The Sad Tale of Benjamin the Donkey
For the first half of his life, Benjamin the donkey was perfect. He never had any flies, was never sick, and was always cheerful. He had many friends and relatives. But one day there came the Great Depression, and Benjamin forgot the meaning of life forever. Problems started arising. His friends and relatives were being plucked one by one, off the face of the Earth, and being drawn into the heavens above. At least, that is where Benjamin thought they went. His mother, and his best friend passed away last. "Turn the animal world into a better place, son. You shall do well." Those were their very last words. Benjamin hung his head in sorrow, when he looked up again, the two donkeys that were standing in front of him a minute ago, were no longer there. They had slowly, and silently, drifted off to a better place.
Since then, Benjamin was never the same; he never saw anything positive about the world around him. He never laughed at anything. But his worst problem was the sicknesses, and the flies. The little, pesky creatures that flew around him, every day, now sensed a sign of weakness, and were attacking in large numbers. The only positive thing about this, (although Benjamin did not see this as a good thing) is that now Benjamin's until recently useless tail, now had a purpose. He always told himself, and everybody around him, that God had given him a tail, to swat flies. Benjamin also said, that he would have preferred, to no tail, and no flies.
Eventually, Benjamin was captured. He was expecting it. After all, it had to happen, after all the lonely days and nights spent, wandering around, aimlessly, in the fields. He was sold, and resold, until eventually he was bought by Mister and Missis Jones who owned a farm called "Manor Farm". There he met the animals that were to become his future (although he did not know it yet). The animals were friendly to him, but he still retained his gloomy character. One of the animals, Benjamin particularly liked. It was a very strong and powerful horse named Boxer (too bad Boxer lacked a few brain cells). That is the story of Benjamin the donkey.
