armed thieves were stalking with some trucks and in a wink they rushed to him and after tying his hands and feet they put the whole flock in the trucks and disappeared toward the frontiers of the neighborhood country , he added that he could save himself with great effort. He was really in a pathetic situation , I wonder what explanation he would put together for the owners of the flock , the poor guy began his sheepherding just this year and he looked a 'brave' guy , seemingly his name was 'gorgon', we were few sheepherds there and we were so scared of this event that we returned back the flocks to their owners , because in these days, the social unrest is very troublesome and the armed thieves are everywhere watching and taking the opportunity to attack boldly and carelessly all the defenseless people , pillaging their property and killing them , even these few policemen in the surrounding aren't able to face them and getting rid of them " .
By hearing the name of 'gorgon' and all this story about the disappearance of the flock and the attack of the thieves , I began pondering about this fake tale and I asked myself why the thieves didn't bring 'gorgon' with themselves . The bad news that the young sheepherd brought to us was a part of the reality of the critical situation and the unsecurity which was ruling over cities and countrysides and increased the spread of fear and the terror among people . All the owners of villas in the countryside decided to move back to the town and settle in their winter houses . That's what we did too .
It took few days to gather all the furnitures and the things in the villa and beeing ready for the departure . Personally I felt very sorry to leave that beautiful garden full of all sort of trees and especially and most of all my new-found joy , relief and happiness . Only one thing comforted me a bit and that was the promise of the 'charitable woman' to send me to school once settled in the city . The day before our departure I went visiting 'sherven' and to say him goodbye . Like always he was busy with the agricultural works to help his father . Once he saw me , he came joyfully to me and welcomed me , and when he has been informed about our moving to the town , he told me that they will do the same and will leave the countryside for the town very soon , beside he was very happy by learning that my situation was changed and I enjoyed a better life , then he added that he will continue his studies in the city and he would be very busy there . So he led me toward his father and introduced me to him by praising all my learning talents , my sensitiveness and intelligence . His father was busy talking to the manager of the agricultural works and the things concerning the flock and was giving him some advices . I noticed the presence of that old sheepherd who was always around the pasturage with his daughter. Sherven's father asked him if he had some news about the flock of 'gorgon' and the result of the investigation of the gendarms . The old sheepherd sounded very suspicious about the claim of gorgon based on the sudden attack of the armed thieves , their escape and the disappearance of the flock . "All the people around talk about the improbability of such an attack because in the place 'gorgon' refered to , there is not any pasturage for bringing the flock there and this was unprecedented and it was too far from the usual pasturage of 'gorgon' . On the other hand , it seemed that 'gorgon' s way of life has changed completely after that attack , he wear very elegant cloths , shoes and boots and it has been rumoured that he has equiped himself with some guns and gathered some buddies . Now some of the flock owners ask themselves how an ordinary sheepherd with his very small income could allow himself such expenses , maybe he was collaborating with the pirates ". The old sheepherd after saying all of this , smoking his pipe , moved away . Sherven and his father were thinking about this tale , then after a while 'sherven' came at me and after expressing farewell , promised that he will come visiting me once in the town .