‘That doesn’t surprise me. When food is short, men become more savage than animals. Lions don’t kill each other to eat, but men will.’

They were silent after that, thinking it over. They lay beside each other in perfect harmony, escaping far from the world as their bodies touched. In the background there was the gentle jingling of the ewes’ bells; this evening they were staying awake, nibbling on wild thyme and clover although they were no longer hungry. They were gathering their strength as most of them would lamb in the autumn. Joséphine could tell from the noises that they were widely dispersed; they would have to gather them together and lead them to the enclosure while there was still moonlight. How good the summer night felt.

Suddenly there was a commotion. It began with the bells starting to ring louder as if the ewes were running, as if they had suddenly decided to scamper off. Very quickly the noise swelled like a wave; now all the bells were ringing wildly at the necks of the galloping animals. In the midst of this curious noise, Wolfgang thought he recognised a roaring sound, and then he was certain of it. They both got up and went out to the front of the house. In the dim light of the waning moon they saw all the sheep careening directly east and bunching together. Wolfgang immediately understood what was happening and went back into the hut to get his rifle.

In a second their idyllic Eden had become the most terrifying nightmare. It was as if a bomb had gone off. Wolfgang knew that his eight wild animals were here ready to attack the ewes. He knew he had no choice but to kill the lions and tigers. If he did not, after decimating the ewes, they would go on down to the valley and start on the women, the men and maybe even the children. The eight agitated felines continued to push the ewes towards the cliff, ripping them open one by one as they passed, determined to kill the entire flock, like wolves and foxes drunk on death, and overcome by their own folly, starting to kill everything before eating it. So Wolfgang fired, which terrified the fleeing ewes even more and propelled them ever faster to the gully that led to the cliff.

August 2017

August 2017