Story Mountain Buck and Village Doe ( 13 )

 

Mountain Buck and Village Doe

[Infatuation]

Long ago, in northern India, there was a herd of village deers. They were used to being near villages for they grew up there. They knew they had to be very careful around humans, especially during harvesting time, when the crops were tall. For the farmers trapped and killed any deer who came near. To protect themselves, the village deers would stay in the forest all day long during the harvesting season. They only ventured near the borders of the village in the middle of the night. One of these was a beautiful young doe. She had soft reddish-brown fur, a fluffy white tail and big wide bright eyes.

During this particular season, a young mountain buck strayed into the same forest. One day, he saw the beautiful young doe, and was deeply attracted to her immediately. He didn’t know anything about her. But he was infatuated with her, captivated by her reddish-brown fur, fluffy white tail and her big bright eyes. He even dreamed about her, although she did not know he existed! A few days after the young mountain buck had set his eyes on the beautiful doe, he decided to introduce himself. He walked out to where she was grazing, and began to speak: “Oh my sweet beauty, one who is as lovely as the stars and as bright as the moon, I confess to you that I am deeply” - Just then the young buck’s hoof got caught in a root, he tripped and fell, and his face dropped into a mud puddle! The pretty village doe was flattered, so she smiled.

But deep inside, she thought this mountain buck was really rather silly! Meanwhile, unknown to the deers, a clan of tree fairies who lived in the forest had witnessed everything - from the first time the mountain buck caught sight of the doe and his secret admiring from afar to his present clusmy fall into the mud puddle. “What fools these dumb animals are!” the fairies laughed. But there was one who did not laugh. “I fear this portends danger to this young fool!” he said. The young buck was a little embarrassed, but he did not see how this could be dangerous to him. From then on, he followed the doe wherever she went. He kept telling her how beautiful she was and how much he loved her. She didn’t pay much attention to him.

Then night came, and it was time for the doe to go down to the village. The people who

lived along the way knew the deers would pass by at night. They set traps to catch them.

That night, a hunter waited, hiding behind a bush. Carefully, the village doe set out. The mountain buck, who was still singing her praises, went right along with her. She stopped and said to him: “My dear buck, you are not accustomed to being around villages. You don’t know how dangerous human beings are. The village, and the route to it, can bring death to a deer even at night. Since you are so young and inexperienced (and foolish, she thought to herself), you should not come down to the village with me. You should remain in the safety of the forest.” At this, the tree fairies applauded. But of course, the deers could not hear them. The young buck paid no attention to the doe’s warning. “Your eyes look so lovely in the moonlight!” he said and kept walking with her. “If you won’t listen to me, at least be quiet!” she said sternly. He was so mesmerised that he could not control his mind. But he did finally shut his mouth!

After a while, they approached the place where the hunter was hiding behind a bush. The

fairies saw him, and became agitated and frightened for the deers’ safety. They flew nervously around the trees, but they could only watch. The doe could smell the scent of the hunter. She was afraid of a trap. Anxious for her own life, she let the buck deer go first while she followed behind. When the hunter saw the unsuspecting mountain buck, he shot his arrow and killed him instantly. Seeing this, the terrified doe turned around and quickly dashed back into the forest. The hunter claimed his kill. He started a fire, skinned the buck deer, cooked some of the venison and ate heartily. Then he threw the carcass over his shoulder and carried it back home to feed his family. When the fairies saw what happened, some of them cried. As they watched the hunter cut up the once noble-looking buck, some felt sick. Others blamed the village doe for leading him to his death. But the wise fairy, who had given the warning earlier said: “It was the excitement of infatuation that killed this foolish deer. Such blind desire brings false happiness at first, but ends in pain and suffering.”

The moral is ✏ infatuation leads to destruction

Posted by irawan

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