Most Poignant written by Sean Yang (Year 12)
WHAT I AM TO SHEEP, WHAT MAN IS TO ME
Soul of a Lion Died 1968, Botswana
—b— Perhaps that is what it means to be a father – to teach your child to live without you. – Nicole Krauss, THE HISTORY OF LOVE I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion. – Alexander the Great
I
—b—
ts written in the stars. My… our father would always say. When we were cubs, my brother and I would often lie at the feet of our father, as the cool breeze of the Savanna during the hours of darkness drifted through our fur, as the stars and sky blanketed the barren night. Peace and serenity surrounded us. His dark, thick mane, indicative of his wisdom, gently swayed. His noble eyes, cursed with survivor’s guilt, casted his vision towards the stars, as he proudly retold the legendary stories of our distant ancestors. The legend of the Nemean Lion who had golden fur, impenetrable and impervious to weapons of mortal beings, claws sharper than humans’ swords, which could cut through any armour, was the Lion that every cub idolised. ‘There’s the head of Leo, the Nemean Lion, the king of all kings. He died an honourable death and that is why he is now with the stars.’ I have always been told that life is about survival, but if your death is glorious, if you die defending your family, then your soul will leave earth for the sky and that’s where you’ll spend the rest of your days, as stars to inspire the cubs below. At least that’s what our father had told us.
‘Family is the heart, but the king of the pride is the brain. One of you boys will be the next king after me. Like Romulus and Remus, only one will take the throne… you are too young for this… but one day you’ll understand.’
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