Chapter XVI

One fateful day, when Ziggy was old and weak, and his foals were young and strong, the circle of life came to a close! 

He lived a long and fulfilled life, but only a fraction of that truly free! It took him years to realize he lived in a nature reserve where the men in green ruled and not the rules of nature! It took him decades to realize he was also a prisoner of his herd, living in a mental cage he build for himself! But once he understood that, he was free to live his life any way he chose, and his life took a different shape! Ziggy dedicated his life to his foals, teaching them what he wished he had known. He left a significant legacy. An army of zebras fighting for what they believed was right!

His life started with a BANG, big BANG! One moment, everything was dark, and the next, there was light! His life also ended with a BANG, a big BANG, when his motionless body hit the ground! Ziggy passed away quickly due to a stroke. He had regrets, but who doesn’t? He made mistakes, but who hasn’t? He played the game of life and lost, but who didn’t? His life ended, and there was nothing left to do but follow the light. Then suddenly, Ziggy found himself again in a place of eternal warmth and comfort. 

“Don’t be afraid, Ziggy,” the calm, familiar voice said. It was the same voice he hadn’t heard for almost forty years. Not since he was just a little foal, but not yet a big fool! “What happened to me? Am I being born again?” Ziggy asked curiously. “Not unless you want to be?” The voice answered patiently, its understanding and kindness wrapping around Ziggy like a warm blanket. 

“I have watched your life and guided your steps. I have witnessed your ups and downs. Your heroic moves and your cowardly moments. I have seen you grow through the crucial stages of life. Some steps you passed, and some you failed!” Ziggy didn’t know what that meant! “What stages?” The voice immediately responded to him as if Ziggy’s mind was being read! “The first stage is overcoming obstacles and learning how to survive; the little voice inside you gets silenced by outside interference. The second stage is learning the basic rules; you take on your group’s moral cues. The third phase is questioning those and coming up with your own rules. You passed the third stage, but you missed the fourth!

“What is the fourth stage?” Ziggy asked. “The fourth stage is finding me again and realizing the moral compass inside you knows best,” the voice said. “I could have reached out to you on earth?” Ziggy asked flabbergasted. “Yes, I was there with you every step of the way; you just stopped listening,” the voice said. “I was there during your first steps, during your upbringing, and when you ended it with Zora,” he continued. “I tried to talk to you or send you a sign, but you were not responding to any of my attempts,” he concluded. Ziggy remembered that moment; his heart was telling him Zora was the answer to all his questions, but he ignored it. “I should have listened to you back then,” he said after a while. “I betrayed her, and it hurts me every day. It’s the one thing I couldn’t fix,” he said tearfully. “Don’t despair, my dear friend; not all is lost yet,” the voice said.