Brill
The Tale of a Reluctant Donkey
Brill - The Tale of a Reluctant Donkey
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a young donkey named Brill. Brill was short for brilliant, but he didn’t know it. He lived in a clean, dry, comfortable stable along with three parade horses, two ponies, and a scraggly old barn cat.
To look at him, you wouldn’t think anything was the matter, but Brill was so stubborn that he had never pulled a cart, carried a load, and no one had ever ridden him.
But there was a reason, Brill wasn’t happy. That was because every night just before the animals settled down to sleep, the scraggly old cat would whisper in Brill’s ear, “Look at those magnificent horses. Everyone admires them. If I were a donkey, I’d be ashamed to be seen in public.” Brill’s spirits dropped. The cat went on, “These ponies get to have fun all day and are decorated with silver bells and shining saddles. All people want to do to you is hitch you up to dirty carts so you can haul heavy loads. It must be miserable to be a donkey.”
As you can imagine, this kind of thinking did make Brill feel miserable. In fact so miserable that he couldn’t do anything.
On sunny days Brill was tied to a hitching post near the city gate. His kindly owner hoped that the sunshine and the bustling crowd might help Brill’s mood and one day, two men approached, untied him, and began to lead him away. The owner quickly ran after the men, “Hey! What are you doing!” but they spoke a few words and his owner let them go. Brill was curious why these men would want a worthless donkey like him, so he followed them without any fuss.
They traveled along a road leading away from the city and into the nearby hills. They climbed for over an hour. Dust puffed up in his face and the late afternoon sun beat on his back but Brill kept going wondering what would come next.
Suddenly they reached the crest of the hill and pressed into an enormous crowd of cheering people. Oddly, the people seemed to be cheering for him. Brill felt confused. So he put his head down and thought, “I’m going to get this over as soon as possible—whatever it is.”
Nearing the center of the crowd, they approached a man. He was different in a way that Brill couldn’t describe.
His face was ordinary, yet extraordinary in the way it seemed to shine on everyone around him. Brill thought the man’s eyes were kind but also strong. They looked into him like telescopes to the depths of his heart. His words had simple power and felt like the ocean surf crashing over massive stones; yet they also felt like soft dew on the morning grass.
When the man looked at him, Brill felt something he couldn’t explain. And then in an instant he knew – he was understood. He was loved.
Brill approached the stranger, and as the man reached to touch Brill’s grey neck, the colt’s heart leaped with the thrill of pure joy. All worry and doubt faded and confidence overwhelmed him; strength and determination welled up within. He felt noble and contented. Brill thought, “I feel like carrying the heaviest load up the tallest mountain.”
The man’s firm, gentle hand brushed up and down his bristly mane and affectionately patted his side. “Here’s the sturdy fellow,” he exclaimed. “I tell you, there’s no nobler a colt in all the land.” Another man added, “A strong will too, no one has ever ridden him.
Then, the man whispered into Brill’s ear, “Do you think you’re ready to bear the Son of Man?” The donkey knew that there was nothing in all the world it would rather do than carry the amazing stranger who made him feel loved.
People placed soft blankets across the donkeys back, and the stranger sprang upon him as light and quick as a leaf in the wind.
As they drew near the city, songs and celebration grew loud, and people grew happier and happier. Children darted before him laying palm branches in his path. Others threw their cloaks in the road to carpet the way for a coming king.
That night, the events of the day all seemed like a dream to Brill. The horses stood aloof as their groomer finished their evening brushing. The ponies munched bags of oats, and the scraggly cat eyed the returning donkey mischievously.
As soon as it became quiet, the old cat started whispering lies to Brill and quickly, the young donkey who had carried a King hours before, lapsed back into depressing thoughts.
A little after midnight the horses were sound asleep and the ponies drifted in deep pony dreams. The old cat lay curled in a corner purring softly, but Brill was awake and restless as memories of the day and the cat’s words replayed in his mind.
Shifting a little and looking up, Brill suddenly saw the silhouette of a man in the light of the moon. He knew immediately who it was. It was the stranger. Instantly the cat’s confusing words became nonsense and Brill felt strong again.
The man reached out, stroked Brill’s neck untied him and led him through many narrow streets across the town. The clip clop, clip clop of Brill’s hooves was the only sound at that lonely hour. Yet, Brill didn’t feel lonely. Walking with the stranger made him feel like he was going home, like he was already home.
The pair finally came to a heavy wooden gate. The man led Brill through a dark doorway into a shadowy open space that smelled like a barn and soon he was fast asleep on a bed of warm straw.
The morning exploded with a frenzy of sound. People were rushing everywhere, animals too, and to Brill’s delight – there were donkeys!
Some were hitched to carts, some saddled, some fitted with bags or baskets. Stable boys were bringing food and water. Everyone was getting ready to go! An exciting new day was beginning.
Suddenly, amidst the commotion, Brill saw his owner walk towards him with a smile. “Happy Birthday Brill,” He laughed. “Welcome to your new home. You’re now truly brilliant and ready to join the rest of my donkeys.”
Suddenly, from deep within Brill’s heart came a bray so loud that it shook the rafters. Without a doubt, he knew that there was nothing he would rather do than carry the heaviest load or take the longest journey. “After all,” he thought, “I’m a donkey, and that’s what donkeys do.”
The End
Thanks for reading this little story. Honestly, I wrote it for myself, but maybe others can relate. The full-color illustrated children’s book is available on my website, Windwalker Art. Just scroll around until you find purchase links.