Once upon a time, in a valley full of golden sunlight and swaying clover, there lived a magnificent horse named Silver. Silver was the luckiest animal in the whole forest. He had a private meadow all to himself, where the grass was sweet as honey and the stream ran as cool and clear as glass. He spent his days galloping, and grazing, and watching the clouds roll by.
But one morning, the peace was broken.
A wild stag came bounding into the meadow. He was a clumsy creature, and he galloped through the flowers without once looking where he was going. He trampled the perfect grass into brown mud, and then he waded into the stream and kicked up the bed until the water ran thick and cloudy.
Silver watched from the trees with his ears flat against his head. He was absolutely furious.
“How dare he!” Silver neighed, stamping his hoof. “He has ruined my home. I shall have my revenge on that stag if it is the last thing I ever do!”
The Bargain
Silver could not stop thinking about it. He wanted the stag driven away for good, but he could not see how to manage it alone.
So he trotted to the edge of the forest, where a hunter lived.
The hunter was a clever man — and he was also a man who had long wanted a horse of his own. When he saw Silver come out of the trees, his eyes lit up.
“Sir,” said Silver, bowing his head. “I have a problem. A stag has ruined my pasture. Will you help me punish him?”
The hunter smiled a slow, knowing smile. He patted Silver’s neck.
“I should be glad to help you, my fine horse,” he said. “But there is a condition. To catch so fast an animal, I must be in control. You must let me put a bit and bridle in your mouth and a leather saddle upon your back, so that I may ride you while we give chase.”
Silver’s heart was so full of rage that he did not stop to think. He did not ask himself why a man should need a saddle to chase away a deer. He saw only the stag, running.
“Agreed!” said Silver. “Anything to be rid of that pest!”
The Great Chase
In a flash the hunter threw the heavy leather saddle onto Silver’s back. He drew the cold metal bit into Silver’s mouth. It felt strange, and hard, and heavy — but Silver did not care. Out of the woods he galloped, with the hunter gripping the reins tight.
The chase was wild and fast. They thundered through the thicket, leaping fallen logs and splashing through brooks. The stag, seeing horse and rider together, bolted in terror. Silver ran faster than he had ever run in his life, and before long the stag was gone, fleeing far away from the meadow.
Victory!
Silver slowed to a trot, his sides heaving, his breath coming in great loud puffs. He felt triumphant. He had won.
The Cost of Anger
“We did it!” Silver snorted, shaking his head to try to work the bit out of his mouth. “The stag is gone. Now, please — take off the bridle and the saddle, and let me go back to my meadow and be free.”
But the hunter did not move. He sat tall in the saddle, and pulled the reins, and turned Silver towards the village instead of the forest.
“I think not,” the hunter replied, with a cold, sharp smile. “The stag is gone. But you have shown yourself to be the fastest and strongest horse I have ever seen. You are far too useful to set loose. From this day on, you shall serve me.”
Silver froze.
He understood, far too late, what he had done. In handing the hunter the power to control him, he had given away his own life.
There was no more galloping in the meadow after that. There were no more lazy afternoons beside the stream. For the rest of his days Silver worked as a servant, carrying heavy loads and pulling waggons, and thinking always of the morning he had been foolish enough to let his anger decide his future.
The Moral of the Story: In seeking revenge, you may lose your freedom. Being furious with somebody else can lead us into choices that hurt us far more than they hurt them. It is always better to let a grudge go than to let it trap you.