C. S. B., inspired by the Scandinavian Folk-tale, retelling of an old fable
Annotated by Van Allen Bear
One morning, bright and early, a nice and plump curly-tailed pig laid around in his sty. There were pleasant things to see, but I tell you, he always dreamed of what lay just past what the eye could see. Along the fence a far-eyed sheep dreamt the same dreams as he. “What would a world beyond the farm be like?” the plump pig asked to the far-eyed sheep. “Let’s see, let’s see, an adventure for you and me!” So, with heads held high, they set out together beyond the farm, the fence, the sty–to build their humble home. For the thing they both wanted was a house of their own.
“We will build us a humble house,” said the far-eyed sheep and the plump pig, “and there we will live together.”
So they traveled quite a ways away over the blueberry fields, and down the town lanes, and past the apple orchards, and through the woods, until they came upon a mister rabbit sitting upon a stump.
“Now where would you two be going this morning?” asked mister rabbit.
“We are going to build us a humble house,” said the far-eyed sheep and the plump pig.
“I’ve been in this sheltered stump, you see, may I live with you?” asked mister rabbit.
“What can you do to help? We have much to do.” asked the far-eyed sheep and the plump pig.
Mister rabbit scratched his leg with his foot for a short while, wanting to impress these gents, and then he said: “I can gnaw pegs with my teeth; I can put them in with my paws.”
“Well said!” said the far-eyed sheep and the plump pig; “you may come with us, if you please.”
So the three went on a long, long way farther, and they came, all at once, to a gray speckled goose tending to her bushel of berries.
“Good heavens, Where are you going?” asked the speckled goose of the three.
“We are going to build us a humble house,” said the far-eyed sheep, the plump pig and mister rabbit.
“I have oh so many berries, and no one yet to share them with. May I live with you?” asked the speckled goose.
“What can you do to help? We have much to do.” asked the far-eyed sheep, the plump pig and mister rabbit.
The speckled goose tucked her leg under her wing, looking at the bushes and the trees for a minute, and then she said: “I can pull moss, and stuff it in the cracks with my broad bill, we will stay warm and dry this way.”
“Good!” said the far-eyed sheep, the plump pig and mister rabbit; “you may come with us, of course, and you can surely stay.”
So the four went on a long way again, and, all together, came upon a red barnyard rooster scratching in the soil.
“Now now, slow down there you four! Just where are you going?” asked the red rooster.
“We are going to build us a humble house, ” said the far-eyed sheep, the plump pig, mister rabbit and the speckled goose.
“I have been in these thick woods for many years. I wish to see a prairie or hills, with bugs and grain. May I live with you?” asked the barnyard rooster.
“What can you do to help? We have much to do.” asked the far-eyed sheep, the plump pig, mister rabbit and the speckled goose.
The red rooster stopped and preened his feathers in front of the four. He strutted about for about a minute, and said: “I can crow very early in the morning; I can awaken you all in time to get all of the chores done in the day!”
“Oh, Good!” said the far-eyed sheep, the plump pig, mister rabbit and the speckled goose; “you may come with us, if you would be so kind.”
So the five went a ways until they found a place, a place there for their house. Then the far-eyed sheep split logs and placed them for the floors; the plump pig made bricks for the cellar and battered up the doors; mister rabbit gnawed pegs with his sharp teeth, and hammered them in with his paws; the speckled goose, with her broad bill, pulled and stuffed the moss; the red rooster crowed early every morning to tell them when to rise, and they all slept so well each night in their humble house, beneath the starry skies.
To each lies a strength–no one is alone, as man is not intended to live as a hermit. Reclusion is as antithetical to man as is mastery of all skills. We need one another as do the sheep, pig, rabbit, gray goose, and rooster.
