Animals United

Animals United

Wally, was in her Poe mode, nodding nearly napping, as she nestled into a too small basket on the throw rug in Farmer Ebbit’s kitchen. She roused herself slowly, licked her fur like she would a kitten, and made small adjustments to make herself more comfortable. Half listening to Ezra and Mandy as they drank coffee and talked at the old oak kitchen table, Wally’s ears perked up when she heard Ezra say, “We have to sell all the animals, or we could lose the farm.”

Giving the conversation her full attention, she heard, “The drought has ruined us...no money coming in….overdrawn at the bank….feed and seed prices through the roof….No, we can’t ask Billy for help….I can’t eat our animals, but we can sell them…” The Ebbits were clearly distressed and broke but not yet broken.

Having heard enough, Wally after her usual stretch, pushed through the pet flap on the kitchen door to the back porch. Seeing Bow, the dog, there, making sure no strangers approached the kitchen door, Wally said to him, “Something important has come up. Round up the other animals and meet me in the barn. It’s important, so do it now and make sure everyone comes."

“What? What?” Bow yipped. “What’s happened?”

“Later, in the barn. Now hurry.”

“Okay!” and Bow dashed around the barnyard, barking for attention, and telling the chickens, the pair of goats, Slob the pig, Micky the horse, Bess the milk cow, the gaggle of geese, and the groundhog that lived in the hole by the fence, to assemble in the barn post haste. Everyone was invited, both domesticated and wild.

Wally went into the barn, stood in the center of the floor, and shouted, “Listen everybody, this concerns all of us. We’re having a meeting, no fighting or trying to eat each other. This is too important.” “Hoo,” the barn owl hooted. “Yes you, too, and the birds in the eaves, and the mice, everybody,” Wally said.

With that, the mice emerged from nesting near the feed sacks, the owl and the sparrows found comfortable perches, all the yard animals gathered peacefully encircling Wally, and waited for Wally to speak.

Looking around and making eye contact with all the animals, Wally began.

“The Ebbits are in danger of losing our farm, and they are entertaining the idea of selling all of us to cut costs. If they do that, we will all be imperiled. We live as pets on this farm. If sold to others, many of you will no longer be pets, you will be on someone’s plate for Sunday dinner, or pulling a plow all day, or having to lay an egg every day to keep yourself from being plucked. Even you wild ones would be affected. The seeds you mice thrive on would disappear. The roots the groundhog eats would no longer be planted, the degree that you rely on each other for food, your supply chain would be disrupted.”

“But what can we do about it?” mooed Bess.

“Good question,” replied Wally. “Any ideas?”

“Maybe we could make ourselves less a burden,” a small voice piped. “Instead of eating their seeds, we mice could forage for food in the grass and the weeds.”

The goats said, “I guess we could keep the grass eaten down so they wouldn’t need to have it cut.”

“I could restrict myself to wild roots and leave their vegetables alone,” from the groundhog.

“We could eat more grass seeds and less corn,” a chicken clucked.

“And I,” “And we,” “How about?” others contributed.

Wally was satisfied with the meeting, and all the animals were committed to lessening the burden on the Ebbits. Wally promised to keep them all informed as things developed.

Wally was a very happy cat a couple of weeks later when she told Bow that the Ebbits had agreed to let their son Billy subsidize them with a monthly check until their finances improved, and Billy had said forcefully that the checks could go on forever, if need be.

Bow went barking through the barnyard, and all the animal breathed a sigh of relief.

The barn owl thought to himself, “All bets are off,” and started looking for a barn mouse for supper.