Farmyard Fable

Golden sunlight bathed the emerald valley below in its warm rays, shining brilliantly on a quaint farm below. From within the jungle of tall grass, a rat moved swiftly through the underbrush with a rumbling hunger in his belly. Stealthily the rat scurried towards the henhouse, drawn by the sight of seed on the ground. Rooster, standing proud and colorful, stepped between the rat and its goal.

“Why have you come to my home, Rat?” asked the curious rooster.

Fearful and unsure of how to proceed, the rat thought quickly and crafted a lie.

“To search for you, dear Rooster! A hawk harries lost hens in the pasture!” squeaked the rat.

Startled by the news, the rooster made for the pasture to retrieve his hens, leaving the rat to take his fill and scurry away. 

As the sun traversed the sky, smells of table scraps led the still peckish rat to the porch of a human abode, guarded by a dog, loyal and true. 

“What brings you so close to my home, Rat?”  asked the curious dog.

Feeling more confident in his conniving ways, the rat began to lie again.

“Searching for you, dear Dog! Strangers are in the woods and threaten us smaller creatures, we desperately need your help!”

Startled by the news, the noble dog ran on, barking to alert his masters. The rat took his fill from the dog’s food bowl, snickering as he scurried away. 

The following day the rat returned to the henhouse, lured by even more grain and seed to stuff his belly. Again the Rooster, proud and colorful, interposed. 

“What brings you to my home, Rat? To tell me more lies?”

“Never would I lie to you, dear Rooster!” squeaked the rat.

“There were no hawks in the pasture, none of my hens were lost.” replied the rooster.

“Surely the hawk must have seen you approaching with your gilded feathers and knew better than to tarry. Surely he took off in fear of your greatness!”

The rooster puffed out his chest with pride, the rat’s words appeasing him.

“Perhaps so, but what brings you to my home?”

“To find you, dear Rooster! Another like yourself, though lackluster and dull, approaches on the road, strutting and pecking before the hens!”

Startled by the news, the rooster hurried to meet this new threat, leaving the rat by his lonesome to gorge on seed and grain. 

Basking in his brilliance and gloating over his guile, the rat soon approached the noble dog, who met the rat with a low growl.

“What brings you to my home, Rat? To tell more lies?”

“Never would I lie to you, dear Dog!” squeaked the rat.

“There were no men in the nearby woods, and my masters forced me to sleep in the cold for my folly!”

“Surely these men saw you approaching and fled! Your loyalty and decision to raise the alarm obviously made them rethink their dastardly ways!”

The dog began to wag his tail as the rat’s words excited him and eased his mind. 

“Perhaps so, but what brings you so close to my home!”

“To find you, dear Dog! The pigs are rooting under their pens again!”

Startled by the news, the dog, loyal and true, took off towards the pens, barking and baying to alert his masters, leaving the rat to eat his fill with a supreme smile. 

And so it went on for many days and nights, the rat growing considerably in size as he weaved its webs of lies and spun tapestries of flatteries. And all throughout did the noble dog and the proud rooster suffer for their trust. The hens did not eat as well and began to fret with the rooster’s prolonged absence, laying less eggs and raising the ire of the farmer. The dog continued to be kept in the nighttime cold for his false alarms, costing him precious sleep. As he napped during the day he received the scorn from the farmer for his laziness. Both began to despair. 

One evening though, just as the conniving rat waddled away to his home, the proud rooster approached the noble dog. 

“What brings you to my home so late in the day, dear Rooster?”

“To find and speak with you, dear Dog. I fear we have been led astray!”

“By whom? And for what purpose?”

“By this repugnant rat, and for his own selfish gains!” crowed the rooster. 

“Yes, I believe you are right, dear Rooster.” said the dog somberly.

“My hens don’t lay as many eggs, they do not eat as well and grow haggard! The farmer grows weary and I fear the hatchet shall soon find their necks! I will not allow this any longer!”

“I sleep in the cold and haven’t received the farmer’s praise in weeks. I have been disgraced, seen no longer as a trusted member of the farm, but as a lazy cur. My heart grieves and my pride bleeds, and I will not allow this any longer!” howled the dog.

And so a plan was concocted, a trap set and a pact formed. The next day the rat returned, seeking more grain for his ever expanding belly. He approached the henhouse, as was his want, and was met by the rooster, proud and colorful.

“Good day, Rat. What brings you so close to my home?”

“To find you, dear Rooster! The hawks have returned, and in force! They terrorize the south side of the farm!”

The rooster puffed out his chest and took off in the direction given by the rat, but before he sped away, the rooster turned and crowed to the rat. 

“Surely with hawks so near, it would be wise for you to hide? Take refuge in the henhouse until I return!”

Salivating at the prospect of pilfering eggs, the rat ambled up the walkway and into the henhouse, not bothering to notice the rooster had ceased his travel, and instead signaled to the dog, sitting like a sentinel upon the porch. Receiving the signal, the dog sprung the trap, baying and howling for the farmer, raising the alarm. Hearing the commotion, the rat returned to the entryway of the henhouse only to be met by the talon and beak of the rooster.

“Dear Rooster, why do you attack me so?” cried out the rat. 

“For the lies you have bathed us in, and the comeuppance you deserve!” crowed the rooster. 

As the dog continued to cry havoc, the rat soon saw the farmer exit his home, chilling the rat’s blood. The dog took off like a shot and stood just behind the rooster who continued to peck and claw at the rat, trapping him within.

“Please, dear friends! Never would I lie to you! Release me before you bring about my doom!” pleaded the frightened rat. 

Approaching the henhouse, the source of the commotion, the farmer beheld a ghastly sight. A rotund rat had found its way within. Too brazen and bold to simply be let go, the farmer produced a tube of shining steel from his pocket, ushering the rooster out of his path. The rat had time to gasp his last before he met his doom, the tube sending a ball of brass to speed him to the grave. 

“Look at the size of that monster, no wonder the hens seem so small! This creature must have sacked away their feed in preparation for the fall!”

Disposing the rat and setting out more feed, the farmer patted his dog, his friend, and gave him all the praise he could need. And so the pact came to an end, both satisfied with the conclusion to a parasitic trend.