The tinkle of her father’s sheep bells awoke Siddi. Usually she smiled and closed her eyes for another few minutes of sleep, but not this morning.
Last night her father had told her, “Siddi, you will have to herd the sheep by yourself tomorrow. I have to go to the village for our supplies, and the herd boy cannot come.”
This news had pleased Siddi. In the country of India, where she lived, the children often herded goats and sheep. Siddi’s father had never allowed her to herd them by herself, but she was certain she could.
Springing out of bed, she dressed and hurried outside. “Little shepherdess, are you ready?” her father greeted her with a smile.
“Oh yes, Father,” Siddi answered.
“Then I’ll drive the sheep to the grazing grounds for you.” Father opened the gate and started the ewes and the lambs on the trail.
Siddi did not follow right away.
After a moment, her father called to her, “Siddi, are you not coming?” He saw her standing by the gate with her head bowed.
“Yes, Father,” she answered and ran to catch up. Siddi had a secret that she had never told her father. Her secret was that she believed in Jesus Christ.
Several months ago, her missionary friend Naomi had told her about Jesus, and every day now Siddi prayed to Him. She was certain her father would be angry if he knew. Often he had remarked, “Don’t forget, Siddi, to worship our gods.” But Siddi had learned better than to worship gods who can neither see nor hear.
As she skipped along on the trail with her father, she saw her friends Rajendra and Santha standing in their uncle’s garden. She knew they were beginning their task for the day. It was their job to chase away any birds or animals that came to eat the young vegetable plants.
“I would rather herd sheep than chase birds,” she told her father gaily.
“Would you?” smiled Father. “Why?”
Siddi wanted to say because Jesus had loved the baby lambs so much, but she knew she couldn’t. Before she could think of an answer, her father turned onto another path. “Graze the sheep here this morning,” he said. “I should be back in the early part of the afternoon. Then we will drive them farther.”
“All right, Father,” Siddi said. She gave her father a kiss and waved goodbye to him.
After he had gone so far down the trail that she could no longer see him, Siddi sat on a rock. For a while she watched the wooly lambs eat the tender green grass beside their mothers. Then she looked across the countryside.
Naomi had told her that India was a little like the land where Jesus had lived. She said the tamarind groves were once like the olive groves mentioned in the Bible. In the distance, Siddi saw some day lilies and a clump of balsams. I guess they are like the flowers that grew in Jesus’ land, she thought.
The sun grew hot. Siddi became sleepy, but she remembered to stay awake and watch the sheep.
She was still herding them in the grassy plain when she saw her father coming down the trail from the village. Forgetting the sheep for a moment, she raced to meet him.
Then a strange thing happened. Siddi heard a voice calling, “Go back, Siddi.”
Siddi slowed and looked at her father. He was smiling and waving to her. Surely he hadn’t told her to go back.
Again, Siddi started down the path. Again came the voice, “Go back, Siddi, go back!”
Puzzled, Siddi stopped once more. Who could be calling? There was no one but her father near. As she stood still, the voice spoke louder this time. “Siddi, go back to the sheep at once!”
Quickly Siddi turned to obey. As she did she caught sight of something beside the path—the horrible flat head of a cobra!
Siddi ran as fast as she could. She did not see the poisonous snake strike, barely missing her, nor did she see her father destroy the snake.
She was still shaking from the experience when her father reached her. “Oh, Siddi, if you hadn’t run when you did the snake would have killed you!” her father cried. “How did you ever see it in time?”
Siddi shook her head. She knew it had been one of Jesus’ angels who had warned her. She knew too, that she must tell her father her secret.
“I didn’t see the snake in time, Father,” she said. “Jesus sent an angel to tell me to turn back. My friend Naomi has taught me all about Jesus. Father, you must come to the meetings that Naomi’s father has and learn about Jesus too.”
For a moment Siddi’s father looked almost angry. Then his look softened as he put his arm around Siddi. “If Jesus has the power to save you from the cobra,” he said, “then I certainly must learn about Him.”
Learning about Jesus is no longer a secret in Siddi’s family. Both her father and her mother go with her to the Sabbath meetings.
Heaven, Please!, Helena Welch, ©1973, 76–79