Faith and Mountains

by Augusto Monterroso (from "The Black Sheep and Other Fables"), Translated from the Spanish by Edd Doerr

In the beginning Faith moved mountains only when absolutely necessary, so that the landscape remained the same for millenia. But when Faith began to spread and people found it fun to move mountains, these began to change locations and it became hard to find where they had been left the previous day; and this created more difficulties than could be resolved. So people preferred to abandon Faith and now mountains generally remain in their place. But when there is a huge pile-up on the Interstate and many people are killed, it is because someone somewhere indulged in a little Faith,

-- oOo --

In spite of what they say, the idea of a Heaven inhabited by Horses and presided over by an equine Deity is repugnant to good taste and elementary logic. So reasoned the Horse the other day. Everyone knows, he reasoned, that if Horses were able to imagine a Deity he would be in the form of a Rider.

-- oOo --

In the home of a rich merchant in Mexico City, surrounded by every sort of luxury and devices, there lived a Dog who decided that he wanted to be a human, and he worked at it in earnest. After a few years and persistent effort he was able to walk upright on two feet and at times felt that he was on the point of becoming human, except that he didn't bite, wagged his tail when he encountered someone he knew, would turn around three times before lying down, would salivate when he heard the church bells, and would howl at the moon.

-- 30 --