The Shepherd Waits

He senses something is amiss and turns to his flock. One of his sheep has wandered off, strayed too far. He calls out to the lost one, "return home my child." But the appeal of a greener pasture has beckoned him beyond the range of his shepherd's voice. The shepherd sends out other sheep to help bring back the lost one, to no avail. He won't listen to their warnings.

The one who strayed doesn't recognize the dangers that surround him. He has been trapped by the excitement of the new world that lies before him. Slowly he forgets where he came from, he forgets the sound of the shepherd's voice. He does not see the darkness that surrounds him.

He knows not that he is lost.

How long?