In the Mischief of Misunderstanding: A Faeryland Adventure

Faeryland’s Farm, a vibrant tapestry of laughter and life, bustled with its residents' daily antics. Overseen with love by Farmer Joe and his wife, Corabell, known as Ma to the animals, the sanctuary was a refuge for nearly 50 animals who formed an unusual yet harmonious family.

Among these creatures was a buckling known simply as Nameless. His quiet demeanor set him apart from his boisterous companions: Perfect, Poison Ivy, and Holly Berry. One sunny afternoon, Nameless wandered a little farther than usual, following the flutter of butterflies along the woods at the edge of the farm.

As he explored, Nameless stumbled upon something shiny, half-buried in the grass, a wooden stick adorned with mysterious carvings. Curious, he prodded it with his nose, and instantly, a fizz of light burst forth. "Ribbit!" Nameless croaked suddenly, his voice transformed into the sound of a frog.

"Nameless, did you just croak?" asked Perfect, who had appeared beside him, eyes wide with curiosity.

"Ribbit," replied Nameless, trying desperately to explain, but the only sound that emerged was the persistent croak of a frog. Perfect, bewildered, called to the others.

Soon, Poison Ivy and Holly Berry gathered around Nameless. "Why is he croaking like that?" Holly Berry asked, puzzled.

"It must be goblins!" Poison Ivy exclaimed, eyes aglow with the thrill of mystery. "They have hexed him!"

Nameless shook his head frantically, struggling to convey the truth. But with each attempt came only a series of croaks. Those girls never listen to me!” He thought with a shrug.

"We have to help him," Perfect declared, her voice resolute.

"But how do we find a goblin?" mused Holly Berry, tilting her head thoughtfully. " They are tricksy!”

“We lure them out with treats and force them to fix Nameless!” Poison Ivy declared excitedly.

Nameless tried using gestures, but the more he attempted to communicate, the more his friends interpreted his actions as signs of distress. If they keep talking about Goblins, the little buggers will show up for sure.” He thought with some trepidation at the havoc the Goblins would cause this time.

As the goats conferred, a few of the farm dogs ambled over. Max, the yellow lab, quirked his brow, looking at Nameless quizzically.

“Ribbit!”

"What’s going on here?"

"Nameless has been goblin-croaked!" Poison Ivy said dramatically.

Roscoe, the Irish wolfhound mix, nodded gravely. "I are Roscoe!”

“Good plan, Roscoe!” Maxi quipped. “You go scout it out and pee on some stuff.”

Roscoe ruffed and ran off, Donut, the Jack Russell/Yorkie, yipping at his heels.

Nameless uttered a frustrated "Ribbit" at the comedy, prompting Little Foot, one of the cocker spaniel mixes, to paw at his ear sympathetically. “There, there, buddy. We will figure it out.”

"What if we lure out the goblins?" suggested Rick, the other cocker spaniel mix. "Maybe Stevie can mimic a goblin sound to draw them in."

Stevie, the Australian Long-billed Corella, perched nearby, preened his feathers. “Look around!” He squawked, as "look around" was the extent of his vocabulary.

“Well, that was helpful.” Poison Ivy jibed and rolled her eyes, spotting some good honeysuckle that she quickly inhaled.

Nameless could only croak helplessly, a tad exasperated by the elaborate and erroneous theories swirling around him. Each “Ribbit!” was a plea for his friends to comprehend what gap of translation lay between their assumptions and the reality of his predicament. Does anybody listen to me? I think they want an adventure.

Finally, as evening descended and the concocted goblin escapades seemed endless, an unexpected voice joined the fray. It was Butters, the sassy little house goat, who had wandered outside, having coerced Guinevere, the American Bulldog mix puppy, to let her out.

"What are you bunch of Ninnies up to now?" Butters called out as she pranced up to the group, her cape flowing in the wind. “As usual, I have to save the day.”

“Oh, my Gawd!” Poison Ivy muttered under her breath to Holly Berry. “I am going to BBQ her! And why does SHE get a cape? She is waaayyy worse than me!” They both started snickering.

“Now, now, Little Ones.” Perfect declared in all her authority. “On this Farm, we work together, and everyone’s contribution is appreciated.”

“Ha, tell that to Nameless,” Poison Ivy spoke out of the side of her mouth, nodding her horns toward him.

Nameless scowled and tried to stick his tongue out at her but only croaked. “Ribbit.” He frowned harder. Just wait, you got one coming to you! He thought.

“What was that, Nameless? Ribbit, you say?”

All the animals could not help laughing at her simple jests.

“It is ok, Nameless.” Perfect spoke up. “We can fix this, somehow.”

“It must be some sort of spell.” Butters observed.

“Duh!” Poison Ivy burst. Holly Berry and Perfect giggled – even Stevie laughed finding that amusing, as all the animals on the Farm were a little jealous of the newest baby goat who seemed to monopolize all Farmer Joe’s and Ma’s time, so they thought.

“Well, did you dingleberries see the spell-stick over there in the mud?" Sassed Butters.

Nameless croaked excitedly as he ran over to it.

The crowd fell silent, turning as one to face the glimmering wand that Nameless could barely indicate. Understanding finally dawned among the group.

"So, no Goblins? Bummer" asked Poison Ivy, sounding a bit disappointed and hooving the ground.

"No dummy," Butters clarified with a smirk. Poison Ivy charged to headbutt her, but Holly Berry stepped between them, stopping Poison Ivy. “You just wait!” She mumbled. Butters stuck her tongue out and noticed their Ma walking toward them.

“Ma!” She cried out and ran toward Corabell. Not to be outdone, and fighting for her attention, all the other animals ran over jumping, rubbing, bleating, barking, headbutting – and a certain bird crying “Look around!”- almost toppling their Ma over.

Ok. Ok. Calm down, Little Ones.” Ma laughed. “It looks like you guys found my old wand. I wondered where it had gotten off to.”

Corabell gently lifted the wand off the ground. She gave a gentle wave and soft incantation.

“Wait?” Whispered Poison Ivy to Holly Berry and Perfect. “Is she a good witch or bad witch!?”

“Good!” The girls hushed her.

All the animals held their breath, staring intently at Nameless.

He suddenly felt a tingle in his throat. He opened his mouth and bleated with glee." Maa-aa!"

All the animals cheered. “Look around!” Cried Stevie. Happy Nameless’s voice had returned.

Laughing with relief and the shared joy of misunderstanding overcome, the baby goats relayed the story to their Ma.

“Poison Ivy caused it with all her Goblin talk and hypothesizing!” Complained Nameless.

“Nameless, do you even know what that means?” She asked him smirking.

“That is it! I have had ENOUGH of you!” Nameless shouted charging her as they stood up on their front hooves and headbutted, erupting into a full goat wrestling session with headbutts, jabs, and jumping from both of them, ending with a round of laughter.

And so, the animals learned on this day that misunderstanding can bring unintended mischief and that two ears and one mouth means listening more and talking less or else you create more chaos than necessary. Then again, animals, especially baby goats, are known to create much chaos… and happiness. After all, it is their nature.