kept
rising up in his mind's eye. She looked so much like her.
___
Porkchop walked
the furrows for hours. They were muddy and slushy and icy all at
the same time but she didn't care about their current state. She
was imagining their future. Methodically, she walked and walked,
looking down at her boots, listening to her feet as they sucked and
squelched through the mud.
Soon, the field
would be filled with corn and potatoes and onions. On top of what
they had brought with them they’d found all kinds of seeds in the
barn. Jelly and Forest had been plotting the vegetable grid for
weeks.
When the clouds
parted to let in the late afternoon sun, Porkchop raised her head
and looked about. She whipped around as a flash of light caught her
peripheral vision. She scanned the horizon, left to right, and
caught sight of PC Pierre on top of the hill in the distance. She
raised her arm in greeting but he had already turned away.
___
PC Pierre waited
to see if any of the children would appear but none did. All seemed
quiet on the farm; there were no obvious signs of trouble. The boys
were probably out hunting and the rest were either in the barn or
out back where he couldn’t see. He began his descent. Josephine was
grazing a ways down the road and he let her eat for a while longer
before harnessing her to the cart and continuing to the farm. He
had brought gifts for the children.
___
Bull and Jones had
been out for several hours without success. Bull had scented a few
animals but most had been too small to bother with. They had
decided to go back to the barn and try again after dusk. They were
almost there when Bull suddenly stopped. His nostrils flared.
"Deer," he said
quietly. "Off that way. Might be a bit."
Jones slid his
large hunting knife from the holster strapped to his thigh and
cocked his ear. After half an hour a stag appeared, its antlers
ripping apart the lower branches as it strode through them. Bull
looked back to his brother, but Jones had already disappeared.
He reappeared on
top of the animal, grabbing it around the neck with one arm, the
other gripping its antlers. He yanked its neck sharply and brought
the deer down so hard it shook the ground where Bull stood. There
was a single, strangled sound and it was over. The stag’s throat
was slit. Bull was impressed by his brother's skill. It would feed
them for weeks. Bull congratulated his brother.
"We’re going to
need help with this one," said Jones, wiping his knife clean with
leaves.
"Go and get the
others," he said. "I’ll stay and make up a stretcher."
___
PC Pierre had
heralded his arrival and as he and Josephine made their way across
the yard to the barn, the door swung open wide and Jelly, Jones,
Forest and Narrow came out running. They stopped when they saw him.
As the door was swinging shut, Porkchop emerged. She looked like
she had lost a little weight.
At first no one
said a word but Porkchop soon took charge and told the others to
go, she’d be right behind them. Her sisters and brothers followed
Jones into the forest.
"You’ve got good
timing," Porkchop said to the Constable. "Bull and Jones got a
deer. A big one. We need all the help we can get."
"I’ll follow you,"
he told her.
He steered
Josephine around to the back of the barn. He left her harnessed to
the cart then ran after the children.
___
When they reached
Bull, he’d already fashioned a stretcher by twining thin branches
and saplings together. Jelly lined it with the blanket she'd
brought and the boys rolled the animal onto it; Narrow swatted away
clods of snow and debris from its hide. The Constable arrived and
helped tie the animal to the stretcher.
PC Pierre and
Porkchop hefted the front of the stretcher, Bull and Forest the
back. Jelly guided their steps back to the barn. Santa was waiting
for them; Mixer watched as they lugged the huge animal into the
yard.
They all pitched
in, gutting, cleaning and salting. In the afternoon sunshine they
worked and talked. They
rising up in his mind's eye. She looked so much like her.
___
Porkchop walked
the furrows for hours. They were muddy and slushy and icy all at
the same time but she didn't care about their current state. She
was imagining their future. Methodically, she walked and walked,
looking down at her boots, listening to her feet as they sucked and
squelched through the mud.
Soon, the field
would be filled with corn and potatoes and onions. On top of what
they had brought with them they’d found all kinds of seeds in the
barn. Jelly and Forest had been plotting the vegetable grid for
weeks.
When the clouds
parted to let in the late afternoon sun, Porkchop raised her head
and looked about. She whipped around as a flash of light caught her
peripheral vision. She scanned the horizon, left to right, and
caught sight of PC Pierre on top of the hill in the distance. She
raised her arm in greeting but he had already turned away.
___
PC Pierre waited
to see if any of the children would appear but none did. All seemed
quiet on the farm; there were no obvious signs of trouble. The boys
were probably out hunting and the rest were either in the barn or
out back where he couldn’t see. He began his descent. Josephine was
grazing a ways down the road and he let her eat for a while longer
before harnessing her to the cart and continuing to the farm. He
had brought gifts for the children.
___
Bull and Jones had
been out for several hours without success. Bull had scented a few
animals but most had been too small to bother with. They had
decided to go back to the barn and try again after dusk. They were
almost there when Bull suddenly stopped. His nostrils flared.
"Deer," he said
quietly. "Off that way. Might be a bit."
Jones slid his
large hunting knife from the holster strapped to his thigh and
cocked his ear. After half an hour a stag appeared, its antlers
ripping apart the lower branches as it strode through them. Bull
looked back to his brother, but Jones had already disappeared.
He reappeared on
top of the animal, grabbing it around the neck with one arm, the
other gripping its antlers. He yanked its neck sharply and brought
the deer down so hard it shook the ground where Bull stood. There
was a single, strangled sound and it was over. The stag’s throat
was slit. Bull was impressed by his brother's skill. It would feed
them for weeks. Bull congratulated his brother.
"We’re going to
need help with this one," said Jones, wiping his knife clean with
leaves.
"Go and get the
others," he said. "I’ll stay and make up a stretcher."
___
PC Pierre had
heralded his arrival and as he and Josephine made their way across
the yard to the barn, the door swung open wide and Jelly, Jones,
Forest and Narrow came out running. They stopped when they saw him.
As the door was swinging shut, Porkchop emerged. She looked like
she had lost a little weight.
At first no one
said a word but Porkchop soon took charge and told the others to
go, she’d be right behind them. Her sisters and brothers followed
Jones into the forest.
"You’ve got good
timing," Porkchop said to the Constable. "Bull and Jones got a
deer. A big one. We need all the help we can get."
"I’ll follow you,"
he told her.
He steered
Josephine around to the back of the barn. He left her harnessed to
the cart then ran after the children.
___
When they reached
Bull, he’d already fashioned a stretcher by twining thin branches
and saplings together. Jelly lined it with the blanket she'd
brought and the boys rolled the animal onto it; Narrow swatted away
clods of snow and debris from its hide. The Constable arrived and
helped tie the animal to the stretcher.
PC Pierre and
Porkchop hefted the front of the stretcher, Bull and Forest the
back. Jelly guided their steps back to the barn. Santa was waiting
for them; Mixer watched as they lugged the huge animal into the
yard.
They all pitched
in, gutting, cleaning and salting. In the afternoon sunshine they
worked and talked. They
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