There they are. Bored and angry. They take sticks and stones in their hands and go after him. He who is so defenceless.
Except for the main road, there are only sandy “roads” in this village
Distribution of roles:
“They”: This is a group of boys. Approximately between the ages of 8 and 12.
“He”: A young donkey who lives on the street with other donkeys.
Scenery: The donkeys form a group of three.
The boys form a pack of ten wolves. The pack does not know what to do with itself. The day has hardly begun and already it is like all the other days for the boys: dull and full of boredom. One or the other has a growling stomach. Some, on the other hand, have had another sleepless night because the family has quarrelled. The shouting and the fights still echo in their minds.
The boys feel strong in the pack. That is their world. Spending the day on the street with their buddies. Forgetting that something happens at home. Even if nothing happens there. Or there is only a rut. Just get away from there. And if they could, they would no longer go home. No longer to the place where they are beaten and humiliated. No more going to that place filled with frustration. A father, if he still lives with the family, who pays no attention to his own children. A mother who cleans and cooks all day so that it is neat and the stomachs of the family are filled. Even if the emptiness remains in the eyes.
The head of the pack is switched to idle. After all, the day is like any other. However, the pent-up energy of the boys wants to escape. They want to do something. Meaningful or not, it doesn’t matter. Then the focus falls on the small group of donkeys grazing peacefully by the side of the road. Intuitively, the pack splits the group by throwing stones at them. Intuitively, they pick out the smallest of the donkeys and start chasing him.
The donkey is full of panic. Just a moment ago it was calm and he felt safe with his companions. Now he is exposed to a pack of angry boys. Boys who are laughing picking up stones from the road and trying to hit the donkey. Like a pack of deceitful creatures pouncing on the weakest member around. The donkey runs as fast as he can over a sandy place. He has gained distance and turns back, wanting to find his donkey family again. But instead he sees only the frenzied pack coming towards him. Stones hit the animal. He sees sticks in the hands of the boys and starts jumping again.
The action approaches you.
– Oh, sorry, I hadn’t mentioned this part: “You” – sitting in a car and watching the scene. The car is in the middle of the path, but there is space to pass on the left and right. –
Back to the hustle and bustle. The donkey makes a few zigzag movements until it sees that the only way now is passing by your car. The wolves are a few metres apart, in high spirits and at full speed. After all, there is a common target. A motivation to move the tired bones. To want to be the first to make the donkey bray with a stone or stick. You see the donkey running past you. You see the panic in the animal’s eyes. And you have the moment to decide: do you remain an observer of the scene? Do you step in and turn your passive role into an active one? Do you think you can’t change anything anyway, it doesn’t matter what you do?
In fact, I am interested in your answers to these questions. Because yesterday morning I was in your role.
The main Road
