The Last Supper

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The Last Supper

First I have to tell you something which will surprise you. The Donkey is married to a butterfly, called Butterfly! Yes, I know, it sounds unbelievable but it is true. The Donkey is very proud of this as most donkeys are married to other donkeys. Admittedly, Butterfly did not really fall for him; he had to conquer her, which he did, it took a lot of hard work from his side as there were many other contenders including a whole lot of other butterflies (although it had been relatively easy for the Donkey to swat these away).

Marrying a butterfly had been one of the better moves the Donkey had made in his life. Many things he had done over the years had been rather unproductive, like what he did now, going on a mountain bike called Spot from Cape Reinga to Bluff. But marrying a butterfly had turned out very productive as they had two daughters, who were a cross between a donkey and a butterfly, a beautiful new species resembling unicorns but even prettier. The youngest daughter married a beaver and the eldest an ostrich and guess what, all their children turned out to be perfect little monkeys, can you believe it. Usually animals marry within their own species as otherwise things get too mixed up and might not work out. The Donkey and Butterfly worked out perfectly well and all the scientists in the world are puzzled and want to study the family but the Donkey wants none of that.

The final night before their departure North to Cape Reinga, the starting point of their adventure, Showpony and the Donkey had their final planning meeting at the Donkey’s stable. The Donkey’s wife, Butterfly, had made a beautiful meal for the two friends. 'The last supper', the Donkey thought. He was going to miss Butterfly. When he was away for more than two days he always realised how much he took her for granted and how much he missed her. Donkeys are like that.

Showpony was in good mettle, showing of his colours, busy announcing even more things which could go wrong on the trip then what he already had thought up at previous meetings. All this got the Donkey into a morose mood. It is well known that Donkeys are melancholic types. Showponies are not but they do get anxious and worried, behind their facade of showing off. The Donkey had noticed that every time Showpony and he had a meeting Showpony arrived in a state of agitation and turmoil but somehow by the end of the meetings had cheered up considerably, having shared his concerns with the Donkey. This was in contrast with the Donkey who arrived at the meetings relaxed and with an empty brain, which is the preferred state of being for donkeys. By the end of the meetings however the Donkeys mind would be buzzing with tension and trepidation, as if Showponies state on arrival had been contagious.

Showpony exclaimed proudly that he had already packed his bike and was fully organized, despite the fact that they were not flying out a full 24 hours later. He warned the Donkey that it had taken him half a day to pack his bike and that it had not been easy. The Donkey thought about his friend's words during dinner and how much he still had to do. Panic set in. Oblivious to his friend's misery Showpony was telling stories about his previous travels to Butterfly who encouraged him with enthousiastic head nods. Suddenly the Donkey stood up and said to his friend “you better go”. Showpony got the hint and scuttled off home. The next hour, in fading light and attacked by a thousand mosquitoes the Donkey worked frantically to get his bike in the box, which, in the end, went in rather easy. Not sure what his friend had been on about the Donkey decided to pack his earplugs and not only use them the coming weeks to help him sleep.

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