Penny’s
grandfather told her her, and Nathan nodded, as they all climbed into the farm
truck.
‘Up, Grey.’
Grey jumped into the truck and lay down
on the floor for the short journey.
‘Can we show Grey my
chickens?’ Penny asked, when they got to the farm.
‘OK,’ Nathan said.
‘But we’ll have to watchhim carefully. I don’t
know if he’s ever met a chicken before and we don’t want him chasing
them and making scrambled eggs.’
Penny laughed. ‘My chickens
won’t be frightened,’ she said. ‘Come on, Grey.’
Nathan followed Penny and his dog over
to the chicken run. He was glad the two of them were getting on so well. Maybe Grey
had once had a family of his own before he ended up as a stray. He supposed
he’d never know where Grey had come from, or exactly what his life had been
like, before the war.
As soon as Grey saw the clucking
chickens he crouched down low and for an anxious moment Nathan was worried
he’d pounce and kill one of them. But then one of the chickens squawked and
flapped towards him and Grey turned tail and ran a few feet away.
‘It looks like your chickens are
safe,’ Nathan said as Penny laughed.
‘Come on, Grey, they won’t
hurt you,’ Pennytold the dog. But Grey wasn’t sure
about that and he stayed where he was.
‘Grey, come!’ Nathan
said.
And Grey came to him, his tail between
his legs, his eyes looking warily at the feathered creatures. He stopped at
Nathan’s side and looked round his legs at the chickens, who were much more
interested in pecking at the corn Penny scattered for them than in a scaredy dog.
Grey spat out the bit of the chicken’s corn he’d managed to lick up.
‘Let’s show him
Toffee,’ Penny suggested, taking Nathan’s hand.
‘All right,’ Nathan said,
although if Grey was scared of chickens he didn’t know what he was going to
think of the sweet-natured, but huge, shire horse.
Toffee poked her head out of the top of
the stable door as they headed towards her and whinnied at the sight of Nathan.
Grey had never seen a horse before and
hewasn’t sure about it. It didn’t smell like a dog at
all.
Toffee had met plenty of dogs, though,
when she’d been exhibited at country shows. Most of them had been friendly and
a few had been frightened and so not very friendly. She put her head down to blow
through her nostrils at Grey and Grey skittered back at first, scared, but then he
came forward to sniff her. Toffee blew at him again, her soft breath ruffling his
fur.
‘Hello, beautiful,’ Nathan
said as he stroked her and pressed his face into Toffee’s neck.
Grey, perhaps responding to the obvious
love between Nathan and the horse, wagged his tail. If Nathan wasn’t
frightened of the strange beast, then neither was he.
When Nathan brought Toffee out of the
stable, Grey retreated nervously, but he soon came back as Nathan’s voice
soothed him.
‘It’s OK, Grey.’
Grey was very surprised when Nathan
swunghimself up on the horse’s back. He stayed close to
Penny as the Toffee clopped her way round the farmyard.
After his ride, Nathan’s gran came
hurrying over to envelop him in a hug as they approached the farmhouse. Grey sniffed
the air. Nathan’s grandmother had been slow-roasting a goose in her oven range
since seven o’clock that morning.
Grey had never eaten goose before but
the scent of it now made him drool.
‘Here you are,’ Mrs Dawson
said, and she put a plate of roast goose down on the floor for Grey as the rest of
the family took their places at the table.
Grey’s dish was empty and licked
clean almost as soon as Nathan’s gran had put it down.
After lunch, Grey got to chase his ball
across the farmyard.
‘Be careful of my
daffodils,’ Nathan’s gran called out.
‘Watch
this,’ Nathan said to Penny, and he hid Grey’s ball in the shed.
‘Find it,’ Nathan told him,
and Grey went into the shed, tail wagging hard, to look for it. He emerged
triumphant, with the ball in his mouth, a few
grandfather told her her, and Nathan nodded, as they all climbed into the farm
truck.
‘Up, Grey.’
Grey jumped into the truck and lay down
on the floor for the short journey.
‘Can we show Grey my
chickens?’ Penny asked, when they got to the farm.
‘OK,’ Nathan said.
‘But we’ll have to watchhim carefully. I don’t
know if he’s ever met a chicken before and we don’t want him chasing
them and making scrambled eggs.’
Penny laughed. ‘My chickens
won’t be frightened,’ she said. ‘Come on, Grey.’
Nathan followed Penny and his dog over
to the chicken run. He was glad the two of them were getting on so well. Maybe Grey
had once had a family of his own before he ended up as a stray. He supposed
he’d never know where Grey had come from, or exactly what his life had been
like, before the war.
As soon as Grey saw the clucking
chickens he crouched down low and for an anxious moment Nathan was worried
he’d pounce and kill one of them. But then one of the chickens squawked and
flapped towards him and Grey turned tail and ran a few feet away.
‘It looks like your chickens are
safe,’ Nathan said as Penny laughed.
‘Come on, Grey, they won’t
hurt you,’ Pennytold the dog. But Grey wasn’t sure
about that and he stayed where he was.
‘Grey, come!’ Nathan
said.
And Grey came to him, his tail between
his legs, his eyes looking warily at the feathered creatures. He stopped at
Nathan’s side and looked round his legs at the chickens, who were much more
interested in pecking at the corn Penny scattered for them than in a scaredy dog.
Grey spat out the bit of the chicken’s corn he’d managed to lick up.
‘Let’s show him
Toffee,’ Penny suggested, taking Nathan’s hand.
‘All right,’ Nathan said,
although if Grey was scared of chickens he didn’t know what he was going to
think of the sweet-natured, but huge, shire horse.
Toffee poked her head out of the top of
the stable door as they headed towards her and whinnied at the sight of Nathan.
Grey had never seen a horse before and
hewasn’t sure about it. It didn’t smell like a dog at
all.
Toffee had met plenty of dogs, though,
when she’d been exhibited at country shows. Most of them had been friendly and
a few had been frightened and so not very friendly. She put her head down to blow
through her nostrils at Grey and Grey skittered back at first, scared, but then he
came forward to sniff her. Toffee blew at him again, her soft breath ruffling his
fur.
‘Hello, beautiful,’ Nathan
said as he stroked her and pressed his face into Toffee’s neck.
Grey, perhaps responding to the obvious
love between Nathan and the horse, wagged his tail. If Nathan wasn’t
frightened of the strange beast, then neither was he.
When Nathan brought Toffee out of the
stable, Grey retreated nervously, but he soon came back as Nathan’s voice
soothed him.
‘It’s OK, Grey.’
Grey was very surprised when Nathan
swunghimself up on the horse’s back. He stayed close to
Penny as the Toffee clopped her way round the farmyard.
After his ride, Nathan’s gran came
hurrying over to envelop him in a hug as they approached the farmhouse. Grey sniffed
the air. Nathan’s grandmother had been slow-roasting a goose in her oven range
since seven o’clock that morning.
Grey had never eaten goose before but
the scent of it now made him drool.
‘Here you are,’ Mrs Dawson
said, and she put a plate of roast goose down on the floor for Grey as the rest of
the family took their places at the table.
Grey’s dish was empty and licked
clean almost as soon as Nathan’s gran had put it down.
After lunch, Grey got to chase his ball
across the farmyard.
‘Be careful of my
daffodils,’ Nathan’s gran called out.
‘Watch
this,’ Nathan said to Penny, and he hid Grey’s ball in the shed.
‘Find it,’ Nathan told him,
and Grey went into the shed, tail wagging hard, to look for it. He emerged
triumphant, with the ball in his mouth, a few
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