Scapegoat

They called it the scapegoat. Once, there were two, but one strayed too far, losing itself in the woods, leaving the other to remain all alone. How much longer can it endure? Then, there’s the black sheep lost, wandering within the confines of its own mind, living in its own fragile fantasy, unaware of the regret that will haunt it in the future. You might think the scapegoat and the black sheep would find solace in each other, two misfits bound by shared pain. But in this tragic story, such unity will never come to pass. They will fall apart, not that they were ever truly connected. It says that the most steadfast can unravel, as blood quietly turns into water.  The scapegoat has spent its life striving for peace, bending itself to maintain a fragile balance. But each step forward is crooked, uncertain, as if the path ahead resists being drawn in a straight line. Does anyone see the cracks forming? Does anyone hear the quiet cries that echo with every faltering step? Surely, someone must notice. Someone must care. “Hello? Anyone there?”  It was never the scapegoat’s fault. Deep down, it knows this. And yet, it apologizes endlessly, desperate to calm the storms that surround them. Then one day, the black sheep burst out with an unexpected question: “Why do you always apologize? Has someone been torturing you?!”  The words hung in the air like a blade, sharp and cutting. Silence followed, heavy and suffocating. Speechless. Beneath the question lay an accusation, subtle yet piercing. But how could the black sheep not grasp the truth? It was never the scapegoat’s right hand that inflicted the torment. It was the black sheep itself, blind to the damage it left in its wake. It was all of them, blindsided by their own hurt. And so, the scapegoat remains, quietly enduring, bearing the weight of a burden it never deserved to carry. Yet one day, the scapegoat will decide not to take part in the struggles any longer. After all, what’s the point in carrying a weight that keeps piling on? Either way, the scapegoat will always be the scapegoat. Whatever path it chooses, it will always be criticized for it, and even if it's tragic, it will always carry an endless amount of forgiveness within. - For kind hearts will forever shine in the eyes of the glory.