by Connie Foss
“What did the truck look like, Meg? Did you get a license plate number?” Bill asks.
“No, Bubba and I were coming as fast as we could, but we weren’t close enough. The truck looked like a moving van but rather beat up. It used to be yellow but had a thin coat of white painted over it. You could see there was a large name partially showing through, but again I wasn’t close enough to read it.”
“Meg, let’s do some brain-storming about this. Let’s just assume the man isn’t going to return Baby. What other things might he do with her?”
“He could sell her, but he doesn’t have her registration papers, so who would buy her? He couldn’t show her in any legitimate show without them.”
“Okay,” counters Bill,“maybe he just likes her looks and is going to keep her to ride.”
“From the looks of the truck, the man doesn’t have much money. It would be expensive to feed her for a couple of years before she’s old enough to ride.”
“But, Meg, the horse is free. A couple of years’ worth of feed will be all he has to pay to have a good horse…and a mare to boot. Then he’ll be able to breed her and have more horses…maybe to sell. You know, when she’s old enough she could be sold for pretty good money to be used as a recipient mare to carry other mares’ babies.” Bill is pretty good at this brainstorming stuff.
“Oh, Bill!” an unwanted thought comes to Meg. “Maybe he’s going to sell her to a slaughter house to be killed and made into meat! That’s awful, but it’s the most logical, for that would be instant money.”
Bill seems to be out of new ideas and has to agree with Meg. Baby cut up and made into steaks and hamburger? Oh, no! That just can’t happen. But how can it be stopped?
Chapter Thirty-Nine:
Missing Baby
“May I have your attention please?” The loudspeaker is echoing through the barns before the night’s classes are to begin. My jumping
Normally before a class I am antsy and eager to go out there and jump, but tonight I can’t seem to stay focused on it. All I can think of is Baby lying on a table being cut to pieces. It just can’t happen!
her halter class this morning.” Oh, good. The show announcer is getting everyone else on our team. “She jumped the exterior show-grounds
She was last seen being loaded into a truck by an unknown man and driven away. There is a reward posted for her recovery. Please be on the lookout. She’s from The Chocolate Farm and is chocolate colored, with a white star on her forehead and four white socks. Here is the
obviously make a great jumper in the future. For further information,
B.” With everyone’s help, Baby will come back soon, I reassure
myself. But it’s so hard to clear my mind of those dreadful thoughts.
What if we never see Baby again? Julie will never forgive us for losing
her baby.
“Bubba, are you ready to go jump?” It’s Meg, and I can tell she’s
no more ready to ride in a class than I am to take her. I guess we don’t
have a choice.
When my number is called, I go through the routine, jumping jumped the outside show grounds fence, these little fences aren’t even challenging. Back in my stall I don’t even care that I won the class. I may
have won the class, but I lost Baby.
The show continues and The Chocolate Farm does well.
Heading home, we’re all tired and grumpy. Too bad Percy isn’t along, for
even he could learn some lessons in grumpiness.
We’re back in our stalls and night is coming on, when Tom jumps
up on the feed box to hear about the show.As I’m telling him about it,
Mr. O comes swooping in. “Hiss-hoo, Baby is gone?”
Mr. O’s voice has awakened Boo and Chatty, so they join us
as we talk over what happened at the show. “Baby gone, Baby gone,”
Chatty keeps screaming.
As Percy says this, here comes Ten, jumping up to join her dad cleaning up around the feed box. She doesn’t seem to care that she doesn’t have four legs like the rest of us. Well, except Chatty and Mr. O,
the show and the worry that I fall asleep even before they all leave my stall.
The life of the stable continues. Routine is often a very helpful thing, for it keeps you going even during bad times. I know we all have Baby in the back of our minds, but we focus on doing our jobs. Surely one day we’ll look over at Baby’s stall and there she’ll be, quietly eating her oats.
Chapter Forty:
Need More Help
Herry and Boo and Chatty…the Three Musketeers…are a source of fun for us all, and we need that fun to brighten our days. The other day, I saw them playing their most recent game. They were out in the exercise lot, and Herry was chasing Boo, with Chatty riding along on Boo’s back, scolding Herry at the top of his squawking range. Then suddenly, Boo does a sliding stop, and Herry jumps over both dog and bird. Then they trade places, and Boo, cheered on by Chatty, chases Herry. When all are tired, they take time out and Herry grazes while Boo lies down for a snooze. With Chatty shrieking, the game begins again.
Now that I’m getting older and Julie is gone, I think about our early years a lot. Julie and I did the same chasing game. Of course, there was no crazy bird to give it voice, but we had great times, just the two of us.
I give my head a shake to clear it, for I need to focus on today and what’s going on right now in my world. And there’s a lot that’s good. I get to see Annie every day, when she and Mickey go down the aisle. Mickey really is doing better, to the point that he is now sitting up straight. Though he’s no conversationalist, he occasionally answers Lilly when she asks a question, and not with just one word. If it’s something he’s passionate about, there may be a whole stream of words before he suddenly shuts down.
With Mickey doing so well, Bruce and Bill are free to have
Bill is always upbeat when he and Bruce shake hands. This afternoon after Bruce leaves, Bill and Meg are walking down the aisle talking about what Bruce said.
worked here, they are willing to accept that the prints are fresh. However, they have yet to locate him. He had been staying with a brother, but that brother is now in jail and won’t tell them anything about Gordy. When they bring him in and charge him with arson, since he has a history of felonies, he will likely get a sentence that will keep him off the streets for a long time. Bruce is representing us in this and constantly encouraging the police to locate Gordy before something else happens.”
Meg has been listening closely and says,“I’ve been thinking about that and think we need to hire some security, Bill. Until Gordy is in custody, we are no safer than we’ve ever been. When you look at the things Gordy has done to us, they have always happened at night.With
someone who could patrol our stable area every night. What do you think?”
“Good idea. I never thought of that, but I’ll get the word out. We make a good team, Meg, I am focused on prosecuting, and you are focused on preventing. Put the two of us together, and we can handle anything.”
With a smile, Meg replies,“And we do.”
As they go around the corner, I see Bill give Meg a squeeze.
Chapter Forty-One:
Mr. O’s News
fond of me as she was of Prince. She spends most of her time sleeping in my feed box, until I nudge her out so Nancy can dump in my oats. My feed box is on my side of the bars between Percy’s and my stalls, and Percy’s feed box is just on the other side. Since Patches is right next to Percy’s feed box, the two of them have become pretty good friends.
The other day, when Lilly put Percy’s lead on him and they headed up to do some work, Patches started bouncing around in the box as though she wanted to go too. Lilly noticed and spoke to Patches, but as they walked down the aisle, Lilly seemed to be deep in thought. Later that afternoon, Meg and Lilly both came down the aisle chatting about something.
“Oh, Meg, I just remembered a
thought I had earlier. I think Patches and Percy have become pretty good friends. Do you think Bubba would mind if we tried Patches in Percy’s stall? Percy has such a bad attitude, maybe a friend might help his disposition.”
“It’s worth a try. I don’t think Bubba would mind,” Meg said as she reached in to give me a pet.“Bubba, would you mind terribly if we took your friend Patches and let her live with Percy? You know, he’s sometimes pretty grumpy, and since it looks like he and Patches have become friends, maybe if Patches shares Percy’s stall, Percy will become a happier guy.That would be good for all of us.”
That’s okay with me, and that’ll be good for Patches. He’ll have more room to run around in Percy’s stall. Anyway, I give them a nicker or two, and they take that as a yes. If there is something that simple that makes Percy a happier guy, I’m all for it. It’s really no fun living next to a grump.
*******
“Hiss-hoo!” We haven’t heard that in a while.
“Hey, Mr. O, where have you been? Nights aren’t normal when we don’t hear your hooing occasionally.”
Mr. O has perched on a rafter right over the aisle in front of my stall. As he settles his wings, he tells me where he’s been and why.
“Hiss-hoo, I’m delighted to learn that my absence has been noted. However, I have been extremely focused on searching the country looking for Baby. Last night, my efforts produced results. I hit pay dirt! I not only found Baby but, you’ll never guess who else. I offer you a challenge, Bubba, guess.” Mr. O cocked his head to the right and with his big eyes stared right into mine.
“Ah…ah. Mickey? Oh, I know, Gretchen. Right?”
“Wrong. Oh, so wrong. Are you ready? Well, you’ll be forever grateful to me for this. I found Gordy.Yes, indeedy, I did. I found Gordy.”
“Where? Are you sure it was Gordy? You mean you found Gordy with Baby? Oh, that’s good…no, that’s bad. Poor Baby! But at least we know she’s alive and hasn’t been sold to the packing plant. Is she alright, Mr. O, could you tell if she’s okay?”
“Hiss-hoo, well, she looked rather slender, you might say, but not skeletal. Actually, she looked tiny, for she is in a muddy lot with an elephant.”
“An elephant? This is a circus place?” This story is getting harder to believe the longer Mr. O talks. “Mr. O. You’re making this up, aren’t you?” I can’t imagine Baby in a stall with an elephant.
Mr. O draws himself into his most regal posture and with a Hisshoo, he carefully enunciates,“The King of Owls does not fabricate lies. It would be beneath me to utter a falsehood. I am deeply hurt that you, Bubba, could possibly doubt the King of Owls.” And with that, Mr. O
Chapter Forty-Two:
Baby
“Bubba, what’s bothering you today? Is it that you’re missing Patches?” It’s morning and Meg is passing by in the aisle but stops. She notices that I’m pacing back and forth in my stall. “Are you sick or something? If you don’t eat your supper tonight, I’ll have to call Doc.”
Of course, I’m not sick. I’m just wondering what is going on. I didn’t mean to offend Mr. O. It’s just that what he was saying is so hard to believe. I’m anxiously awaiting Mr. O’s return so he can tell me the rest of what he knows. Maybe tonight he’ll come back. If he isn’t resting
I’m hungry so when Nancy brings me my oats I eat, but I’m looking forward to the night and Mr. O.
Bill and Meg did hire a guard to stay with us every night, and he comes after chores when everyone else leaves. He’s an older gentleman and that word, gentleman, is right for him. He is so gentle and kind, coming to each of our stalls often and talking to us as he makes sure we’re okay. Last Christmas Meg and Bill had a party in the stable, and all of the clients came. It was a fun time with free rides on Annie and Geoffrey, as well as in Percy’s sulky. There were a lot of kids here, so Bill dressed up like Santa Claus and gave kids new lead ropes for their horses.Well, this new guard reminds me of Santa Claus, but his name is Hap.A good name for he always seems to be happy.
leave his thermos of coffee and his sandwich. Generally he has a book with him, which helps him pass the quiet night hours.We horses aren’t the best of company, I expect, but Tom and Ten help. Ten particularly, for he likes to curl up on Hap’s lap when the book comes out. Chatty stays with Boo, and though Boo likes Hap, he doesn’t want to leave Herry. Dusk is slipping in and the stable is dark before I hear Hiss-hoo.
like forever to me, he comes and perches on my stall door. “Mr. O, I’m so glad to see you. I need to apologize for not
believing what you told me. I’m sorry. I should have known better.Am I
forgiven?”
Haughtily, Mr. O says,“Yes, you should have known better. Only
fools stoop to telling lies. Yes, I forgive you and will trust that it will
never happen again.Am I correct?”
“You can rest assured that I will always believe you, no matter
what. Now, please tell me about Baby, Gordy, and the elephant.” Mr. O is obviously eager to tell me what he knows and it is an
away from us. Since he is well acquainted with how it usually looks and what seems to be going on there, he noticed something different was happening. A lot of trucks, big trucks, began to come and go from that farmyard. On some nights, he could see large draft horses there, but the next night the lots were empty.Another night there were what looked like lots of mustangs, wild horses.Yet another, there were skinny cows.
animals, and that’s why most of what goes on there happens at night, when the rest of the world is asleep.
One night as Mr. O peered down at the operation and listened, he heard that an elephant had escaped from the circus, and there was a huge reward for its return.
Grubby, that’s the name Mr. O gave to the man who seemed to be the boss, said to the two guys helping him (guess who one of those
elerphant. Don’ come showin’ your ugly faces around here again ‘till you do. Got that?”
her back. They unloaded her, poking her with a rake and a hoe to get her into the muddy lot behind the barn. But an elephant is extremely
another shed that I hadn’t paid any attention to and brought out… guess who…Baby, and put her in to calm the elephant.”
“Did it work? Did the two of them get along okay?” “What’s going on here, Bubba? Are you and the barn owl having
a conversation?” It’s Hap, coming to check on the chatter the two of us have been making. I do so wish I could tell him what it’s all about, but… “Well, I guess you’re okay, so I’ll get back to my book.”
“When I left a little while ago, all was quiet. How long that will
Chapter Forty-Three:
In the Dark of Night
I didn’t sleep the rest of the night, for my mind wouldn’t quit thinking about getting Baby home out of Gordy’s clutches. But how could we do that? If only Meg could understand what I say. She’s good at reading body language, but how can my body act out Baby, Gordy… and an elephant?
Nancy’s greeting, as she dumps in my oats, brings me back to my world, and with that and the strength the oats give me, I know what I have to do. I will have to wait until dark to execute my plan, though there are some things I need to do to set it up. First, I must have a talk with Boo and Chatty to get them to help, as well as explain the plan to Mr. O.That done, we need only wait until dark.
The day seems to last forever, and when Nancy dumps in my evening ration of oats, I am too excited to eat. Fortunately, she doesn’t notice. Having Doc come to check me out would foul up my plan. By this time tomorrow night, Baby will be back in her stall, and nothing must stop that from happening.
When I begin my move, the lights are out, except for Hap’s reading light in the tack room. As I carefully put my teeth on the door latch, I realize how lucky I am that Patches doesn’t live in my stall any more. She would have complicated things.
the run is open. I can go through that and jump the run fence. On the way, I’ll alert Boo, Cha
tty, and Mr. O.
As we go quietly out the driveway, we are all following the plan. It’s hard for Chatty to be quiet. It is a real accomplishment. Boo has Chatty mounted like a ship’s captain on his withers and veers off toward where Baby is.
Boo is to bark his heart out when he and Chatty get close to the house. Chatty will let loose a stream of chatter. I will wait until I see a light come on in the house and then add my whinnying, as I head out onto the road following Mr. O’s lead.
It all works like clockwork, and when I look back, I see Bill’s truck lights coming down the driveway. Mr. O seems to never tire, but I’m beginning to slow down, which lets Bill bring the truck right behind me.The honking scares me, but I don’t stop.
“Mr. O,” I manage to shout, “I can’t go much longer. Are we close?”
“You will be pleased to note the lights off to your right, for that
toward those lights. As I strain my eyes to see how I can get to the lights, I slow down enough for Bill to pull up beside me. He hollers, “Bubba, what’s gotten into you? Slow down, for heaven’s sake.”
doesn’t understand me.
Ah,there’s the driveway.As I run toward the lights,Bill is following and we stop right next to a junkie-looking moving van. Bill’s truck lights are glaring right into a man’s face…Gordy’s! Bill is out of the truck and, grabbing Gordy’s shirt by the collar, he shakes him like a dog with a dead rat.
Coming out of a nearby barn are two men beating and pulling on a skinny, dirty elephant. Seeing Bill, they try to head back into the barn, but the elephant refuses, raising its trunk, trumpeting into the night air, and rearing on its hind legs. Having pulled loose from the men’s grasp, she lumbers out the drive, heading toward freedom.
Bill has his cell phone out and has dialed 911, before he slams Gordy into the truck, quickly grabbing a lead rope from the pickup bed and tying Gordy’s hands.
I’ve been doing my own calling, and I’m hearing an answer! It seems to be coming from a shed behind the barn.Trotting around the barn, I see Mr. O already perched on the shed roof, and I skid to a stop.
