The Disciple and the Bats
One day the Disciple came to the Lover and said, “Sir, I begin to see that each thing in the Garden works for the glory of the Garden of the Beloved, yet there is in the uttermost part of the Garden a most malodorous cave where live black bats of hideous aspect. These have no beauty to please the Beloved nor voice to praise Him, nor do they seem to do any service in the Garden of the Beloved. Tell me, Sir, I beg you, how are these pleasing to the Beloved?”
The Lover smiled, for he understood that the Disciple was growing in his perception of the Beloved, and he answered, “My son, these strange creature most certainly do great service in the Garden of the Beloved, for as they wheel overhead in the night sky they destroy many noxious insects which would do great harm in the Garden, and as they fly they cry continually the praises of the Beloved but their voices are pitched so high that our ears are not attuned to hear them. Furthermore, do as I say and you will see another great service which they do for the Garden of the Beloved. Go into the cave and bring out what you find on the floor of the cave and put it on one of the beds in the Garden.”
The Disciple did as he was told although he greatly disliked entering the cave because it was evil-smelling beyond anything that he had encountered in his life, for he was gently bred, yet he did not hesitate to carry out the Lover’s orders and spread on one of the beds of the Garden the gray slime which he had lifted from the floor of the cave, for although he could not see how this would be pleasing to the Beloved yet he well know the Wisdom of the Lover.
From that bed sprung up flowers taller and more beautiful than all the flowers in the Garden.
So he saw how many in his ignorance often fails to perceive services of other creatures of the Beloved.
And thereafter he often brought from the cave the bats’ offering to the Beloved.
