Sheep

by Haley Nguyen

Sheep are gentle, harmless animals. They are natural herbivores, spending their days grazing the fields under sunny skies. They travel in herds, and counting their numbers allows children to enter the dream world. Sheep are also the first man-made monsters with the ability to duplicate. 

The farmer died suddenly, leaving behind his abundant fields. He had no family, no wife, and most importantly, no sons. There was no heir to inherit his lands. No one was prepared for the farmer’s death, but all knew they could profit from it. The land was the largest and most plentiful in the entire village. The crops were always overflowing, but the farmer was never greedy, unlike the villagers who fought over his land while he was still warm in the grave. 

The village erupted into chaos, violence bleeding into the fields and poisoning the crops. One man, the strongest of them all, emerged victorious after a long and arduous battle. He staked his claim on the farmer’s land.

The farmer, despite his bounty of flora and fauna, took the utmost pride in his herd of sheep. The farmer would allow the sheep to graze all day, leaving the fences open so as not to cloister them. However, none of the sheep ever left his property bounds. They were content to stay in his presence. The farmer loved his sheep deeply and treated them like family. Whenever one got sick, the farmer would dedicate all his time and resources to improving the sheep’s health. Whenever one met its fateful end, the farmer would honor the sheep with a proper funeral typically only reserved for men of high standing. The farmer’s life was peaceful, as he lived in harmony with his beloved sheep. His death brought imbalance to the flock. 

The new owner of the land wanted to know why the farmer loved the sheep so much. They must lay golden eggs, he thought. When the document of inheritance went through, with the ink still wet, he approached the sheep. He was determined to know the mysterious quality that made the farmer so infatuated with them. He approached the herd, which was so condensed that the sheep seemed to form one, big entity. 

The sheep, sensing his presence, fled in all directions. However, none left the boundaries, even though the fence was still open from when the farmer was alive. Only one, the most massive of them all, did not move. The young man was impressed with its courage. He approached the lone sheep. 

The sheep was not a sheep, as the young man quickly discovered. The harmless sheep’s skin covered another existence, something grotesque and inhuman. The young man looked closer. Underneath the sheep skin was a badly-formed man, as if God stopped molding the clay halfway through. The figure, which uncannily mirrored the appearance of the farmer, looked at the man and let out a sheep’s bleep. The man’s insides turned cold. He quickly backed away, unable to understand what was going on. 

How did this happen? he thought to himself. But then he remembered. Sheep are not harmless, gentle animals. They are man-made monsters with the ability to duplicate. Duplicate themselves but apparently also others. 

The young man went mad, dying a few months later. When the villagers heard the news, they were shocked. But then they realized they could profit from his death. The village erupted into chaos, violence bleeding into the fields and poisoning the crops.

Haley Nguyen recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania where she was a Bassini fellow. She is an avid reader and writer with a particular interest in manga. Her favorite horror mangas are Tokyo Ghoul, Chainsaw Man, and Fire Punch. She is from Philadelphia.