But there were certain of them who took a bit longer to awaken. The boy prodded them, one by one, with his crook, calling each by name. He had always The alchemist paulo coelho believedthat the sheep were able to understand what he said. So there were times when he read them parts of his books that had made an impression on him, or when hewould tell them of the loneliness or the happiness of a shepherd in the fields. Sometimes he would comment to them on the things he had The alchemist paulo coelho seen in the villages they passed.But for the past few days he had spoken to them about only one thing: the girl, the daughter of a merchant who lived
The alchemist paulo coelho
in the village they would reach in about four days.He had been to the village only once, the year before. The merchant was the proprietor of a dry goBut there were certain of them who took a bit longer to awaken. The boy prodded them, one by one, with his crook, calling each by name. He had always The alchemist paulo coelhoand he had taken his sheep there.*"I need to sell some wool," the boy told the merchant.The shop was busy, and the man asked the shepherd to wait until the afternoon. So the boy sat on the steps of the shop and took a book from his bag."I didn't know shepherds knew how to read," said a girl's voice The alchemist paulo coelhobehind him.The girl was typical of the region of Andalusia, with flowing black hair, and eyes that vaguely recalled the Moorish conquerors."Well, usua
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lly I learn more from my sheep than from books," he answered. During the two hours that they talked, she told him she was the merchant's daughter, andBut there were certain of them who took a bit longer to awaken. The boy prodded them, one by one, with his crook, calling each by name. He had always The alchemist paulo coelhohe other townswhere he had stopped. It was a pleasant change from talking to his sheep."How did you learn to read?" the girl asked at one point."Like everybody learns," he said. "In school.""Well, if you know how to read, why are you just a shepherd?"The boy mumbled an answer that allowed him to avo The alchemist paulo coelhoid responding to her question. He was sure the girl would never understand. He went on telling stories about his travels, and her bright, Moorish eyes
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went wide with fear and surprise. As the time passed, the boy found himself wishing that the day would never end, that her fatherwould stay busy and But there were certain of them who took a bit longer to awaken. The boy prodded them, one by one, with his crook, calling each by name. He had always The alchemist paulo coelhoWith the girl with the raven hair, his days would never be the same again.But finally the merchant appeared, and asked the boy to shear four sheep. He paid for the wool and asked the shepherd to come back the following year.*And now it was only four days before he would be back in that same village. The alchemist paulo coelho He was excited, and at the same time uneasy: maybe the girl had already forgotten him.Lots of shepherds passed through, selling their wool."It doesn'
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t matter," he said to his sheep. "I know other girls in other places."But in his heart he knew that it did matter. And he knew that shepherds, like seBut there were certain of them who took a bit longer to awaken. The boy prodded them, one by one, with his crook, calling each by name. He had always The alchemist paulo coelhoning, and the shepherd urged his sheep in the direction of the sun. They never have to make any decisions, he thought. Maybe that's why they always stay close to me.The only things that concerned the sheep were food and water. As long as the boy knew how to find the best pastures in Andalusia, they The alchemist paulo coelhowould be his friends. Yes,their days were all the same, with the seemingly endless hours between sunrise and dusk; and they had never read a book in t
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heir young lives, and didn't understandwhen the boy told them about the sights of the cities. They werecontent with just food and water, and, in exchaBut there were certain of them who took a bit longer to awaken. The boy prodded them, one by one, with his crook, calling each by name. He had always The alchemist paulo coelhom, one by one, they would become aware only after most of the flock had been slaughtered, thought the boy.They trust me, and they've forgotten how to rely on their own instincts, because I lead them to nourishment. The alchemist paulo coelhoBut there were certain of them who took a bit longer to awaken. The boy prodded them, one by one, with his crook, calling each by name. He had always