Benny

She lowers her beak and threads through her cold plumage. It's a cold night at the farm and their warm barn invites her in. The snow is thick and frigid. Benny's family was not comfortable with her anymore. She would have to fly solo. She spreads her wings and takes off from a beam in the barn. Her face is as white as the snow surrounding her. Her eyes, darker than the blackest mouse she had caught. She ends her flight by perching on a fence post out in one of the farthest fields.

Benny's eyes soar around the snowy field. She finds a small scurrying dot on the snow. A grey mouse is cleaning itself on top of the blanket of snow, completely unaware that he was about to become a meal. Benny lowers her head for a closer view of the creature. She once more spreads her toasted colored wings and goes into a low glide to the mouse. The mouse was running now, he knew it was too late. He scurries desperate for a hole in the snow. Benny spreads her claws readying herself for the catch. She snatches the struggling creature and flies back to the barn.

Benny lands. She puts down her struggling prey and sits there for a while, watching the mouse.

"Please, just do it," says the mouse with a very desperate squeak.

"What?" asks Benny, a little surprised.

"I don't want to be watched until my final breath," the mouse repeats, his beady eyes turning to Benny.

"Why are you not running away like every other one I let free?" asks Benny. She tilts her head.

"You...you'll let me go?" the mouse is more frightened by this than anything.

"Yes, I can't kill you! You're a mouse!" screeches Benny in disgust.

The mouse is very skeptical of this comment. "Wait, are you telling me that you're a barn owl and you don't eat mice?!"

"Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying. I don't like killing little creatures like you. I only brought you into the barn so that it would look as if I were going to eat you. My family is always watching me. They treat me like an outcast because I don't like what they eat," Benny lowers her head in sadness.

"I'm a father myself, and my name is Ping. Not mouse," Ping chuckles under his breath.

"Well, go back to your family Ping, and I promise never to interrupt you or your family again," says Benny with a tired sigh.

"I would do that...except my home is all the way down in the field...."

"Don't worry, climb on my back," Benny replies with a smile. Ping climbs on and Benny takes off.

"Wow, the view is amazing," Ping exclaims.

"I guess I've never really thought about it before, but yeah, it is a nice view," says Benny as she swoops down right next to the place she scooped him up.

"Well, goodbye, my extraordinary owl," says Ping. He scampers away, takes one look back, then descends into his little burrow where his children are waiting for him.

Benny flies away with a sad look on her face. She perches in a tree overlooking the field. Nothing at this point could make her as happy as she used to be with her family. She missed them. Benny spreads her wings when all of a sudden a big noise shoots through the valley. She falls to the ground. She is in shock. What happened? Why is she unable to move her wings? Two big men come over to her. " Yep, she's the one I saw eating all our grain, pa!" yells the one on the left. "Ok, put her in the Jeep," the one on the right says, roughly. Benny is very frightened. She is squirming just like Ping when she had taken him from above. The same is now happening to her. Benny screeches repeatedly but nobody comes for her. "Let's hang her up on the wall for now," the smaller guy says with a grunt.

When they close the big shed doors, Benny sees a small dot scurry past the men. It was the same small dot that was in the field! She knew it was Ping. They had hung her upside down on the wall by some bailing twine. Both Benny's ankles and shoulder ached excruciatingly.

"Benny?" asks a scared little voice from the corner.

"Ping!" screeches Benny. "Please, help me out of this!"

"Ok," said Ping bravely. Ping Climbs up a cabinet that was right next to Benny. He scrambles across a bar hanging off the ledge. "Quickly!" exclaims Benny. "I can hear them coming!"

"I'm chewing as fast as I can," mumbles Ping.

Finally, Benny falls to the ground. Ping had freed Benny.

"Thank you so much," says Benny, with relief.

"Hurry Benny, you won't make it if you don't fly away!" squeaks Ping with rising concern.

"I'm trying!" screeches Benny. She tries lifting her wings. It is no use. She is in too much pain. Instead, she waddles over to a nearby bucket and gets underneath it. Ping scampers in with her at the last minute. The big shed doors open with loud creaks.

"She's gone!" they yell. " Rob Strader! I told you bailing twine wouldn't be enough, you maggot," he smacks the smaller man on the back of his head. Rob rubs his head and yells, "Sorry! I've never seen one get out of it!" They closed the doors and left.

"We're safe!" cries Ping from outside the bucket. Benny gets out of the bucket and starts to waddle to a side door which hangs ajar. Ping follows. They're both silent the entire walk to the warm barn.

"Why don't you come and live with me?" asks Benny.

"Well, a move is a very big thing for a mouse and I've got eight children and a wife!" says Ping, overwhelmed.

"I would help you," says Benny invitingly.

"Ok," says Ping, agreeing.

"What are your pup's names?" asks Benny politely.

"Let's see, there's Balm, Pong, Wane, Apricot, Relly, Jem, Sunny, and we haven't named our newborn yet," says Ping happily.

"Aww, they all sound wonderful! I can't wait to meet them!" says Benny excitedly. They stop at the barn.

"You know what, I think I'll go get the family and we'll be ready to move in by tomorrow at sunup. You get some rest," says Ping with a sweet smile.

Benny nods. She was too tired to speak. Ping scurries away into the grass. Benny tilts her head to the sun. She flies up to her nest up on a beam in the barn. She falls into a deep sleep. The next morning she wakes up to sounds of scurrying and squeaking. Ping brought his family. She flies down from her nest.

"How are you?" asks Ping while moving some bedding to a nearby hole in the wall.

"Welcome to your new home!" says Benny invitingly. "Who's this?" asks Benny watching Ping hold a very small mouse. "This is our newborn, Benny," says Ping proudly. "We thought it was fitting," says Ping, looking up at Benny.

Benny felt very honored. "Benny...I love it!"