The Sage

Love

The sage was sitting, resting his back on a tree in a deep Forest. Most of the good forests were already depleted, but he loved the ambiance of the forest so he migrated from place to place in search for forests to stay in. He didn't need fancy house or motel. He was comfortable and happy sitting in the lap of mother nature.
While he was in this tranquil state, he observed two birds pecking each other's beak. And rubbing each other's feathers. He couldn't control but let out a gentle laugh. Then he closed his eyes and fell to a deep meditation . While he was blissful  and meditative, he suddenly heard a gunshot close by. He opened his eyes and his gaze sharply went to the birds. One of the birds had fallen from the branch and was heavily bleeding from the bullet injury. The other had come down and was rubbing his fur against her, trying to comfort her. Their happy chirps had turned into one's moaning and the other's panicked call for help. The sage's eyes were filled with tears and he ran to the birds. The bird comforting the shot bird was not afraid to see the sage approaching and continued to try to support his fallen lovebird. The sage sat near both of them cross-legged  and one of his tears fell into the gunshot wound of the fallen bird. The bleeding stopped and the wound magically healed as the fallen bird stood on the ground as a revenant back from the dead. Now both of the birds jumped on his right hand as if it were a branch, as the sage gestured the birds by putting his right hand on the ground. Carrying the tiny little things, the sage stood up and gently turned back. He saw a man with a rough beard and scarred face. His eyes were that of a tiger observing a deer. The two love birds came closer to each other on seeing this ferocious man.
The man declared in a loud voice "This is my game,brother. I thought I had shot it. How is it still breathing?" The sage said in a soft voice,"Mother nature didn't want to part two lovers." The hunter gave a grin and said in a less loud voice,"Are you bird cupid or something, fella? I thought I clearly shot the bird. And I see a man carrying my game and it's lover on his arms. Give them to me and explain yourself." The sage now had a serious look on his face. The wind blew faster as the barely visible surrounding seemed even darker. When out of the blue, a tiger approached from behind the sage and stood near him. The hunter raised his gun, but his legs were shaking with fear. In fact, the fear grew so intense within him that he was unable to stand. He fell on his knees with a pale face, which was as expressionless as a cold dead corpse. With all his might, mustering courage, he formed words and in a very gentle voice, with folded hands and in a kneeled position, he said "Forgive me. Please, let me go." Saying this he broke down into tears, crying like a baby who fell while trying to stand and walk. Before him he saw the sage gently rubbing the tiger on his back with his left hand and two small red birds on his right hand. Suddenly, something touched his inner core as he started to laugh and cry at the same time. He crawled and touched the sage's feet and now he was not scared of anything. On touching his cold, slightly pinkish feet, he felt a calmness and bliss which cannot be explained. He just lay on the ground touching his feet and resting his forehead on the sage's cold feet. The sage bent down and lifted the man up, who noticed the two birds flying into the morning sky, filled with hope and the death incarnate which had vanished. The sage hugged the hunter. The hunter felt warm and comforting, as his body which went cold with fear revived it's vitality. The sage let go of the hunter, as he patted on his back and turned around to leave. The hunter silently observed the great man with a white dhoti and white shawl, walk and fade into the darkness of the forest. He then saw at a nest on a branch of a nearby tree and saw some small yellow birds playing, and felt nothing but love, which he had never felt before in his life, but which was always there within him and had awakened that day after his encounter with the great man . He again looked at the path which the sage took, as the sun rays with a red hue, spread on that path, and the sun rose from his slumber at the dawn of a new day. The hunter took that path as the redness of the sun resonated with the redness of the love that had awakened within him, and he felt a sense of content and clarity.

The End