Bruce Moose!!!

Bruce Moose!!!

It was always a big day at Three Ponds Sanctuary when children from the Shiverburr Elementary school showed up for their annual field trip. For several days leading up to the event, every person and creature on the farm spent hours sprucing up their house, coop, pen, stall, stye—even the large messy pail of one frail quail got a makeover, for obvious reasons why. And for one very large resident with large antlers, who shall remain nameless (Bruce), the sprucing up was always referred to as, the Brucing up, immediately followed by a long belly laugh with lots of tummy jiggling from the nameless jokester, (Bruce) followed by a loud groan about his made-up word from anybody within ear shot. Bruce really liked it when the kids came to see the sanctuary. He was very proud of his home and his life on the farm.

“Hey Betty, guess what tomorrow is?”

“I believe it’s Thursday. Bruce.”

“I mean other than that. There’s something special about tomorrow.”

“Oh, you’re right, the veterinarian is coming for a visit…”

Bruce’s face changed quickly. It went from sunrise to sunset in an instant. He was shocked and surprised, everything on his face grew big in size, even his little brown eyes, his number one and number two little spies. This was unexpected news to him. “The vet?!” Bruce asked, starting to feel a lump form in his throat.

“Yes Bruce, the vet is coming tomorrow. Doctor Mimi will be here in the morning, and the school children will be here in the early afternoon. Isn’t that exciting?”

“Well, I don’t know about you, but that wasn’t on my schedule of events.” Bruce fretted, feeling unsettled.

“You can relax Bruce; she isn’t coming for you. I heard Paul and Penny talking about it the other day. There will be no, ah’s after opening wide, no shots, no temperature taking, not even a gentle poke in the side.”

“Well, that’s a relief. I like Doctor Mimi just fine, she’s nice and all, but I don’t even have a sniffle, a cold, a fever, or a shiver, and I definitely didn’t trip and fall. I’d be the first to know about that!”

“You don’t have to be sick or hurt for the doctor to see you, Bruce. Sometimes the visit is just for a checkup…to make sure you’re okay. You want to be okay, right?”

“Oh yes, I like to be okay. Today, and every other day.”

“The reason she’s coming to Three Ponds Sanctuary is to bring the newest rescue member. I don’t know what the creature is, I just know that it needs some time to heal, and this is the perfect place to get better.”

“You’re right about that, Betty. I got better, and you got better, and Stanley got…well, Stanley came here and he’s…very loud…and that makes him seem better.” Bruce said, trying to describe Stanley in a positive way.

“It’s okay Bruce, I understand what you’re saying when it comes to Stanley. Whoever Doctor Mimi brings tomorrow, let’s just do our best to make them feel welcome. Afterall, we know how it feels to be new, and a little frightened in an unfamiliar environment.”

“Copy that, Betty. I’ll be helpful and on my best behavior. One of my favorite things to do each day is to think of one thing to look forward to, and now I have that one thing—a new arrival. Ooh, I hope the new member is an octopus, or a monkey, or an armadillo, or a seal, or a giraffe or a penguin…or a duckbill platypus! Mostly because I like saying duckbill platypus…I hope it’s not a spider though, they kind of scare me—”

“Bruce…” Betty said, squinting her eyes, trying to keep a cool head.

“Yes?”

“You’re talking…a lot.”

“Sorry Betty, I’m just excited and nervous. But I do hope it’s one of those things.”

“I’m excited too, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up for a duckbill platypus…they aren’t from our neck of the woods, so it’s unlikely.”

“Well, I’ll just stay positive, but if it’s not a duckbill platypus, I hope it’s a monkey. That’s my second choice.”

“I just want whoever it is to feel welcome and safe.” Betty replied.

“Yes. Welcome and safe. A welcome and safe duckbill platypus or monkey…” Bruce muttered.

Just after Bruce began to daydream about what fun it would be to be friends with an out-of-town platypus, or a local monkey for that matter, he and Betty heard a ruckus coming from the area near the chicken coop. Being curious, and serious, about investigating ruckuses and other loud goings-on, Bruce and Betty made haste to the area in question. They arrived just in time to witness a very concerned group of farm friends discussing the current, and alarming news of just who was going to be the newest member of their creature club. There was a scent of unpleasantness and unease in the air. A very strong scent.

“Hi everybody.” Betty said, cautiously.

“What’s all the hubbub?” Bruce asked.

Frederick Alpaca was the first to speak. “We just found out who’s coming to Three Ponds Sanctuary tomorrow and the news is upsetting some of the group. Stephen Stuffing Pigeon just came back with a message. He was visiting his twin cousins, Madge and Midge, who perch outside the window of Doctor Mimi’s office. Well, Madge and Midge told Stephen Stuffing that our soon to be newest member arriving tomorrow is…a skunk! A skunk who was found in a trunk.”

“The trunk of a car?!” Bruce asked, kind of hoping that was the case. It made the story much more intriguing. His hopes were dashed because it wasn’t the case.

“No, a trunk, like a crate, like a box. Someone left him by the side of the road. He has a hurt leg and some bumps and scrapes, but with some good care, he’ll recover, he’ll get there.” Frederick said.

The rest of the group started talking amongst themselves, arguing about whether it was a good idea, or a bad idea to have a skunk on the farm. Among the arguer’s was Charles Horse, also known as Peanut Butter in certain circles, also known as a voice of reason in most cases, but not so much in this particular case. He was definitely not in favor of a skunk on the premises. Neither were the chickens, the rabbits, the geese, or the turkeys, and especially the sheep because they could never get the smell out of their fleece. The ducks, well, they didn’t give any opinions.

“Oh boy, oh dear, look who it is, look who’s almost here.” Bruce said, looking past the group. It was Stanley, bouncing up to the gathering.

“Why wasn’t I informed of this town meeting?!” Stanley snarled.

“It’s very informal, Stanley. It wasn’t planned. We just heard the news about who’s coming to the farm tomorrow.” Poke Pig said.

“Who? Who?! Stanley shouted, spitting a little, then a lot, not patiently waiting for the answer he sought.

“Doctor Mimi is bringing a skunk to stay here while he recovers.” Ramona answered.

“Some of the creatures are not in favor of that decision, Stanley. What are your thoughts?” Betty asked, almost afraid of his answer.

“I have no problem with it.” Stanley said to the shock of everyone, but mostly Betty and Bruce. They were waiting for a dramatic scene, but that didn’t happen. Stanley was oddly calm, simple and direct with his answer.

“Did he say he had no problem with a skunk coming here?” Bruce asked.

“I believe he did, which I wasn’t—” Betty started saying until she was interrupted.

“I think we should take a vote. A vote on whether we want to share this farm with a smelly skunk, even if it’s just for a short while.” Charles Horse said.

“It pains me to say this, but I have to agree with Charles.” Ramona clucked. Her second in command, Willie, nodded and said, “Agree, ma’am.”

At that moment, Mootilda Cow strolled up to the group. “I’ve just heard the news, is it true?”

“It’s true…” Poke said.

“I have a question.” Bruce said.

“What’s your question, Bruce.” Charles asked.

“This is quite a gathering…a small party in a way…so, I just want to know if anybody brought refreshments? Maybe some snacks?”

“Bruce…” Betty said firmly, while shaking her head.

“I—I withdraw my question.” Bruce responded.

“Mootilda, what are your thoughts on the skunk coming here to stay?” Betty asked.

“I’m not against skunks in general, they don’t bother me, but they do have a certain unpleasant aroma. But, If the skunk needs help, that’s what matters. I say we welcome the skunk.” Mootilda responded.

Bruce whispered to Stanley, “I was hoping for a duckbill platypus or a monkey, but I guess we can’t have everything.”

“I don’t even know what a duckbill platypus is, but I definitely don’t want a monkey coming here! The last time I tangled with a monkey, he pulled my ears until I was nearly in tears! No monkey’s, and that’s that!” Stanley was getting steamed, so Bruce backed away a few steps, giving him some space.

“I’m not going to vote on whether or not an injured creature needs our approval to come to the sanctuary for help. It’s not our place, it’s not our decision. It’s what Paul and Penny, and even Little Teddy want.” Betty said.

“I’m with Betty.” Bruce responded.

“You know, Ramona, there are great benefits to having a skunk around. They’re known to keep pests away—like bugs and rodents and snakes. They can even keep wolves and foxes away I’ve heard.” Mootilda said.

Ramona thought about it. “Well, I don’t mind bugs so much, some of them are pretty tasty…but I definitely do not like wolves and foxes.”

Willie nodded. “Bugs, yes. Wolves and foxes, no.”

“Now Charles, I understand that you don’t like the smell, but what if the situation were reversed, and you found out that we voted on whether you should be welcome here before you arrived? Before we even knew you? How would you feel about that?”

Charles thought about it. “Well, I guess—”

Bruce interrupted, “And what if we said you smelled funny and weren’t the kind of member that was allowed in our club?”

“That’s kind of what I meant, Bruce.” Betty said.

“Oh, okay. I meant to say that earlier, but I was distracted by Stanley’s monkey story…carry on.”

“Well, I see your point. It’s just that I have a past experience with a skunk that wasn’t very nice, and maybe that clouded my judgement.” Charles said.

“What happened?” Mootilda asked.

“Many years ago, I found myself without a home. We, in the horse community call it, ranchless. Well, I started roaming from place to place with no direction really. Then one day I met a cowboy, and it seemed like fate had brought us together. I went to live with him, and things started to look up for me. I was happy, and everything was going pretty smoothly for a while. I thought I had really found my home. Then he showed up…the skunk. Oh boy, he was a smooth talker. He told me that if I shared my area of the barn with him, he would keep all the pests away, and even bring me late night snacks whenever I wanted. Well, that was a dream come true, but little did I know he was setting me up for a fall the whole time. He was going out in the garden at night and eating everything in sight. Sure, he’d bring me a turnip or two, but mostly he was keeping all the good snacks for himself, then disappearing during the day. Well, this went on for months until one morning the cowboy came into the barn and checked around like he was looking for something. Something a little smelly black and white interloper was hiding under my hay. Guess what he found?”

“An overdue library book?!” Bruce asked.

“Two thingamabobs and a whatchamacallit?!” Stanley sputtered.

“A new sun bonnet?” Cindy Sue Butternut Squash-Pettigrew asked. Nobody even realized Cindy Sue was standing behind them the whole time.

“You creatures are utterly ridiculous.” Mootilda quipped.

“No, none of those things.” Charles said, annoyed. He continued, “That skunk had been taking things from the garden, and the house, and hiding them in my stall, under the hay. Well, the cowboy finally had enough. He accused me of stealing, and told me I had to leave—hit the road immediately. That skunk wanted me out of there and he found a great way to do it. I had been hoodwinked and hornswoggled and generally done-in by that little varmint. That skunk stunk! So, I hit the road again, wandering for months until I ended up in Shiverburr Lake, then here, at the farm. And that’s why I didn’t want the skunk to come here. But now I’ve realized that I shouldn’t judge all skunks for the behavior of one, and I apologize. I wouldn’t feel good about depriving a creature in need.”

“I’m glad you told us, Charles. I’m sorry that happened to you, and I’m glad that you have changed your mind about the skunk. This is a chance to start over, and trust that Paul and Penny and Little Teddy Ready’s decision to bring him here to heal is the right one.” Betty said.

“I’ll give him a chance too. I may not like the smell, but I’ll try to overlook that part.” Ramona said.

“Yes. A chance. Overlook that part. Ma’am. Willie added.

Well, it was early the next morning, and the gang of farm friends were already waiting at the wood fence in great suspense for Doctor Mimi to arrive with their newest member. Betty, sitting atop her favorite spot, on the very tip-top of Bruce’s left antler, probably had the best view of anybody for the much-anticipated event. That was one of the perks of being a light bird who had a sturdy and tall friend with big antlers. A sturdy friend also came in handy when it came to all the pushing and shoving in line to get a better view. Moving Bruce was about as easy as moving a freight train through a muddy acre of uphill farmland on a very cold December day. Boy, that’s not easy.

“What do you think he’ll be like?” Dolly Llama asked nobody in particular.

“Stinky…” Charles Horse responded.

“Now, I thought we were going to be positive about our newest member, remember?” Betty said.

“Well, I don’t remember!” Dolly shouted.

“That’s because you weren’t there. You were probably off galloping aimlessly.” Mootilda answered.

“That’s probably why I don’t remember, then.” Dolly responded.

“My glasses are all fogged up, what did I miss?” Cindy Sue Butternut Squash-Pettigrew asked, slipping, and squeezing, then squirming and worming and forcing her way in between Stanley and Mootilda who were not pleased about the skinny little toothpick muscling in.

“Hey!” Stanley sputtered.

“Watch it!” Moodilda uttered.

At that point things were getting mighty tense. The mood sure was turning sour behind the big wooden fence. The guinea fowls, the peacocks, the greyhounds—even the turtles were starting to make growling sounds. Turtles making growling sounds?! Who could imagine such a thing?

“Everybody, please! Let’s all be on our best behavior today.” Betty said, trying to be the voice of reason with the unruly crowd.

Bruce sighed, “Maybe if someone had brought snacks, this would be a more peaceful gathering…or at least a less hungry gathering.”

Just as the pushing and shoving was getting out of hand, Poke Pig shouted, “She’s here!”

It was seven-thirty on the dot when Doctor Mimi’s pale blue van, with the words, ‘repair with care’ written on the side, pulled up at the front gate. All the creatures watched with excitement as Paul opened the gate and let her through. Penny and Little Teddy were waiting in front of the big barn for Doctor Mimi and Paul to join them. As the crate was being pulled out of the van, the friends waiting at the fence were trying to get a good view. There was more head bobbing, neck craning and shifting in place then you could shake a stick at. Then it happened, when all hope was almost lost at seeing the new creature up close, Paul started walking toward the fence, carrying the crate. For a second, they couldn’t figure out what he was doing.

“He’s coming! He’s coming this way, I say!” Stanley shouted.

“Is he actually coming here, to us?!” Cindy Sue asked, from behind her fogged up glass.

“I believe he is.” Betty answered.

As Paul got closer, they could see a big smile on his face. When he was a few feet away, he stopped and put the crate down on the ground and gently opened the door. It took a little prodding, but a little skunk face finally appeared, poking his nose out as far as possible and sniffing the grass. Then a little skunk body followed. He slowly made his way out of the crate and stopped, looking up at all the eyeballs staring back at him. “This is Rascal, he’s going to live with us for a while, until he gets better.” Paul said.

Well, that’s all it took for the farm friends. They all had the same reaction to Rascal. He was described as, ‘cute’ and ‘adorable’ and ‘tiny and adorable’ and ‘so cute and tiny and adorable’. There were several ooh’s and aww’s, and there may have even been one or two happy tears shed, but nobody admitted responsibility for that. Those reactions meant there were good times for Rascal up ahead. Rascal, it turns out, was a big hit with the farm friends. And that was that!

Paul gently put Rascal back in the crate and took him back to the big barn after his introduction.

“Well, I don’t know what the big deal is, it’s just a baby skunk!” Stanley said loudly.

“He’s just the cutest little thing we’ve ever seen!” The two swans named Juan exclaimed.

Stanley started jumping up and down and spinning. “I know, I know! I just love him; I hope we become great friends! Did you see his little nose?! Did you see his little toes?! I hope he stays here forever and ever! Now that’s how a happy ending goes!”

Bruce and Betty rolled their eyes after listening to Stanley’s sudden change of tune.

After a bit of chatter and a bigger bit of snacking, the farm friends gathered once again to greet the school children who would be arriving. Stanley had a few new tricks up his furry, hairy sleeve to ‘wow’ the kids with. He had been practicing his new moves on the new goat barrel for almost three whole hours. He called it the ‘Stanley droopy-loopy greatest of all time spinning thrills and spills spiral stunt with a backwards flip’. It took longer to say the name of the trick than it did to actually do the trick. How he came up with that name is anyone’s guess. It was Stanley who made it up so that pretty much said it all. As they waited, Bruce couldn’t stop thinking about Rascal, and how he had been found alone, just like him. He knew he was going to have to look after the little guy and help him in any way he could, just like others helped him when he first came to the sanctuary. Bruce made a promise to himself that he would make sure Rascal would grow up with all sorts of friends in a safe environment and have lots of snacks! Plenty of snacks! He would even share some of his with Rascal. How much could a little skunk eat? Not much probably.

And suddenly there was a loud honk. And then two big bright yellow school buses appeared with lots of children waiving out of the windows. It was time. This was it.

“Okay friends, time to shine! Look alive and stand up straight. Put your best beak, snout, and nose forward!” Ramona Hen said. It was times like this that needed strong leadership and Ramona was the right chicken for the job.

“Shine, straight, forward!” Willie repeated.

Ramona walked back and forth in front of the animal line-up, inspecting each one as she passed. “Remember team, we have to show them how proud we are of our home—show them our ability to overcome the obstacles of our past—show them that we have been successful by relying on pure grit, and teamwork. And most of all, we have to show them our willingness to accept food in exchange for doing tricks! Now I know that some of you think that’s embarrassing—demeaning in fact, but remember one thing, this sanctuary depends on donations, lots of donations, and the parents of these children expect to get their money’s worth. That means we put on a show for them. That means we get through the day with a smile on our face, so to speak. By the way Charles—no grinning for you, just a tight smile. No disrespect, but those horse teeth? They’re not going to win us best in show. I’m sorry I have to say it, but I think you already know.”

Willie stepped forward. “No horse teeth.” Willie quickly stepped back in line.

“Thank you, Willie.” Ramona said.

“Ma’am.” Willie responded.

“Well, that took a sharp left turn to scaryville.” Bruce whispered to Betty.

Ramona continued, “Now, in conclusion, I’d like to refresh your memories on the rules. There is no biting, no kicking, no clawing, no pecking, no spitting—Dolly…I’m talking to you about that rule—you forgot last time.”

Dolly Llama interrupted, “He spit on me first, for the record.”

“I understand, but it wasn’t a good look for us.” Ramona said.

“Okay, I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything. Also, I’m a Llama, it’s kind of our thing.”

“Is everybody clear on the rules?” Betty asked.

There were a bunch of yes’s and a few mumbles of okay, and one half-hearted promise of, well, just for today. It seemed like everybody was mostly clear on how to act. Ramona walked back and forth in front of the group a few more times, inspecting the troops.

“Turtles, I need you to keep your heads out of your shells. No frantically popping in and out. The last time the children came, they thought you were having some sort of medical issue. We don’t want them thinking you’re not being taken care of. Geese, a little less honking please, it was very distracting and very loud, and you kept scaring the turtles. That’s one of the reasons why their heads kept popping in and out. It’s called teamwork, friends. Also, just for today, if you swim or paddle, stay on land. If you fly, stay out of the sky. If you love the mud and muck—refrain, so children won’t follow you in and get stuck. We need to be accessible and friendly. That’s how the bills get paid. And speaking of bills, I need the ducks to be on guard duty for any wandering children. In conclusion, again, I can’t stress how important this operation is to the farm. Paul and Penny and Little Teddy are counting on us, let’s make them proud! Oh, one last thing, Cindy Sue…”

“Yes, sir—ma’am?”

“Cindy Sue, I need you to stay in your pail and not wander off today. It’s going to be a very busy day and there’s just not enough of us to supervise you.”

“Well, I don’t need supervising, I can manage all by myself!” Cindy Sue blurted out as she walked away.

“Your pail is the other way!” Stanley shouted. Cindy Sue quickly turned around and headed in the right direction.

Ramona shook her head. “Okay, let’s get to our battle stations, friends!”

The group split up and headed to their areas and waited for the children to show up. Bruce and Betty were hanging out in the open field not too far from the apple orchard. Bruce was excited, but sensed Betty had some reservations about the visit.

“Are you okay, Betty?”

“I’m okay, Bruce. I’m just a little nervous about one thing.”

“What are you nervous about?” He asked.

“Remember the last time the children came? Well, one of them was mean to me and I’m just worried that he’s going to be back again.”

“I didn’t know that! Why didn’t you tell me?” Bruce said.

“Well, I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. He pulled on my feathers pretty hard, and it wasn’t by accident. I just don’t want to be near him again if he’s with this group of children.”

“I’ll protect you Betty. I won’t let him pull your feathers again. You can sit up high on my antlers out of his reach and if he tries any grabbing or pulling, I can push him with my shoulder, or even kick him, I’m pretty strong.”

“No Bruce, you can’t do that. Doing that is just as bad as what he did. Hitting or kicking is never the answer. Revenge doesn’t do anything but make things worse. Promise me you won’t do that.”

“Okay, I promise. How about I scowl at him? Is that acceptable?”

Betty didn’t answer, she was busy surveying the children gathering next to the big barn. It looked like they were getting instructions from one of the teachers. They seemed to be listening, and Betty was hopeful that part of their instructions were not to pull the tail feathers of a certain crow, or anybody else with feathers, or hair, or fur. She watched the group closely until they all began to disperse with one adult for each smaller group. She could see Paul and Penny and Little Teddy walking with one of the smaller groups toward the pig stye. Suddenly she spotted what she had been nervous about. There he was, in a striped shirt, checkered shorts and a baseball cap…the feather puller!

“Oh dear, it’s worse than I feared. He’s here Bruce, and he’s gotten taller, and he looks stronger. Whatever you do, don’t leave me alone at any time, okay?”

“I won’t Betty, I’ll be a good friend and we’ll stick together like peanut butter and glue!” Bruce responded.

“Thanks. By the way, remind me later to teach you how a ‘figure of speech’ works.”

“Okay, Betty.” Bruce noticed who Betty was looking at and asked, “Is that him?”

“Yes, it sure is, and it looks like he’s headed this way.” Betty hopped up to a higher part of Bruce’s antler.

“Well, he doesn’t look so tough to me.” Bruce said.

“You are a big moose, Bruce, and I’m a small-ish crow…so, I have a different perspective on things.”

“You’re right, sometimes I forget about things like that.”

Just when things looked bad for Betty, the boy suddenly changed direction and headed toward the goats. “Phew!” Betty said, flapping her wings. “That was a close one!”

“I guess Stanley’s going to be his target this time, Betty.”

“That probably won’t turn out well…”

“Would you like to watch and see what happens?” Bruce asked.

“Oh boy, I definitely would!” Betty replied.

“Let’s get closer!” Bruce and Betty crept a bit closer, then a bit more closer until they had a front row seat to all things going on at the goat pen. Betty still had a little trouble seeing, but Bruce didn’t. At all. They waited. It didn’t take long for the action to start. They watched as Stanley performed his stunt, which worked out as well as could be expected. Stanley somehow ended up in the water barrel and came out looking sort of like a boiled owl. The other parts of the show, or fiasco as some might say, was surprisingly uneventful and honestly, mediocre. It was, after all, a Stanley production, and that said it all. Stanley came out of the goat pen, dripping wet, but ready to greet his cheering fans, which consisted of one frail quail who should have been in her pail, one duck who was only there as a security guard, one turtle who didn’t get the memo about keeping its head outside the shell, and one feather-pulling schoolboy. Stanley was pleased with himself and that’s all that mattered.

“Uh-oh, the boy is approaching Stanley…he’s getting closer…he’s reaching out…he’s touching, petting hard…Stanley doesn’t look happy…the boy is getting more aggressive…Stanley is jumping…Stanley is spinning…Stanley is headbutting…oh no…Stanley is biting…” Bruce closed his eyes at that point and tried to think of positive things. It didn’t really work.

“I wish I could see better.” Betty said.

Suddenly Bruce and Betty heard the loudest, yelliest yell of, “Ouch!” they had ever heard. “Well, I don’t need to see all that well to know what just happened.” Betty continued.

Stanley chased the boy into the open field before turning back toward his pen. The boy stopped running and slowly walked to one of the apple trees and plopped down underneath it, rubbing his arm, and wiping some tears from his eyes. Bruce and Betty slowly, and very cautiously walked closer to him, stopping about ten feet away. They stared at him for a moment, sort of feeling sorry for him, but not too much. The boy watched them for a bit, then said, with his lower lip quivering slightly, “My name is Isaac…I just wanted to pet the goat, and he bit me.”

Bruce moved closer to Isaac, and the tree, so Betty could hop off his antler and onto a branch. Out of reach. Bruce picked up an apple from the ground and started chewing, keeping one eye on the boy. The little boy suddenly noticed just how big Bruce was, being so close to him.

“You’re a big moose, I wish I was as big as you.” Isaac said as he wiped his face with his sleeve and took off his baseball cap, tossing it on the ground next to him. He continued, “If I was as big as you, the other kids wouldn’t dare make fun of me like they do. They all tease me about my weight, calling me fatso Isaac and frumpty-humpty, and stuff like that. They make fun of me because I wear braces, and tease me about how my family doesn’t have as much money as theirs does…it’s not nice and it’s not fair. I try to be a good boy, but I get so angry sometimes. I just want the other kids to like me. I just wanted the goat to like me, but he kept moving away. I didn’t want to pull his tail; I just didn’t want him to leave. I don’t know why I do things like that.”

Isaac received no response, of course. “Oh, forget it, you’re just a dumb moose.”

Bruce continued his chewing while Betty pecked at an apple above. Isaac pulled on a handful of grass and played with it, eventually tossing it in the air and watching it float back to the ground. “Sometimes, I wish I could be an animal like you, Mr. moose. Life sure would be easier. You get to sit around all day and eat and run around and stuff like that. You don’t have to worry about people calling you names, or your dad yelling at you to clean your room, or do your homework or telling you to eat less food. If I was an animal, I’d be a big scary bear so I could keep everyone away. Or a tiger, or something like a tiger…a lion! Yeah, a lion. Nobody would bother me then.”

Bruce looked up at Betty who had stopped pecking at her apple. Isaac noticed Bruce looking at something above him, so he looked up and saw Betty sitting on a branch.

“Hey, I know you! I think I saw you the last time I was here.” Isaac stood up and held out his arm, trying to get Betty to perch on it, but she wanted no part of it. “Come on stupid bird, jump down on my arm!”

Bruce quietly walked up behind Isaac and gently grabbed a clump of his hair between his teeth and pulled. Hard.

“Ouch!” Isaac rubbed his head a bunch of times, plopped back down on the ground and began to pout. “I just wanted the bird to sit on my arm so I could pet it! I wasn’t going to hurt—” Isaac suddenly stopped talking and thought for a moment. “Now I remember! You’re that crow! The one from before. The one who’s probably still sore. Yeah, I pulled on your feathers real hard, and you remember, that’s why you’re on guard!”

Bruce stood over Isaac and stared at him for a moment. And it was at that moment Isaac understood that pulling on someone’s hair, or feathers, wasn’t very nice, and it didn’t feel so good. It may not have been the biggest lesson Isaac learned, but it was a lesson learned that day, and maybe Isaac would think twice before doing something like it again, at least for the rest of that day. Bruce stepped back and went back to chewing his snack. Betty, however, wasn’t totally finished with Isaac because her feisty spirit wasn’t diminished in the least. Betty was a forgiving creature, but she also never forgot. As Bruce chewed, he looked up at Betty, thanking his lucky stars that he had such a good friend. Betty, on her part gave Bruce a little wink because as he was distracted by his chewing, she had a little think, and that led to an idea, that led to a dilemma where she had to grapple with the consequences of a falling apple…on Isaac’s head. Bonk! And that’s the sound it made when the apple she was pecking at suddenly fell off the tree, accidentally. Target achieved!

“Ouch!” Isaac yelped. “I guess I deserved that.”

Betty floated down from the branch and landed on Isaac’s arm. She could always be counted on for kindness. After a tiny bit of justice of course. Isaac was very gentle, stroking the top of her head. Given the chance, Isaac could also be counted on for a little bit of kindness. He just needed a chance, and a reminder, that actions have consequences.

It was late afternoon, and the crowd was gone. There was no pushing or shoving, or yelling, screaming. What was left was the grinning and beaming with pride of the farm friends. The place was back to its usual peaceful, quiet environment, except for the various animal sounds but that didn’t count because for those who lived on the farm, that was the best sound in the world. The chirping and honking and clucking and quacking and whinnying and mooing, and of course the loud chewing, from Bruce, always gave the sanctuary a real feeling of home. Those were the sounds of happiness and safety to its residents.

The farm friends gathered around to swap stories about their experiences. There were a few dicey moments, but all in all, it was a positive, and productive day. For instance, Stanley realized his, ‘one goat show’ was more of a, ‘one time show’ because it was just too complicated to do on a regular basis, not to mention, the name was way too long and that it would probably never catch on, or fit on a billboard no matter how big it was. Poke Pig found out that there is too much of a good thing. His stomach wasn’t feeling so good after eating handfuls and handfuls of rich junk food from the kids. Their hands may be little, but when there’s a lot of them, the amount of food really adds up. Ramona and Willie found out that no matter how much you try to keep order, chaos has a habit of winning the day. They were absolutely pooped and decided to call it a day and head back to the coop. Mootilda and Charles both had similar experiences—everyone wanted a ride. Charles bucked a lot to get out of that job, and Mootilda just laid down and took it all in stride. And that was that!

For the rest of the gang, they rose to the occasion. Cindy Sue Butternut Squash-Pettigrew stayed close to her pail, mostly; it helped that she was quite frail. The turtles kept their heads up, and out, throughout the ordeal. The two swans named Juan wooed the crowd with their graceful dances, while the horses, without Charles, mesmerized the kids with their fancy prances. And the ducks, well, they just watched over everything and didn’t give any opinions as usual. And Dolly Llama never spit…well, except for the one time when she bit into a lemon, thinking it was a pear. But she never spit on a kid! That’s progress!

Everyone decided they needed a rest so off they went to their pens and coops and ponds and stye’s and pastures to relax and take a breath. Bruce and Betty moseyed up to the apple orchard and took refuge in the shade.

“Today was a good day, Betty.”

“I think you’re right, Bruce. A day that ends with no feather-pulling is always a good day. I know that’s not the most important thing in the world, but it’s important for feathered creatures like me.”

“Do you think Isaac will be okay?” Bruce asked.

“I hope so. I don’t think he’s a bad kid, I just think he needs someone who will really listen to him, and be kind to him. That might make all the difference. I don’t really know how he’s going to turn out, nobody can predict that. Right now, his behavior falls somewhere between mischievously rambunctious and wild boar-ish. Well, maybe he’s not that bad, but he’s definitely menace adjacent.”

“Maybe his dad will be nicer to him, and that will make Isaac nicer.” Bruce said.

“Maybe. Generally, though, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

“I understand, Betty. Speaking of apples falling from trees, there are a lot of them on the ground that need a new home—like in my tummy!”

“Okay, Bruce. As usual, you’ve gotten to the core of the problem.”

Bruce groaned. Betty laughed.

ey