Anyway,
this post reminded me of a brief tale I penned some years ago.
This
flash fiction stemmed from a writers’ circle set subject, ‘Fatherly Guidance’,
and in response, I wrote this:
BULL
Nik
Morton
"Your
preparation has covered two years, my son. You came into this world during the
winter, under the shade of a tree. You probably don’t remember your mother, but
she suckled you for eight passings of the moon. Your first memorable
confrontation with mankind came shortly after you left her side. You bear the
marks of this day; the large brand on your right flank is a number, a symbol
man uses to catalogue what he possesses. Yes, a man owns you.
"The
free range you see beyond the rough-hewn fence is not for the likes of us. Men
have tamed the land, and the beasts that live on it; but they have not tamed
us, no matter how many insignia they imprint on our haunches, no matter how
many ears are notched.
"Yet
they honour you in their own strange way, my son; for they have given you a
name that you may later carry to immortality. Your name is Bailador II, and I
want you to bear it with pride. Pride is all we have, my son; use it to show
men that whatever they do to you, they cannot take that away from you – it is a
presence, a look that instils both fear and respect. Already have I seen it in you, my Bailador.
"Now
you come to the turning point in your life. The tienta is the testing of
courage that will determine whether your destiny lies in the bullring or on the
butcher’s block. I must prepare you for this initiation.
"First,
you will be taken to a miniature bullring; here you will be tested and also see
the young cows. Since they will never appear in the plaza de toros, there is no
danger in their acquiring the knowledge that the true enemy is man. You may see
a famous matador, dressed in sombre ranch clothes rather than in the glittering
suit of lights; he will delight the spectators and even you, my son, with the
easy purity of his passes, the total domination over the young cows; often he
may end the performance by launching himself over the horn to slap the shoulders
with his hand in perfect simulation of the kill.
"Yes, the kill. For we are all bred by man to be killed. For their pleasure, some say; for the glorification of the bullfight; for the raw beauty of the spectacle.
"After
the tienta, you will be returned to the pasture, but will not be allowed access
to the cows. If you are to be a toro bravo you must enter the plaza a virgin.
For another twelve moons you will live a cossetted life. You will learn to use
your horns by sparring and mock-fighting, and sharpen your reflexes. You may
feel anger already at learning of the fate men have designed for you, but you
will keep this anger latent, to explode at the right time, in the arena under
the glaring sun.
"You see, my son, you can shape your own destiny, as have I. It was I, Bailador who achieved the unthinkable and eviscerated the famous Joselito in the plaza of Talavera de la Reina. As a reward, I was let out to sire you, my son.
"You
have the power to be on every aficionado’s lips, to be spoken of in respectful
whispers. My son, you can be great, the toro bravo, the fighting bull of Spain."
The words dimmed from the young calf’s mind. He looked around, at the men on horseback steering him and his brother bulls into the enclosure. Had his father’s spirit really spoken to him? Perhaps he had… He held his head up with its young horns, proud to be a fighting bull.
***
Notes:
1. Very few times a year a bull will be indultado, or
'pardoned', meaning his life is spared due to 'outstanding' behaviour in the
bullring, leading the audience to petition the president of the ring with white
handkerchiefs. The bullfighter joins the petition, as it is a great honour to
have a bull one has fought pardoned. The bull is then returned to the ranch
where he will live out his days in the fields and in most cases will become a
'seed bull' (he is mated once with some 30 cows and the offspring are tested
after four years for their efficacy in the ring). In these circumstances a
bull's lifespan can be 20 to 25 years. – Wikipedia, Spanish Fighting Bull here
2. On 16 May 1920, Jose Gomez ('Joselito') was gored to death by the bull Bailador. The story above is imaginary.
Spanish Eye - 22 cases of Leon Cazador, Private Eye - and not a bullfight in sight
2 comments:
What a beautiful story! Very moving.
I had to blink back tears, especially as I think bull-fighting is one of the last publicly accepted (in certain countries) cases of animal abuse.
It's a shame about the hoax picture, however, I agree that sometimes the effect can outweigh the reason. If it served to increase the number of people opposed to bull-fighting, it has done some good.
Thank you, Cathie (haven't you had your hair cut recently?), I appreciate your feedback. It's a great feeling when a story, no matter how small, connects with a reader!
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