The young man suddenly sprang to his feet and dashed away.
The teacher let out a sigh of relief, thinking the youth had finally left. He lay down on his right side, placing his hands beneath his cheek, and drifted into deep thought. His mind churned restlessly, thoughts crashing against one another like waves in a stormy sea. One idea led to another, until his reflections inevitably turned toward death—the very subject that had haunted him all his life.
He murmured to himself:
Why must I die? How will it happen? Who will inherit what I leave behind? And what lies beyond death?
Will I simply vanish into dust… or will worms consume me, burrowing into what remains of my soul? Or perhaps… perhaps I will linger there, never truly dying at all…
---
Suddenly, the young man returned, a ram slung over his shoulders.
It was a magnificent creature—strong and striking. Its horns curved perfectly in full circles, its eyes lined with deep black, and its mouth white as cotton. All four of its legs were jet black, while its wool was thick, soft, and immaculately clean.
Panting heavily, the young man said:
"Life is short, old man! Huff… huff… Won't you help me prepare some food for us?"
---
The teacher cast him a displeased glance, then turned to the other side and replied coldly:
"I do not like lamb."
---
The young man paid no attention to the old man's words. He slaughtered the ram, skinned it, cut the meat himself, and began cooking—all while chattering endlessly:
"It was a wild ram. I found it alone, grazing… I was truly lucky to spot it. And what a stubborn creature it was! It ran far across the fields… Ah, those fields… how beautiful they are! They remind me of my homeland—back when I used to play with my brothers. Those were wonderful days… the rains were abundant, and the hills were lush and green. I remember once my brother fell off a wall—haha! It was quite funny…"
---
The young man burst into loud laughter, then continued:
"Look—don't you see how beautiful life is? It was beautiful back then when we were children, and it's still beautiful now. I have never grown tired of living. You're an old man—you must understand this.
One day, my father scolded me when I returned from a hunting trip I had gone on without his permission… but I thought he loved hunting, so I believed he would understand—"