In the marketplace there are many interesting smells, sights, and sounds. The once fresh fish, scales glittering in the hot sun, will soon be given to the stray cats, for the pungent smell would soon drive customers away. The delectable aroma of pies and other baked goods seem to get stronger in the heat of the day. But so does the smell of the animals, and that's why they are kept at the other end of the marketplace.
At one stand, the wives gather about the colorful fabrics and sewing materials, while their husbands inspect hides and leather works. In addition, most everyone sells apples or peaches and a variety of beans, peas, corn, tomatoes, and potatoes.
Bleating sheep and mooing cows are paraded before a judge, the best usually sold for breeding. The sights and sounds blend together, with laughing faces enjoying the merriment of games and contests. There are contests for adults, children, and animals. Running franticly through mazes of hay bales, squealing pigs search for the finish line. Young boys and girls cheer as their friends tumble about in sack races. There is much laughter and playful shouting. But there are other sounds that are barely heard, hidden in soft whispers.
Occasionally, a boy or girl will whisper something in the ear of another. It is all done in the name of fun, and is good and acceptable. The teasing actually helps spur on the competitiveness of the games. But there are other whispers that are not good, and they are not done in playful jest. These whispers are known as gossip, and they are often hurtful.
For gossip to take place, it has to involve others. But others have their options also. They often join in the gossip, and help spread it. With this, the whispering can soon become a buzz, and can be as destructive as a buzz saw in reckless hands. Another option is to just ignore it, and not get involved. Nara considers neither of these options. She is moved by compassion, and can see the hurt and the damage gossip can cause. She extends her kindness to those that others are gossiping about. And that usually means they gossip about her also.
***************
The best smelling pies at the marketplace obviously draw the biggest crowd. And of course, it always helps business if someone is as friendly and outgoing to everyone as Nara is.
Everyone knows Nara because of her grandfather. Aaron is always the first to be called when someone needs help. For those living in the country, he is the only medical help for miles, being both a doctor and veterinarian.
Nara will never forget that event ten years ago. She was only five years old when the barn caught fire. Dad and Mom had both rushed back into the barn to save more of the animals. They were able to get out of the fire, but collapsed from smoke inhalation. Grandfather said if he'd arrived a few minutes earlier he could have saved their lives. And he still struggles with the 'ifs' of that dreadful day.
Grandfather still does his doctoring, while Nara takes care of the farm. Tanned by the sun, you can tell she loves the outdoors. And when the autumn time of market arrives, she is proud of the work she'd spent pruning trees in their orchard, as they are known to have the best apples around. Having cared for Nara since the age of five, Grandfather now boasts of how she mostly takes care of him. She does all the cooking in their small wooden shack, and her specialty, of course, is pies.
Many of these apple pies are displayed at market, as well as secret recipes of wild berry pies. The aroma alone attracts a crowd. Eating appears to be one of the favorite things to do at market.
Nara runs her hand through her strawberry blond hair, then reaches down to pet her lamb. She takes her lamb with her everywhere. You could say they're inseparable. If not for her, the lamb would not even be alive today.
She can't help think animals and humans often behave similarly. Just this year, late spring, this black lamb was born, the runt of the bunch. Nara didn't understand why, but Grandfather had explained to her that animals often reject certain ones of theirs ...solely because of color, or because it's a runt. Grandfather had smiled, happily stating, "I'm very proud to say that you are nothing like that ewe ...and I love you, very much!"
Grandfather was bothered by the fact, and would often repeat himself, "Just because they are different," he would say, "...and sadly, you'll often find people are like that too."
Nara looks up, as she hears the gossip begin to fly, "Here comes that lowly son of Lem and Blanche."
"Figures, for mountain people to name their son, Root."
"Well, the way they talk, how do you know the parents are actually Lem and Blanche; it could be we'd not heard right ...it could be Limb and Branch. Limb, Branch, and Root ...wouldn't that make fine for a family tree!"
The whispers are low, but the laughter is loud.
No longer whispering, one sings aloud, "Nara has a little lamb, its fleece as black as soot; and everywhere that Nara goes, is that sootie lamb and Root."
They laugh even louder.
Nara feels sorry for Root. He seems nice enough; and he and his parents don't make a fuss about not having much. It always seems like those who have the least, also complain the least.
Root catches Nara's sparkling blue eyes, and comes around back. He pets her lamb. And Nara slips him one of her pies. In fact, it is the last one. She knows he wouldn't be able to afford one, and he always seems so grateful.
One of the men sees this, "Nara, how about one of those fine pies of yours?"
Nara looks up, "Sorry, I don't have any left."
The man grumbles, "Yep, I see how it is!"
***********
Grandfather and Nara get up early. The second day of market is not usually as busy as the first, but it is no less important. Today they will be judging for the best pies.
Nara goes out the door to tend to the animals, but she returns quickly, and Grandfather is pained by the look on her face. "Grandfather, Grandfather ...my lamb is gone!"
The evidence is clear, that someone had stolen her lamb. Nara is so upset ...that she cannot bring herself to bake any pies. She will not win the blue ribbon this year. She is more eager to see the sheriff.
The sheriff is always at the market. He not only feels he should be present at a gathering of that size, but he enjoys the excitement. This particular morning, Nara provides most of the excitement, "Sheriff, I'd like to report a stolen lamb."
The sheriff tries to pride himself with a calm demeanor, "Now, Nara, let's not jump ahead of ourselves. How do you know the lamb was stolen? How do you know it didn't just get loose ...and run away?"
Nara's eyes now sparkle with tears, "Because we had left my pet lamb in the pen on our wagon."
The sheriff smiles, clearly using his superior logic, "Well, isn't it possible that your lamb could have somehow escaped from the wagon?"
Nara cries, "I'm sorry, I'm so upset ...I forgot to mention that the wagon is gone!"
The sheriff calmly replies, "So you are also reporting a stolen wagon. In that case, I do believe the two are connected, so, yes, I do believe your lamb has been stolen."
*************
It is noon, and the sun is much hotter than yesterday. Grandfather is already called upon to help a lady who is suffering from heat stroke, and he suspects he will be called upon several times more before the day is through. Yesterday, he'd had a much easier day, only having treated one man for overeating.
The sheriff returns to Nara, "I think I have a lead. Wasn't Lem and Blanche's son, Root, here yesterday?"
Nara does not understand the purpose of the question, but answers honestly, "Well, yes, he was ...but I don't understand what that has to do ..."
The sheriff interrupts her, "Wasn't he spending a lot of time around your pet lamb?"
Nara's heart begins to pound, "Yes, but you don't really think ..."
The sheriff interrupts again, "Yes, I do really think ...but it's not just my thinking. I have witnesses that say they saw Root early this morning ...and he was not walking. From the rain we had last night, I believe that wagon made some deep tracks. And from the heat of that sun right now, my guess is that those tracks have dried so hard, it will be a cinch to follow them."
*************
The sheriff and a few men take to the task, and by late afternoon they have Root in their custody as they return to the market with the stolen wagon and Nara's pet lamb.
As the sheriff asks his deputy to take Root to the jailhouse, the marketplace buzzes with the fresh new gossip, "I knew that boy was no good. You just can't trust a mountain man ...even if he's just a boy. It's the way they are brought up."
"Yeah, with a mountain man around, it's easy to find the Root of the problem."
"I saw the way he was looking at that pet lamb. I'm surprised they didn't find him eating lamb chops. I hear they'll eat dog, if it's not their own."
"I'm surprised he didn't up and steal Nara. You see the way he always looks at her too."
"Yeah, we were easy on him by going to the sheriff. We knew he was guilty of stealing that lamb ...we should have lamb-basted him ourselves."
Grandfather speaks up, to the sheriff, "Before you have your deputy take Root in, I'd like a word with you."
Nara is in tears. She feels relief that she has her pet lamb back ...and sheds tears of joy for that. But those tears are mixed with tears of disappointment. She doesn't understand why Root would do a thing like this. She knows that just because you show kindness to someone, that doesn't mean that person will offer their sincere appreciation. But Nara feels she is a fairly good judge of character, and she was sure Root was genuinely grateful and she could trust him.
The sheriff assigns two men at a particular area of the marketplace. The men do not understand their assignment, they only know they must do what the sheriff orders them to do ...and they know the order came after a request from the doctor, Aaron.
**************
The third day at the marketplace, Root stands with Nara, helping her sell some of her pies. She hadn't won the blue ribbon, but she sells more than anyone else because everyone knows they are the best.
At first many people at the marketplace are outraged because Root is not in jail. The rallies of whisperers grow with their claims of injustice upon hearing that the doctor and his granddaughter were not pressing charges. It is still not right, and the mountain man should be locked up. After all, he is a thief ...and he will likely steal again, from someone else.
"If I catch him stealing from me, he'll wish he were protected behind those jail bars."
Then the tide turns, per se. There is much talk about the marketplace, but it is of a different nature. No more hidden whispers. The ones who began the whispering, are no longer listened to ...they have no one to help spread their gossip. And these guilty ones are now the ones who feel they need to hide.
The talk now is loud and travels far, of the doctor's cure for gossip and prejudice.
****************
As the facts became clear, Nara's grandfather had been treating a man for overeating on that first day at marketplace. He had the man quietly resting, when he heard whispering behind the tent.
Aaron heard what they had planned to do. But instead of going to the sheriff at that moment, he decided it best to let the men carry it out ...and perhaps learn a lesson.
As planned, the men stole the wagon with Nara's lamb. They hid the wagon just before a fork in the road, waiting for Root and his parents to pass down the other road on their way to market.
Two of the men waited further down the road to market, beyond the fork, meeting Root and his parents. They told Root that Nara had gone to his place and wanted his help with something. Root turned around, and could see the wagon, by then a good distance down the road. He shouted for Nara, but it was too far. He began to run after her, as his parents proceeded on to market.
Little did the men know that Nara's grandfather, Aaron, had told his granddaughter the evening before, after they'd returned from their first day at market, that he had some doctoring to do. Aaron had gone to the mountain shack to talk with Root and his parents about what he had overheard earlier that day. So the men who felt they had a foolproof plan, had no idea that their plan had been heard, and they would never have guessed the mountain family would soon be acting in agreement to go along with it.
Before Aaron had left the mountain shack that night, he made a pie and did some doctoring on it. He had arrived back home late that evening, as Nara was used to him doing with his medical rounds. She did not see him place the pie on the buckboard seat of the wagon.
Aaron knew that whoever came to steal the wagon early that morning, would think it was one of Nara's pies. The day before Aaron had also heard one of the men mumbling about wanting one of the pies, but Nara had given the last one to Root. Aaron was sure the pie on the buckboard seat would be too much to resist. No one could resist one of Nara's pies!
Aaron had figured that since Root would be traveling on foot, he needed to allow just enough time ...as the sheriff would be tracking on horseback. The sheriff easily followed the hardened wagon ruts to the mountain shack where Root was caught with the evidence of the stolen wagon and lamb.
The sheriff had promptly arrested Root. Aaron was certain that the sheriff would stop at the marketplace to return the wagon and Nara's lamb, because they'd have to pass by there on their way to the jailhouse. And that is exactly how it happened.
At that moment Aaron had taken the sheriff aside, telling him of what he had heard the day before ...and of the pie he had doctored. The sheriff agreed to post two men outside the outhouses at the far end of the marketplace. Soon it was evident who were the guilty parties. And soon their little party of dishonest fun would be over.
**************
Nara is so happy Grandfather's plan had worked: to help flush their system of that contagious gossip.
Sadly, sometimes there is a dishonest pretense involved with a willingness to offer friendly help. But with friends like that, who needs enemas ...obviously, they did ---and sadly, it often involves sitting down and bearing out the facts. In this case, it was painfully effective in extracting the truth.
