Bumpy Ride Ahead!

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  “Finish your breakfast,” Mom said. “When you’re done, you can read a book.”

  “I don’t feel like reading. I wanna do something fun.”

  “Would you like to make some homemade paper dolls?” Mom asked.

  “Will you help me make ’em?”

  “I need to go downstairs right now and check on Ada and Perry, but as soon as I put them down for their naps I’ll come back here, and then we can cut out some paper dolls together.”

  Mattie smiled. Making paper dolls with Mom wouldn’t be nearly as much fun as seeing the animals at the Farm, but at least it was something to look forward to. She couldn’t help but wonder, though, what fun things Mark was doing right now with his friend.

  “This is going to be so much fun,” Mark told Dan as they climbed aboard the large wagon that would take them on the trails to see all the animals at the Farm.

  Dan nodded, and his blue eyes twinkled, so Mark knew Dan was as excited about being there as he was. “The horses pullin’ this wagon are just like the ones my daed uses to plow our fields,” Dan said as the boys took a seat on the wooden bench along the left side of the wagon.

  “Jah,” Mark agreed. “My daed uses big draft horses, too.”

  “And look,” Dan said. “These horses have bells!”

  Sure enough, Mark noticed that both of the horses hitched to the wagon had bells on their harnesses.

  The Amish man who drove the wagon and would be their guide turned in his seat and said, “There are a few rules everyone needs to know about before we start through the park. You must stay in the wagon at all times and remain seated whenever the wagon is moving. You can feed some of the four-legged animals by holding the food I gave you in your hand, but most of them will need to be fed by pouring some of the feed out of the buckets and onto the floor of the wagon where they can reach it. You’ll need to feed the two-legged feathered animals with beaks out of the bucket. If you don’t, their sharp beaks might hurt your hands. There are some areas I’ll be taking us through where the animals will be walking right up to the wagon, so hang on to your bucket, because if you drop it out of the wagon, we won’t be able to stop and pick it up.” He smiled and gave Mark a wink. “And feel free to ask questions about any of the animals we see.”

  Mark gave a nod. He was pretty sure he’d have a few questions to ask.

  As they rode along, the jingling bells on the horses made it sound like Christmastime. It was interesting as their driver pointed out some goats and several sheep with long, curved horns that were called Aoudad.

  “These unusual sheep come from northern Algeria,” the Amish man said. “They are able to run fast up steep hills and go as long as five days without fresh water.”

  “Wow!” Mark exclaimed. “I sure couldn’t go that long without gettin’ a drink of water.”

  “Me neither,” Dan agreed.

  They rode a little farther until they came upon some deer and elk. It was fun to hold the bucket of feed out or put food on the wagon floor so the animals could eat whenever the wagon stopped.

  “Oh look, there’s a zebra!” Mark shouted. “I’ve seen pictures of zebras in books but never thought I’d see one up close.”

  When a zebra came up to the wagon to be fed, Mark reached out and stroked the animal behind its ear. It felt soft and silky, just like Dad’s buggy horse.

  “What kind of a zebra is this?” Mark asked their guide.

  “It’s called the Grevy’s zebra, and it’s the largest species of zebra. It’s also able to run as fast as forty miles per hour.”

  “Now that’s really somethin’!” Mark whistled. “Sure wish I could run that fast.”

  Next, they saw an ostrich with a long neck and pointed beak. Mark held his bucket tightly as the ostrich eagerly stuck its beak into the bucket to get some food. In and out! In and out! The big bird’s head bobbed back and forth.

  “I think this enormous bird is tryin’ to eat all the food,” Mark said.

  “An ostrich egg is quite large,” their guide went on to say. “It can be as much as six inches long and weighs up to three and a half pounds.”

  Dan looked at Mark, and his eyes grew wide. “Can you imagine what a big plate of scrambled eggs just one ostrich egg would make?”

  Mark chuckled. “Or how ’bout a ham and cheese omelet?”

  Everyone in the wagon, including Dan’s parents and their guide, got a good laugh out of that.

  “In this next area there will be more animals roaming around us,” their guide said. “You’ll have to watch again because some of the animals will get pretty excited when they come up to the wagon looking for something to eat.”

  Mark and Dan looked at each other with anticipation. Could this tour get any more exciting? Mark wondered. He hardly knew which way to look—to the left or right? There were animals everywhere: llamas, fallow deer, and even a few more zebras. Mark loved the little fallow deer. They all had spots and looked like the baby white-tailed fawns they often saw in the fields near his home each spring.

  The driver stopped the wagon so some of the people could take photos. Mark still had some feed left in his bucket, and when he saw two llamas approach, he put some in his hand, just like the guide had instructed, and held it out to them. At first the llamas ate from his hand, but those llamas were smart and knew more feed was in the bucket, so they came in closer. The bigger one stuck his nose right into the container Mark had been holding, nearly knocking it out of his hands.

  “Hey, watch it there, boy!” Mark giggled as the other llama tried to stick his head in the same bucket. “You’ll have to take your turn.”

  When the smaller llama tried again to eat from the bucket, the bigger one wanted no part of it. All of a sudden it spit toward the smaller one, but unfortunately its aim wasn’t the best.

  “Ewww …” Mark made a face, setting his bucket down on the floor of the wagon and wiping at the front of his shirt. “He spit on me!”

  Dan laughed, and the rest on the wagon joined in, even Mark. “Well, guess that ol’ llama was just tryin’ to let everyone know who was the boss.”

  “You’re right about that.” Their guide chuckled and handed Mark a paper towel. “I keep these towels on the wagon just for occasions like this. See, llamas usually spit at each other to show dominance, but sometimes they do spit at humans. Unfortunately,” he added, “you just happened to be in the line of fire.”

  As they rode up over the hill to the fenced-in area ahead, Mark couldn’t help chuckling to himself and wondering how Mattie would have reacted with that llama spitting so close. Shaking his head, he could only imagine.

  “Now we’re coming to the place where the giraffes are kept,” the guide announced. “They’re kept in here because we can’t have them roaming all over the place. Now, when we stop, they’ll stick their long necks over the fence so we can feed them.”

  “Look how big they are!” Dan’s sister, Becky, exclaimed.

  Mark snickered when one of the larger giraffes gobbled up the rest of the food in his bucket. It was exciting to see them up close like this and actually be able to pet them.

  After the tour, Mark was surprised when Dan’s dad said, “Come on kids, we’re not done yet. Now we’re going to have a picnic.”

  Dan and Mark looked in the direction where Dan’s dad was pointing. “Over there’s the picnic area, and that’s where we’ll have our lunch.”

  Dan’s mom had a picnic basket packed with bologna sandwiches, carrots, and celery to munch on; and there was a big bag of potato chips, too. She’d also brought along a large thermos of cold lemonade to drink.

  Inside the farmhouse, where people could visit to see what a real Amish home looked like, was an assortment of cookies. So Dan’s dad picked up several and said that would be their dessert.

  They walked down to an area where there was a rock garden with a waterfall and small pond. There were all kinds of ducks swimming in there, as well as over in the huge pond full of fish by the picnic area.r />
  “Wow, look at this!” Mark yelled to Dan. “We get to walk through a covered bridge to get to the picnic tables.”

  “I know,” said Dan. “Hasn’t this day been fun?”

  Mark gave a nod. He couldn’t wait to tell Mattie about everything he’d seen and done there at the Farm. He was having a really good time on this zoo-rific day. Even the llama spitting on him wasn’t that bad. It was a shame his sister couldn’t have come. He hoped Mattie wasn’t too bored at home.

  CHAPTER 6

  Selfish Decisions

  “I had so much fun at the Farm the other day,” Mark said to Mattie as they rode their bike home from school on Monday afternoon. “Some of those animals were extraordinary!”

  Mattie frowned. She knew what extraordinary meant, since Mark had used that word before, but she didn’t want to be reminded of how much fun he’d had on Saturday.

  “You would have really laughed if you’d seen that llama spit on me,” Mark added.

  Mattie knew it must have been funny, but hearing about it made her wish all the more that she could have been there to see everything. She turned her head, hearing a familiar clip-clop, and waved when she realized the driver was an elderly woman they knew, Freda Hostetler.

  “You’re awfully quiet back there,” Mark called over his shoulder as Freda’s horse and buggy went by. “Don’t you wanna hear about all the unusual animals I saw?”

  “You already told me about some of them.”

  “I know, but there’s more that I didn’t tell ya.”

  “Maybe later,” Mattie said. “Right now we need to think about gettin’ home.”

  Mattie knew her brother was excited to tell her more about the trip to the Farm with Dan’s family. Actually, she was curious to hear about it but still felt a bit annoyed that she didn’t get to go along. At least her brother was nice enough to bring home a few cookies for her, though. It was really his dessert, but he’d said he felt bad for Mattie and had brought the treat home for her instead of eating the cookies himself.

  “I’m anxious to get home, too,” Mark said. “I need to ask Mom a question.”

  “What’s that?”

  “My best friend, John Schrock, invited me to go over to his house to play on Saturday, and I need to ask Mom if it’s okay.”

  “I thought you were supposed to go fishing with Grandpa on Saturday.”

  “I was, but I’d rather go over to John’s house and play. He has a new pony, and I’m eager to see how well it pulls John’s pony cart.”

  “Grandpa might be disappointed if you don’t go fishing with him,” Mattie said.

  Mark shook his head. “I don’t think he will care. Calvin’s planning to go fishing, too, so Grandpa shouldn’t mind if I don’t go along. Besides, I can go with Grandpa some other time. Ike’s not going either,” he added, rolling his eyes. “He’s goin’ hiking with friends, and I’ll bet Catherine’s goin’, too.”

  Mattie didn’t say anything—just kept pedaling the bicycle. She was pretty sure that Grandpa would be disappointed since the fishing had already been set, and she didn’t think it was right that Mark had changed his mind about going, even if Ike did have other plans. After all, he could go to John’s house some other time.

  On Saturday morning, after Mark left for John’s house, Mom and Mattie did the breakfast dishes. When they were just finishing up, Mom turned to Mattie and said, “There’s something else I need you to do.”

  “What’s that?” Mattie asked.

  “When I went out to the phone shack to check for phone messages this morning, there was one from Grandma Miller. She said she’s out of flour and asked if I had some she could borrow. Since Grandpa took their horse and buggy to the pond to go fishing, Grandma has no way of getting to the store to buy more flour.” Mom paused and let the water out of the sink. “So I called her back and left a message, saying I would send you over with the flour as soon as we finished doing the breakfast dishes.”

  Mattie frowned. She didn’t feel like walking all the way to Grandma’s, and it would be too hard to ride the bicycle built for two without Mark’s help. Besides, now that the dishes were done, she’d hoped to spend the rest of the day teaching Twinkles some new tricks, and maybe afterward she would play with the paper dolls she and Mom had made when Mattie was sick.

  “Does Grandma need the flour right now?” Mattie asked. “Can’t it wait till Grandpa gets home?”

  “She’s doing some baking this morning, so it really can’t wait.” Mom took a sack of flour from the cupboard and handed it to Mattie. “If you want to stay and visit with Grandma awhile, that’s fine with me.”

  Mattie shook her head. “I want to teach Twinkles some new tricks, so I’ll come right home after I give Grandma the flour.”

  Mom shrugged. “If that’s what you want, but I’m sure Grandma would enjoy your company. You might even be treated to some of her appeditlich kichlin if you stay awhile.”

  “I know her cookies are delicious, and maybe I’ll stay some other time,” Mattie said. “I just don’t feel like visiting today.” She turned and opened the back door.

  “Take your time and don’t run,” Mom instructed. “It wouldn’t be good if you dropped the flour.”

  “I’ll be careful,” Mattie called as she stepped onto the porch. She wouldn’t run to Grandma’s, but she would walk fast. The sooner she got there, the sooner she could come home.

  And the sooner she got home, the sooner she could teach Twinkles some new tricks.

  Scattered leaves crunched beneath Mattie’s feet as she trudged along the path between their house and Grandma and Grandpa Miller’s. A flock of geese, flying in a perfect V formation, flew directly overhead, honking as they went, but Mattie didn’t take the time to look at them. She didn’t even stop to pick any of the wildflowers growing along the path. She just continued to walk at a very fast pace.

  Finally, Grandma and Grandpa’s large white house came into view. Mattie hurried up the steps and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, Grandma, wearing the apron she always wore whenever she did any baking or chores, opened the door.

  “It’s good to see you, Mattie,” she said, smiling and giving Mattie a warm, affectionate hug. “I see that you brought me some flour.”

  “Jah.” Mattie stepped into the kitchen and handed the sack to Grandma, then she turned to go.

  “Don’t rush off,” Grandma said. “Wouldn’t you like to stay and help me bake some chocolate chip kichlin?”

  “Maybe another time,” Mattie said. “I need to get home so I can teach Twinkles some new tricks.”

  “Oh, I see.” Grandma’s smile faded. Even her dark brown eyes looked sad.

  “I’ll come over another time and help you bake,” Mattie said, hoping to make Grandma feel a bit better.

  “I’ll look forward to that.” Grandma set the sack of flour on the kitchen table. “I’ll just take out what I need for my baking projects, and you can take the rest of the flour home to your mamm.”

  “Okay.” Mattie waited while Grandma poured some of the flour into a large mixing bowl; then Grandma handed her the sack of flour.

  “Danki for bringing this to me.” Grandma’s smile was back, so Mattie figured Grandma wasn’t too upset about her going home.

  “See you at church tomorrow,” Mattie said as she hurried out the door.

  “Jah. Have a good rest of the day,” Grandma called.

  Mattie couldn’t wait to get home, so she decided to run all the way. She’d only gone a short distance, however, when she tripped on a broken tree limb and dropped the sack of flour. Whoosh!—it broke, spilling flour everywhere. Some of it shot straight up, covering Mattie’s blue dress with a coating of white.

  “Oh no,” Mattie groaned. “I wish now that I’d stayed at Grandma’s and done some baking with her.” Serves me right, I guess. That’s what I get for being so selfish and wantin’ to hurry right home.

  Mattie’s conscience sounded almost too familiar, thinking back earlie
r to what she had almost said to Mark when he’d decided to go to John’s house instead of fishing with Grandpa like he’d originally planned. “Guess I could have taught Twinkles some tricks another time,” she murmured.

  “Wie geht’s?” John asked when Mark entered his yard.

  “I’m doin’ good. How ’bout you?”

  John frowned. “I’d be doin’ better if my daed would let me hitch Little Ben to the pony cart.”

  “I thought that’s why you got a new pony,” Mark said. “Isn’t he supposed to pull your pony cart?”

  John gave a nod. “That’s right, but Dad says Little Ben isn’t trained well enough yet, so I’m not allowed to take him out with the cart till Dad works with him some more.”

  Mark kicked at a rock with the toe of his boot, feeling so disappointed. “I came over here to see the pony and ride in the cart. What are we supposed to do if we can’t take him out in the cart?”

  John shrugged as he turned his hands up. “We can pet him, I guess.”

  Mark didn’t think petting the pony would be that much fun. He could have stayed home and pet Lucky today or gone fishing with Grandpa. But he didn’t want to be rude, so he followed John into the barn to take a look at the pony. They found Little Ben in his stall, sleeping on a pile of straw.

  “Let’s go inside and pet him,” John said, opening the stall gate.

  Mark stepped in behind John and knelt on the floor beside the brown and white pony. Little Ben opened one eye when John began to stroke him behind the ear.

  “He’s a nice-looking pony,” Mark said. “Sure wish we could hitch him to the pony cart and go for a ride.”

  John sighed. “I wish we could, too, but I’d be in big trouble if I disobeyed my daed.”