Eva’s Treasure: The Destructive Behavior of Dating

Eva’s Treasure: The Destructive Behavior of Dating
By Chad Patterson


Our story begins in the open plains of the Midwest. Throughout these open plains, there are many, many cattle ranches, and on these many ranches are, of course, many ranchers. There is, however, one ranch that stands out far above the others and it does so because of the rancher that runs it. Some call him “Rancher John”, some refer to him as “Big John”, and some refer
to as just plain old “John”. If the truth be told though, no one really knows his name, and no one really knows where he came from. Ask anybody around, and they’ll tell you they just don’t ever remember him coming, he just came. Ask old and young alike, and they’ll both answer something like, “Old John, well he’s been here as long as I remember. It’s like he’s just always been there.”

Who John was, and where he came from was truly a mystery. A mystery maybe, but not the only, or even most intriguing, mystery about him. What seemed to have people shaking their heads the most was not who he was, or where He came from. No, the most intriguing thing about him was how he raised his cattle. You see, John took a special interest in all his cattle. From the time they were born, to the time they were at their end, John treated each head of cattle as though it were the only one he had. And that is where this story really begins: Out west on the open plains in a barn on the ranch of Big John.

The doors to the barn were opened, and as Big John entered, the cattle all began to moo as if with joy, and stood straight with their heads held high, as if they were giving him praise. John smiled and patted the young calves on the head, as they all seemed to encircle and move around him. He finally arrived near the back of the barn at an area reserved for cattle that were not yet fully mature. In this area were five cows who seemed to watch his every move.

He walked over to a cow named Eva and said, “Eva, your time has come.”

Now might be a good time to mention that Big John’s cattle seemed to be able to understand him when he talked.

He put His arm around her and said “Come with me. I have something special prepared just for you.”

Eva was nervous, and while not knowing what to expect, she eagerly followed.

Big John led Eva out far away from the pasture she was used to, and farther than her eyes had ever seen. Then he stopped at what appeared to be the beginning of a fresh cut path.
He looked at Eva and told her, “Eva, right over that hill at the end of the path, there is a place I
have personally prepared for you. It is where you will spend the rest of your days.”

He told her that he knew her, thus he knew what it was she needed most, and there she would find that these needs would be met abundantly. He told her that the fields were planted just for her, and that no other cattle had ever been allowed to graze there. It was hers and hers alone.

Eva looked at the trail. The hill was not far and would not take long to get over, but she noticed something. There seemed to be four other gates standing in front of trails of their own.

“Big John, what are these other gates, and where do they lead?”, she asked.

John replied, “Eva just as I have personally prepared a place for you, so too have I prepared a place for your four friends that were with you earlier. I will go and shortly return with each to do with them as I am doing with you now.”

Being young and curious, she inquired as to whether theirs was any different than hers. For the first time in her life, John seemed to grow stern.

“Eva what I have prepared for them is not your concern, just know that what I have prepared for you is exactly what you need. Take heed not to venture through another’s gate, and remember only enter into yours. Do this and you will have no regrets, I promise. Now go.”

Eva smiled and then started down the path. She turned back to look, but John had already vanished out of sight. She took a deep breath, and with her head held high, she walked on toward her destination.

Within a few minutes she was at the first gate. She tried to make herself keep walking, but she couldn’t. She stopped and stared at the bright and shiny green gate. She tried to peak down the path beyond it, but it was no use, for the trees that lined the path blocked her from seeing more than a few yards.

She shrugged and said to herself, “Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to trust John and head on.”

Before she could turn away, a large crow landed on the gate, and proceeded to ask, “Where are you heading?”

Eva responded by telling him of her grand destination. The crow laughed, “You must not know what lies down this path, for if you did, you would surely not go any further.”

Eva gave a quick reply, “Oh but I have my own and it is just as good!”

“Maybe,” said the crow. “but if you don’t at least look, you will never know, will you?”

With that the crow flew off, shouting back repeatedly, “You’ll never know, you’ll never know.”

Eva looked at the gate for a moment, then turned and walked away. As she walked, she could not get what the crow said out of her mind. She turned and looked behind her at the shiny gate that was now about a hundred feet behind her.

“Oh I just have to know what is in there” she said to herself as she ran back to the gate.

Once back in front of the gate, Eva teetered back and forth for a few moments. “Why did Big John have to go and hide the treasures within this pasture behind this covering of trees? If it is as beautiful as described, why not let everyone enjoy it?”

Reluctantly, yet enthusiastically, Eva nudged open the gate with her head and entered that which had been prepared for someone else.

Slowly she walked through the gate, down the path and around the tree line. Then, as she turned the corner, she stopped and just gazed at the beauty that lay before her. As far as she could see, was the greenest grass she had ever laid eyes on. The amazing thing was that there was not one weed in the entire place. In the middle of the pasture was a small barn, but hey, with grass like this who needed a large barn?

Eva thought to herself that if this was hers, she would never even enter the barn, but would spend her days eating. If only this was hers.

Eve knew that this had been prepared for someone else, but she couldn’t resist; she just had to try this grass. After all it would have time to grow back, and its recipient would have their whole life to enjoy it.

As she ate, she noticed that the grass immediately replenished itself. The only thing was, that every time it grew back, it was less and less green. Before she knew it she had eaten several acres.

“Oh me, I did not realize how long I’ve been here. I’d better go,” she thought.

With that she took one last bite and headed out the gate for her own destination. As she left the gate, she did not even look back, if she had she would have seen that where she had eaten was now a dull green and greatly detracted from what had been prepared for its intended recipient.

As she walked on, she could not help but think of the grass she had been eating. Oh, if only her place has that kind of grass! She could not wait until she could eat that green grass of her very own. Her thoughts were interrupted by the presence of a shiny blue gate.

Oh I wonder what is down there, she thought to herself. She knew she shouldn’t, but she went through the gate. She thought that since no harm was done earlier, no harm would be done this time either. Again, there was a tree line acting as a covering to hide this destination from prying eyes, and once again, she disregarded this and went around.

She had been amazed by the green grass earlier, but was this pasture was even more beautiful than the last one. All around were flowing streams that all seemed to run into the center of the pasture, into what seemed to be a fruit orchard. Eva began to have an overbearing thirst, and thought that all of that grass earlier must have made her thirsty. She decided that before she left, she would have a little drink. So down she walked, into the center of that beautiful orchard.

She took one drink. “Delicious,” she thought. This was the coldest and most refreshing water she had ever tasted. The more she drank, though, the more she realized it tasted like normal water. She thought that she had just gotten used to it, and kept on drinking. Finally when the water seemed to grow warm, and lose its refreshing ability, she went on her way, and out the gate closing it with her tail as she left.

Walking a little further, she came to yet another gate. This one was bright red. At the previous two gates she had been reluctant to enter, but this time she felt very comfortable, and walked right in. On the other side of this tree line was the largest and most beautiful barn she had ever seen. It was then that she realized that all the green grass, the refreshing water, and all the walking had made her exhausted. She decided that she would just stroll down and have a rest in the barn. After all, it had not been given to anyone yet, therefore it was free game.

Walking in she noticed that it was the most pleasant barn ever. Instead of a lingering odor, there was a pleasant aroma. The floors and walls seemed to shine, and there was not an insect in sight. This definitely would be a delightful place to live. She found a nice stall, entered, and quickly fell asleep.

Upon awakening, she noticed that flies were buzzing around and biting her and that pleasant aroma had been replaced with the stench of a cattle barn. She thought to herself, “I must have slept a long time, I had better get going.”

This time, however, as she began to exit the gate, she ran into the barns rightful
recipient. Rather than apologize, she walked past her, and with a smile exclaimed, “You are going to love it. Your house is amazing; I truly hope I didn’t leave too big a mess.”

As Eva walked on, the other cow just stood there with tears building up in her eyes, staring at the open gate. What had been distinctly prepared for her had been used and discarded by another cow. Sadly, she entered into her home, and soon had it cleaned up, but it never was the same. It always lingered in her mind that someone else had slept there first.

Eva was now nearly to the top of the hill, and could not wait to see what had been prepared for her. She just knew Big John had prepared some of that green grass, and made sure she would have some of that refreshing water. She had already experienced the wonderful barn he provided; oh she
just couldn’t wait to see her very own!

As she topped the hill she was taken back. Her gate was wide open! Who on earth would have trespassed in her pasture? This was hers and no one else had a right to be there. She began to run
until she finally reached her gate.

It was a nice shiny silver gate. At least, most of it was shiny. There were some dirty spots and smudges on it were something had rubbed up against it.

She ran in and quickly realized that there was nothing special here. The grass was abundant, but it was no different than what she had grazed on all of her life. The barn was normal and smelled like any other barn that had housed cattle. There was one small creek that ran into a small pond in the middle of her pasture, but it was very simple.

What really bothered her was the fact, that when she got close to the pond, she could see
hoof prints in the mud all around the pond. Not one, but several different prints from several different cows.

She sat and cried, “How could someone do this? This was mine! It was given to me, and someone else took its pristine beauty with them.” She slowly made her way into her barn. All the stalls had been used, but there was one that was not too dirty, so she laid down and went to sleep.

She stayed there but every day she longed be back eating the green grass in the other pasture. When she was not longing for the grass, then she longed for the cool refreshing water. At night, she lay in her stall dreaming about being the big, wonderful barn she had left behind those many years ago.

Oh, she had it all; good pasture land, decent water, and a warm and dry barn. That mattered not though, for her mind constantly drifted back to those other pastures. She would never be totally complete, because she had unknowingly left a little part of her heart in every pasture she had visited.

Over time she, along with two of the other cows, grew so bitter and discontent with their surroundings that they busted out and went in search of what they had experienced earlier in their life. Sadly they never found it, but instead continued to leave parts of their hearts everywhere they went. The only cow that stayed in the original pasture they were given was Mary; the very cow that watched Eva exit her gate years ago.

Mary, I might add, was also the only one who never ventured onto another’s land. Yes, she had to deal with the fact that someone had trespassed into her barn, but she was content. She was thankful for what she had and was able to give her entire heart to her pasture. She neither needed, nor longed for, anything more. Whenever Big John came to visit, she always thanked him for meeting her every need, and she never complained about what her land was lacking. Thus Mary lived happily ever after.