One Summer at Greenapple Farm
The stars twinkled in the clear night sky as Greenapple Farm slept on an
unseasonably cold night in May. Most of the animals were huddled together
in the barn as best they could to stay warm as Chopper
the dog, who usually slept outside, sprawled inside his sparse doghouse.
Maximilian, the farmer's wife's large gray tabby cat, was the only creature
awake, prowling around the farm and its immediate surroundings, as was his
habit. The farmer and his wife were snoring quietly in their second-floor
bedroom, unaware of the cat's nightly routine.
Chopper's paw trembled slightly and his eye twitched as he slept, a sign
that the dreams would soon be returning. Chopper had been haunted by the
dreams for some time now, but since Old Augustus died over a year ago, he
had nobody to whom he could confide. Old Augustus had been top dog at Greenapple
Farm for a long time, yet Chopper could only remember him as old. Old Augustus
had served as Chopper's mentor, a father figure for the young angry dog.
Chopper missed him.
A tiny yip escaped Chopper's mouth. His paw trembled again. The dreams
had arrived.
Chopper found himself in the middle of the chickens, the hens all clucking
and pecking and ignoring his presence. Radcliffe the Rooster strode purposefully
amidst his charges, beaming with pride. He too ignored Chopper. It was like
he wasn't even there. Chopper's feelings were suddenly hurt. "Why nobody
talk to Chopper?" he asked. There was no answer.
He approached Radcliffe the Rooster and asked "Rooster, why you not talk to
Chopper?" but the rooster breezed by the confused dog, ignoring him.
CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK.
Chopper was becoming angry. "Why everyone ignore
Chopper!" he shouted, but nobody paid him any attention. There seemed to
more chickens now, many more than had originally
appeared, and they all ignored Chopper. The dog was very angry now. "Stupid
chickens!" he thought bitterly, "Make Chopper mad!" The increasing number
of chickens was creating a rush of feathers all around the dog, who tried
to veer this way and that to avoide the rush. Chopper was surrounded by chickens
now, who continued to ignore him but also were bumping into him. Chopper
hated being touched anyway and now he was feeling claustrophobic. "Too many
chickens!" he was shouting now, trying to avoid the stampede.
CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK.
The noise of the hens' incessant clucking merely contributed to Chopper's
discomfort. He whipped his head around, desperately seeking an escape route,
but there was none. He was getting pressed in by all the clucking hens now
and he began snapping at them. "Too many chickens for Chopper!" he cried.
CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK.
Wait a minute, what was this, the chickens were
now paying some attention to Chopper. They were all staring at him wide-eyed.
"CLUCK CLUCK CHOPPER CLUCK CLUCK CHOPPER!" they began to sing in unison.
Chopper was confused. "No no, Chopper not like so many chickens, so many chickens&" But Chopper felt
the familiar stirrings of hunger deep within his dog's belly. Surrounded
by so many chickens, so many plump juicy hens, Chopper couldn't help but get
hungry for their fat tasty flesh. "So many chickens for Chopper," he thought,
and licked his lips in anticipation of a fine feast.
CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK!! NO CHICKENS FOR CHOPPER!!!
The hens were teasing the poor dog now. Chopper was confused. Why weren't
the chickens afraid of him? Why weren't they running away? Why, they were
LAUGHING at him! "Chickens not laugh at Chopper! Chopper EAT
CHICKENS!" and with that the dog launched an all-out assault on the mass of
feathery plumpness pressing in on him from all sides.
Suddenly he found himself alone. The chickens had disappeared in an instant.
"No chickens for Chopper," the dog said mournfully.
"Tsk tsk, poor young Chopper, so much chicken meat yet not a morsel to eat."
The voice was thin and old. Chopper turned around and there was Old Augustus
sitting in front of him, exactly how the younger dog had remembered him.
"Old Augustus, what you doing here?"
The frail old German Shepherd simply smiled and
lay down on the ground. "Young Chopper, have you forgotten all that I taught
you already? I'm very disappointed in you, pup."
Chopper was crushed. His mentor, his hero, was disappointed in him. Chopper
had always tried to be a good student to the older dog, but now&
"Chopper tries to be good," Chopper started to say, but suddenly the older
dog's body began to slump oddly and the fur and flesh on Old Augustus's body
began to turn to dust. "NO!!! COME BACK AUGUSTUS!!!" he shouted, but the
old dog's body had already been blown away by the wind.
Radcliffe Rooster was back now, and crowing loudly.
"NOOOOOO!!" Chopper cried, and sat up suddenly,
disoriented.
It was sunup on Greenapple Farm and Radcliffe Rooster had just announced
the dawn from atop the barn. Chopper had been dreaming. He lay down inside
his dog house, upset. "Stupid chickens in stupid dreams," he muttered.
"Whatsammata mutt, you have another bad dream?"
Chopper lifted his head to see a grinning Maximilian across the yard.
"Heh heh, stupid dog," spat the cat, who turned
and disappeared into the bushes near the front door of the farmer's house.
Chopper growled inside his dog house. "Chopper hate
Maximilian. Someday, Chopper KILL Maximilian," he thought.
In moments, however, Chopper's dog brain let the memory of the dream and
the cat fade away. He yawned and stretched, and started his dog day by visiting
his favorite bush.
