Username: BadgerBuddies
Name: Shantam
(Indian for shy and quiet man)
Gender: Bull
“Ｔｈｅ ｌｏｎｅｌｉｅｓｔ ｍｏｍｅｎｔ ｉｎ
ｓｏｍｅｏｎｅ’ｓ ｌｉｆｅ ｉｓ ｗｈｅｎ ｔｈｅｙ ａｒｅ
ｗａｔｃｈｉｎｇ ｔｈｅｉｒ ｗｈｏｌｅ ｗｏｒｌｄ ｆａｌｌ ａｐａｒｔ，
ａｎｄ ａｌｌ ｔｈｅｙ ｃａｎ ｄｏ ｉｓ ｓｔａｒｅ ｂｌａｎｋｌｙ”
~Ｆ． Ｓｃｏｔｔ Ｆｉｔｚｇｅｒａｌｄ
ｓｏｍｅｏｎｅ’ｓ ｌｉｆｅ ｉｓ ｗｈｅｎ ｔｈｅｙ ａｒｅ
ｗａｔｃｈｉｎｇ ｔｈｅｉｒ ｗｈｏｌｅ ｗｏｒｌｄ ｆａｌｌ ａｐａｒｔ，
ａｎｄ ａｌｌ ｔｈｅｙ ｃａｎ ｄｏ ｉｓ ｓｔａｒｅ ｂｌａｎｋｌｙ”
~Ｆ． Ｓｃｏｔｔ Ｆｉｔｚｇｅｒａｌｄ
Prompt
“I don’t know what you’re so worried about, no one is even gonna notice! No one’s gonna be looking back there! Just please go out and play with the other kids. If you keep saying no when they ask you to hang out, they’re gonna stop inviting you to do stuff! Is that really what you want? No friends?”
Shantam moped about as his mother went on one of her typical rants. He had learned to just tune her out, but this day his frustration reached a boiling point, and he could not contain his emotions any longer. He erupted with tears as he screamed back at his mother.
“It doesn’t even matter! They’ll take one look at me and decide not to be my friend! Better to stay inside and avoid it then drag out the pain!”
His mother just glared at him for a moment, for he dared to talk back to her. She didn’t have long to feel angry with her son, however. “Mom, I’m sorry. You just don’t understand. I’m different! They’ll think I’m a freak. I just…” His sentence ended abruptly as he flung himself into his mother’s embrace.
She hugged her son tightly. It was hard to watch him struggle with his self confidence and feel as though he doesn’t belong in the herd. She knew that the other cows and babies didn’t see Shantam as different, despite him being born without a tail, but any way she tried to make him realize that, he just couldn’t understand. “I know you’re different” she says softly, “but that’s what makes you incredible.”
— — —
Shantam would come to regret not learning sooner that he needed to put himself out there. His mother was right all along; the other cows eventually stopped asking him to come and play, because they already knew the answer would be no. A real friend wouldn’t have judged him for the way he looked. He knows it now, and he kicks himself every day for not realizing that sooner. He ended up never having any friends throughout his childhood. Only his mother was by his side. His existence felt so lonely.
As an adult bull, it became even harder to find friends. Shantam is an extremely shy bull, and this is on top of the fact that he is still incredibly self conscious about his missing tail. Introducing himself to a group of new cows would be far too terrifying for him. He wished he could have listened to his mother’s advice as a calf, and have made friends to grow with. Every day, he looks out of his window, hoping that one of these days the other cows try again and knock on his door, inviting him out. But each day that passes, he loses more and more hope that he will ever make a friend.
Extra:
Like most children, Shantam loved to watch cartoons, maybe even more so than normal children, as he always felt very lonely. His favorite show as a calf was hands down Winnie the Pooh. Most kids connected with the sweet and lovable bear, but that was not the character who captured Shantam’s heart. That honor would go to Eeyore, the glum little donkey, who was loved by his friends nevertheless.
Shantam felt as though he could relate to Eeyore, and that’s why he quickly became his favorite. Thanks to him, Shantam felt less alone. He wished he could have a group of friends to be as supportive as him no matter what, just like Eeyore. As a calf, Shantam even drew inspiration from his favorite plush donkey, and crafted himself a fake tail out of fabric, complete with the little pink bow at the end to match Eeyore’s. He loved to wear it around and pretend it was really his missing tail.
