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Danger lurking at Elm Farm

Will they loose everything?

By Sonja ScherndlPublished 3 years ago 10 min read
7
Danger lurking at Elm Farm
Photo by Philip Veater on Unsplash

Little Mo (whose name is actually Charlie, but we’ll get to that later) came home from school and saw an old scruffy man with a briefcase leaving the farm. Little Mo nodded to him as he passed, but he had never seen this man before. Something told him that he didn’t come with good news and the lights around him looked all murky.

All people have lights around them, some are nice, with pastel pinks and whites and blues; others can be rather dull, like browns and reds and icky greens. Little Mo learned a long time ago that icky lights are usually attached to icky people.

Mo could see and hear things that others could not, which has come in handy on more than one occasion. He used to think that everyone was like him, which of course was not the case. He learned not to talk about it, as it only got him into trouble.

As he approached the kitchen, Belinda and Francis (Mo’s parents) were having a heated discussion. He did not want to disturb them but took a seat in the hallway, listening in.

“How could we forget about renewing the lease? Tom told us a year ago that we needed to see to it!” Tom was my dad’s uncle and he passed away not long after he signed over the farm to him. Crickey, this was not good news.

“Where are we going to get $20,000 from in 3 weeks? What will happen to all our animals?”

Windbreaker came out of the kitchen, heading towards me. He was our rescued Greyhound, from a nearby racetrack. When they get too old for racing, they just toss them out. Dad picked him up at the animal shelter, like so many of the other animals on our farm. He earned his name not just from racing, but I will leave it up to you to figure out the rest.

`They are in a real pickle Mo.` said Windbreaker ‘The man that was here earlier said the farm will become part of the council’s redevelopment plots, if they can’t settle the bill.’

Mo could talk to all the animals. It was a kind of thought thing and quite clever, as no one could ever hear their conversations and animals make great spies! No one suspects them, you see.

`We must call for an emergency meeting! ` Windbreaker understood immediately and went about gathering the Seven in the barn.

***

Who are the Seven, you may wonder? I will tell you:

Fifi, our white, fluffy, and very creative cat! She could find escape routes like no other. She was also great at inventing stories and games in time when everyone needed to be cheered up.

Meryl, the head of the crow clan and just too clever for words. No task is too difficult, and she can learn anything in a jiffy. She can also be very funny and entertain the whole barn at will.

Stinger is the right hand of the queen bee. He may be small, but boy can he come in handy at times. He could fit through the smallest of spaces and was the perfect spy.

Balboa was the head of the goat clan. His black fur made him invisible at night and he saved the chickens over a hundred times from the foxes nearby. You did not want to be on the wrong end of his horns, and he had an awesome kick in his back legs.

And of course, Windbreaker could be indispensable at times. Like when Aunt Meredith overstays her welcome. Boy does she go on about things! Mum and dad’s lights change after a couple of days and Windbreaker has never failed in his rescue. Following her every step, until she gives in and packs her bags.

Then there is Gimren who is invisible to humans, but not to us. He is our resident hobbit under the big pear tree. The birds love him and often visit. His birthday has become a day of storytelling and hobbits, fairy folk and birds come from far and wide. Loved by all, he has been elected chairman of all important meetings. After all, he was the oldest among us and the wisest.

`Shall we begin?` Gimren called over to little Mo

“Just a mo, need to close the barn door” said little Mo, (who real name is Charlie as you may remember me telling you at the beginning. Mo was always preoccupied with something and whenever his parents call him, you will hear him in reply with “just a mo!”). With that the meeting began and everyone weighed in on what needed to be done to save the farm.

Windbreaker went first. `There is a big annual greyhound race coming up, which means big winnings! Sometimes, after having won a race, Bob (who owns the race track) would take me back to his office for special treats, where he would count his winnings for ages, making stacks of $5,000 on his desk. There he also keeps a little black moleskine book with all his notes detailing dates and the profits - for his eyes only - and at the end of it he locks it in the safe with all the winnings. You see, the races are not clean, they are fixed. He always knows the winners in advance, as he gives other dogs a dodgy drink of water before the race. I only found out as he was talking to his wife about it. So here is my suggestion – let’s get $20,000 from his winnings and the black book, we leave him the rest, as that is all we need. He will not ring the alarm as the black book will be missing and he knows he will go to jail for a long time, if it was discovered. `

`That’s a great plan Windbreaker but how do we get in and out without being seen? ` Gimren asked.

`I will do a surveillance flight after tomorrow's race` said Stinger, `to see if I can find out a bit more. The weather being so warm, he will have a window open. Meryl you can come with me to check out the surroundings and Fifi you could have a stroll around the grounds to see what the layout of the building is. I think I might already have a plan but need you to work with me on that. `

`Done! ` they said with one voice and started chuckling, as they often said the same thing at the same time. A cat and a crow form an unusual alliance, but nothing could separate these two.

`What about me` said Balboa, `what can I do?`

`If all plans out as I think it might, I need you to do a lot of digging after we bring back our bounty. You are the strongest and we all depend on you for that. It is a vital part of the plan, but we’ll get to that after our surveillance trip.`

Little Mo was delighted! He could see a window of hope and opportunity. Another meeting was set for the following evening.

If anyone had seen the meeting it would have looked rather strange. A group of animals sitting with a 9-year-old boy in silence.

***

‘Good to see you all again! Let us hear your report’, said Gimren. `Stinger you go first! `

“Just a mo – need to get my pen and paper ready to take notes”, said Mo.

`The office is easy to get into, and the grounds remain open after the race since the caretakers are cleaning up for at least a couple of hours. Bob was in the office alone as you said Windbreaker, and indeed he was counting his money for ages, making notes in his little black moleskine book. I also learned that he is frightened of bees! I greatly disturbed him by buzzing over his notebook a couple of times. He kept swatting the air, running around like a crazed chicken.`

`The staff keep well away from the office; they just tend to the dogs and clean up the yards. Also, the office is far away from where they are busying themselves, so there will be no interference from them. I overheard them chatting and they really do not like Bob. He cheats them of their wages and is mean to the dogs` said Fifi.

`The whole area is pretty deserted after the race; people just pack up and go. It almost turns into a ghost town. So, there is me thinking: If I organize a few from my flock, we could easily take the notes out of his office, but we need a distraction to get Bob away from the desk. Now here is me thinking again: What if Stinger turned up with some of his friends and chased Bob out into the yard until we had cleared the money from the desk? We could have a signal to let you know it’s all done, like poop on Bobs head`, Meryl was at her best again – everyone burst out into laughter and they were delighted with the plan so far.

`What about the black book? It will be too heavy for you Meryl.` said Mo

`Windbreaker, how would you feel about sneaking into the yard? We could push the book out of the window and you could sneak it out?` Gimren asked, stroking his long beard and winking at Fifi. `I am sure Fifi will help you with an escape route. `

Windbreaker got so excited he broke wind there and then and everyone shouted `Someone open the barn door!` while holding their noses and chuckling at the same time.

It was a fantastic plan!

And so it all worked out – the money was taken after the big race a week later and the black moleskine too, with Bob still scratching his head and worried sick trying to figure out who was now in possession of his dirty accounts. The Groundskeepers did not see a thing, and even if they had they would not have told him. He had it coming for a long time. The bees were thoroughly enjoying themselves chasing Bob around the courtyard and he ended up with a lovely present from Meryl on top of it! Meryl and the bees could not wait to tell their story at the next meeting.

Windbreaker nearly got caught as some of the other dogs got a whiff of him, but the race tired them out and they decided not to raise the alarm.

With the money and the book safely back at the farm, all that was left to do now was for Balboa to dig a big hole and bury the money in a rusty old tin, which little Mo found in the shed.

***

Belinda came in the next morning with a bit grin on her face.

“Look what I just found in the barn! It must have belonged to Uncle Tom! He always joked that he had buried money on the farm, but no one took him seriously. If Balboa had not been digging, we would never have found it! I wonder how much is in this old rusty tin and if it will help us with the lease…”

Little Mo was smiling and pretended to be very surprised. With that he dashed out the door to tell the others.

***

Meryl did not look entirely happy `You know that Bob still needs to be taught a lesson, right? He is cheating the staff out of their wages after all and the dogs should be much better looked after. As we still have his black moleskine, we still have leverage. What do you think?`

They all agreed and nodded enthusiastically!

`Great! Any ideas?` Fifi and Meryl said at the same time.

Uncle Tom was delighted with the spirit of the Seven. For now, he would stay in the shadows and just observe.

fact or fiction
7

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