Beauty in Small Packages

The Path of Forgiveness

A town, not far from anywhere, nor near anything, lived. People bounce around town, enjoying the nature around them. They cared for one another, as they should, helped one another, as they should, and loved one another, as they should. 

Many that went through this little town would spread stories of the kindness of it. How everyone there were so jolly, and loving, that no one wanted to leave. This pleased the villagers, for they wished to share this love and joy with the world.

Not far off, in the Lake of Foreboding, a monster lived. He heard of this great loving place, and grew to despise it. He crawled out of his hiding place to see it for himself. Sure enough, he saw this town of happy people, and hated every bit of it.

With each moment of hatred, he grew larger, and larger, until he blocked out the sunlight that lit the town below. He roared furiously. He lurched towards the town and started to devour the happy people. He smiled, his evil smile, as one by one, he gobbled them down.  

Before the sun had set, the town grew silent, for everyone but the monster, was gone. He laid down to rest after his large meal. He burped, and chuckled to himself. At how easy that was, and how stupid those happy people were. 

While he rested, a man walked down a path that lead to the town. He had a few followers, that loved to see him defeat the many monsters they've faced. He wandered down.

"Look, teacher. Look down there." One of them pointed to the great monster of hatred that rested on the broken buildings. 

The monster looked up and sneered at them. He snarled and hissed in his hatred. How dare these people disturb his rest?

"Who are you?" His voice boomed throughout the area, making the ground shake. 

"I am a hero. Someone who saves the lost,"the teacher replied. The monster laughed at this.

"You are a little late, hero. I have slain all who once lived here." The followers gasped in horror. This monster had slain an entire town.

"Destroy him!" One cried.

"Kill him!" Another shouted.

"Show him you are a hero!" Another bellowed.

The teacher raised his hand to stop their cries of anger. He turned toward the beast. His demeanor calm, and his eyes sad. This enraged the monster. Was this pathetic hero taking pity on him?

"I'll devour you, like I devoured this jolly village." The monster raised his head to eat him. He barreled towards the teacher.

"Jump out of the way," a follower warned. Instead, the teacher held out his hand. Just before the monster gulped him down, his muzzle ran into a barrier that protected the teacher.

"What is this," the monster demanded. He attempted again, but once more a barrier stopped him from eating the teacher. Learning his lesson, he stood back waiting for the teacher to make his move.

Rather than attacking him, the teacher reached into a pouch in his side, and pulled out a tiny seed, barely bigger than a speck of sand. Kneeling down, the teacher planted the seed in the dark soil. 

The monster, confused by this, crept closer. The teacher held out his hand, and slowly a sapling grew. Then, a tree grew. In a matter of a few minutes, a tree that reached towards the stars grew strong. 

"You spent all that time, making a tree," the monster sneers. He laughed for a very, very long time. "I'll show you the worth of your idiotic creation." The monster leaped at the tree, and started tearing it apart. He bit, and he clawed at the tree.

But, when he stopped to rest, there was not one mark on the tree. Not one scratch mark, nor any bite marks. This made the monster very, very angry. He got up, and he attacked it even fiercer than before. This time, he was going to destroy it. For he thought to himself,

'I won't stop until it is destroyed. I'll claw, and pour all my hatred into this tree, until it is rotten, and falls.' 

The night drew into dawn, and the monster continued pouring his hatred into the tree. He concentrated so much on it, that he didn't notice himself growing smaller and smaller. 

Before mid-day, the monster was the size of a human. In fact, he looked human. The only sign of monster, were the fur clothes draped on him. 

"I don't, I don't understand." The monster looked around at everything. The destroyed town, the tree, his hands, and then the teacher. More of he tried, but he couldn't bring himself to look at the teacher. 

"Come, follow me." The teacher places down a new set of clothes for him, turns towards the path, and walks steadily down it.

"Okay." With that, the new follower, walks down the path, the Path of Forgiveness.