Adam had wandered off. The littlest lamb had gone astray. So the Shepherd tightened his sandals and grabbed his staff.

 

“Don’t worry,” he told the rest of the sheep. “Adam couldn’t have gotten far. I’m sure he’s just on the other side of that hill. I’ll climb it and bring him right back. The rest of you will be safe here in the pen. I’ll be back soon.”

 

With that, the Shepherd climbed the nearby mount. He called out, “Adam! Adam! Where are you? I’m coming, Adam.” In a few moments, the Shepherd had ascended out of sight.

 

When the Shepherd reached the crest, the flock began grumbling. “I can’t believe that stupid Adam. He knows he’s not allowed to pick up and leave, but he went anyway. Doesn’t he know it’s dangerous out there? I know he’s only trying to get the Shepherd’s attention. It’s his own fault if he gets eaten by a lion. Now who’s going to feed us? Where are we supposed to get our water? I hope the Shepherd tells Adam how thoughtless he is. In fact, I hope he punishes Adam for a long time.”

 

As the complaining droned on, Simon spoke up. “Look. The Shepherd is gone, and God only knows when he’s coming back. Someone has to be in charge around here to watch out for the rest of you. We don’t want anyone else acting like Adam. Since I am surely the Shepherd’s favorite, I’ll be the proxy shepherd until the chief shepherd returns.”

 

The wool on Ari’s neck bristled. “You always think you have all the answers. You act like you’re of the same substance as the shepherd. Well. I’m just as smart as you. And besides, you’re not the Shepherd’s favorite. I’ve got some ideas that are just as good as yours on how the flock should be taken care of.”

 

Most of the sheep sided with Simon, and the flock began arguing among itself. Marty couldn’t take it any more. “I’m tired of being told what to do. I’m not going to follow to either of you. The whole flock would be better off if they listened to me.”

 

“I beg to differ,” Geneva answered. “Pay attention, everyone. I’ve composed a program to keep the rest of you from wandering away. I call it CLOVER. This plan will keep everything in tact, and anyone who doesn’t follow it will end up in the desert and will get devoured by a wild beast.”

 

The rivalries continued. Hank became distracted by ogling the ewes. Wes hoped to revive the flock and began a group called the Shearers. Alex looked at the chaos and tried to restore the flock to its original form. Anne, Ed, and Benny believed that the Shepherd spoke through them, and they made unusual braying noises. Sven told the flock that they had become too domesticated, and Bert announced that the Shepherd couldn’t be directly connected with the sheep’s cultural affairs.

 

Allie announced that even though the Shepherd promised to return quickly he was obviously mistaken. The Shepherd, Allie asserted, had probably been crushed by a boulder; so, the flock should carry on. Rudy instructed the sheep to act as if the shepherd had returned. Jenny agreed and told the flock that if they acted like the Shepherd was really among them that one day the Shepherd might actually come back.

 

Tom and Jerry disagreed with all of them. They announced that upon the Shepherd’s return he would grab a few sheep and carry them away to a happy grazing meadow, leaving the rest behind to tend themselves. They declared that the abandoned sheep would eventually set their field ablaze and end up killing each other.

 

The bickering continued for what seemed like an eternity. Meanwhile, as they clashed, most of the flock had failed to notice that the Shepherd had returned long ago carrying Adam on his shoulders. “Adam, I’m so glad I found you. Your brothers and sisters are really agitated and making a lot of noise. Don’t they know we’re all here together safe and sound?”