Mystical Mara! By Ingeborg Tinius copyright 2000 Publisher FIT
MYSTICAL MARA! Way up on the highest of all the hills, on the mountain called Tepusquet the wind blow's stronger. In Winter it is colder than down in the city. Sometimes ice and snow makes every little thing glitter so beautiful No people walk over the land, that is why the glitter stays almost untouched. Of course many animals live there at this highest of all the hills, and a little woman lives there too.
One day this little woman sat down by the fireplace outside on a bench. She was eating a big cookie so all the animals came and sat with her, because they wanted to eat some of her cookie too. There was Peppie and Tobie the dogs, 13 cats and Lambie and Tara the sheep. The little woman went and brought everyone something to eat. When they were finished eating they just all sat there, because they wanted some more. The little woman started talking to them as she always told them what ever was on her mind. This time she was telling them all about Mara the Mystical Sheep, that used to live there on this highest of all the hills.
Mara was so beautiful she said. Her eyes had sunshine within, like you can see it in amber, her hair was chestnut-brown, it surrounded the face in big curls, her ears were shiny black like her face, she was a tall and proud sheep Sometimes she would stand with her front legs on a rock. Her head with her beautiful curls raised up high she looked very majestic.
In the morning Mara would go with the little woman to the feed barn. Mara would wait until the chicken got their breakfast and then she would watch as the little woman filled a bowl of this delicious grain for her. Mara knew that now they would go to their favorite place where Mara always was eating. She happily walked and kind of jumped and shake her whole body. Her cheerful Bah would sound loud and happy, this sight of Mara always filled the little woman's heart with joy. The joy of giving to somebody and see them being happy. After Mara ate they would sit awhile and watch the beautiful sunrise.
One day, the little woman did not know why Mara could not stay any longer. The Angles had called her and took her away. The little woman was so very sad as she was telling about this. Tobie the dog thought he saw tears in her eyes and Peppie saw it too. The cats and Tara and Lambie did not see, for they had been to busy looking at the cookie in the little woman's hand, for they wanted some of it. She had forgotten about the cookie and went on talking. She was reminding everyone of the day when Saint Nikolaus stopped at the mountain on his way to the city. It was a cold day and snow was falling when he came walking through the yard.
She recalled how he had sat by the fireplace warming his hands and drinking hot chocolate. Now Tobie and Peppie and Lambie and Tara and the cats remembered this. Saint Nikolaus said that he saw, before he left the North Pole, the big Christmas Parade in the Sky. The Christmas Parade was the celebration of the birth of the Christ child.
He said there was no other than Mara the sheep leading this whole wonderful Parade of Angels with trumpets and many other mystical creatures. He said it was a heavenly sight to see them glide over a rainbow of colorful diamond dust. The little woman had asked, how did Mara look. Saint Nikolaus told how very mystical Mara looked with many sparkling stars in her curly hair. He said she also had beautiful big wings like the great Pegasus.
Remembering all this the little woman looked happy again. She gave everyone a piece of her big cookie and went back to her work. That same evening when everybody was eating again and the little woman was sitting with them, they saw some strangely shaped clouds with the setting sun behind. Without any doubt these clouds looked like many sheep gliding along, they thought that they saw sparkling stars around the leading sheep head.
As the little woman saw this she was thinking of a song that she had heard about "No Tears in Heaven". She started singing, when she sung "Will you know my name when I see you in heaven", everybody started singing too, because they all had finished eating and they knew the song. After they all had finished singing the sun had set, the dark shadows were all around looking very mysterious. Everybody was thinking of the coyotes they maybe hiding within these shadows. Sometimes they heard the coyotes howling in the night and nobody could sleep, because they were too much afraid.
The little woman got up and said "Good Night", and the sheep went to their bed of hay, the cats, Tobie and Peppie went to their beds too. They all were still thinking about Mystical Mara, and they wanted to become mystical too, starting maybe tomorrow when the new sunrise would make the mountain sparkle and looking so miraculous.