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“Oink, oink. Baaah, cluck, moo” - Can animals talk? |
Stories
There was once a rooster named Ruben. Ruben lived on a farm where he was happy and comfortable. There were a few other chickens who kept him company, and the farmer's kids came by every evening, but otherwise Ruben lived alone in his barn and he liked it that way.
One day, after a particularly lovely breakfast of grains, Ruben saw something strange off in the distance: the farmer who took care of him was coming back to Ruben's pen. Had the farmer forgotten something inside the barn? Ruben looked around for some tools or maybe a book that the farmer might have forgotten about, but didn't see anything except the grass and the earth.
Ruben went back to his roosting, but when he looked up a moment later saw that the farmer was not only getting closer, but was not walking alone! To his left was a strange looking creature, much shorter than the farmer with a great deal of curly white fluffy hair. Ruben thought perhaps the farmer's mother-in-law was back to visit, but then realized she would walk on two legs and not four, like this creature before him.
The farmer approached Ruben's pen and said a few things that Ruben wasn't able to understand -- Ruben didn't speak the farmer's English language, and the farmer didn't speak Ruben's Rooster language. The farmer then opened Ruben's pen, pushed the fluffy white creature inside, and left.
Ruben gave the strange creature a friendly, beaky smile. “Hello,” he said.
“Baaaah,” the creature replied.
“My name is Ruben,” Ruben continued. “This is my pen and my barn. Welcome.”
“Baaaah,” the creature replied.
“What is your name?” Ruben inquired.
“Baaaah,” the creature said. “Baaaah Baaaah.”
Ruben was wary. “‘Baaaah-Baaaah‘? Baaaah-Baaaah is your name?”
“Baaaah!” Baaaah-Baaaah responded. “Baaaah!”
Ruben realized this was going nowhere.
Over the next few days, the farmer brought a new kind of creature into Ruben's barn every day! Soon there were animals with long hair and short hair, and even one dirty-looking pink animal with a small curly tail that seemed to have no hair at all! Even though some of the animals had things in common, like fur, feathers, or food there was one big thing that no one seemed to share: a common language!
After a few days, it started to become difficult to all live together under the same barn roof without being able to understand one another. Ruben liked his new friends, but missed the days when the barn and the pen were his and his alone! He climbed up to his favorite perch to roost, but found it difficult to relax with the mooing, oinking, baaahing, bleating, clucking, chirping chatter!
Ruben took a deep breath and tried to forget about all the sounds and calm himself down. Sure enough after a few more deep breaths he suddenly found himself able to ignore the noise! And when this happened, Ruben saw something for the very first time…
He immediately raised his wings up high, lifted his neck, and pointed to the center of the pen to call a Barn-Wide Meeting -- and to his surprise, it worked! Ruben didn't have to say a word, but by communicating with the other animals using his body, everyone was able to understand!
All of the animals quickly caught on to Ruben's great idea and quieted down. They held a totally silent meeting together, and even though no one could “talk” to one another, they all communicated what they needed to say with wagging tails, twitching ears, puffing feathers, flapping wings, nodding heads, and paying attention!
Soon Ruben's barn was at peace again. Even though the animals couldn't talk to each other or the farmer, they were finally able to tell each other what they needed.
After a few days, Baaah-Baaah approached Ruben.
“Baaaah,” Baaaah-Baaaah said. “Baaah baaah, baaaah baaaah baaah baaah!”
Ruben raised his arms in question to show Baaaah-Baaaah that he didn't understand. Baaaah-Baaaah nodded.
“Baaaah,” said Baaah-Baaah, apologizing.
Baaaah-Baaah then did something Ruben wasn't expecting. He bent down and nuzzled the top of Ruben's head with his wet, sheepy-nose; Baaaah-Baaaah was saying “thank you.”
Ruben gave Baaaah-Baaaah a friendly, beaky smile -- “you're welcome,” the smile had said.
One day, after a particularly lovely breakfast of grains, Ruben saw something strange off in the distance: the farmer who took care of him was coming back to Ruben's pen. Had the farmer forgotten something inside the barn? Ruben looked around for some tools or maybe a book that the farmer might have forgotten about, but didn't see anything except the grass and the earth.
Ruben went back to his roosting, but when he looked up a moment later saw that the farmer was not only getting closer, but was not walking alone! To his left was a strange looking creature, much shorter than the farmer with a great deal of curly white fluffy hair. Ruben thought perhaps the farmer's mother-in-law was back to visit, but then realized she would walk on two legs and not four, like this creature before him.
The farmer approached Ruben's pen and said a few things that Ruben wasn't able to understand -- Ruben didn't speak the farmer's English language, and the farmer didn't speak Ruben's Rooster language. The farmer then opened Ruben's pen, pushed the fluffy white creature inside, and left.
Ruben gave the strange creature a friendly, beaky smile. “Hello,” he said.
“Baaaah,” the creature replied.
“My name is Ruben,” Ruben continued. “This is my pen and my barn. Welcome.”
“Baaaah,” the creature replied.
“What is your name?” Ruben inquired.
“Baaaah,” the creature said. “Baaaah Baaaah.”
Ruben was wary. “‘Baaaah-Baaaah‘? Baaaah-Baaaah is your name?”
“Baaaah!” Baaaah-Baaaah responded. “Baaaah!”
Ruben realized this was going nowhere.
Over the next few days, the farmer brought a new kind of creature into Ruben's barn every day! Soon there were animals with long hair and short hair, and even one dirty-looking pink animal with a small curly tail that seemed to have no hair at all! Even though some of the animals had things in common, like fur, feathers, or food there was one big thing that no one seemed to share: a common language!
After a few days, it started to become difficult to all live together under the same barn roof without being able to understand one another. Ruben liked his new friends, but missed the days when the barn and the pen were his and his alone! He climbed up to his favorite perch to roost, but found it difficult to relax with the mooing, oinking, baaahing, bleating, clucking, chirping chatter!
Ruben took a deep breath and tried to forget about all the sounds and calm himself down. Sure enough after a few more deep breaths he suddenly found himself able to ignore the noise! And when this happened, Ruben saw something for the very first time…
He immediately raised his wings up high, lifted his neck, and pointed to the center of the pen to call a Barn-Wide Meeting -- and to his surprise, it worked! Ruben didn't have to say a word, but by communicating with the other animals using his body, everyone was able to understand!
All of the animals quickly caught on to Ruben's great idea and quieted down. They held a totally silent meeting together, and even though no one could “talk” to one another, they all communicated what they needed to say with wagging tails, twitching ears, puffing feathers, flapping wings, nodding heads, and paying attention!
Soon Ruben's barn was at peace again. Even though the animals couldn't talk to each other or the farmer, they were finally able to tell each other what they needed.
After a few days, Baaah-Baaah approached Ruben.
“Baaaah,” Baaaah-Baaaah said. “Baaah baaah, baaaah baaaah baaah baaah!”
Ruben raised his arms in question to show Baaaah-Baaaah that he didn't understand. Baaaah-Baaaah nodded.
“Baaaah,” said Baaah-Baaah, apologizing.
Baaaah-Baaah then did something Ruben wasn't expecting. He bent down and nuzzled the top of Ruben's head with his wet, sheepy-nose; Baaaah-Baaaah was saying “thank you.”
Ruben gave Baaaah-Baaaah a friendly, beaky smile -- “you're welcome,” the smile had said.