Written by Janet Goodrich
One warm summer morning Reese opened her eyes. A tiny ray of sunlight was poking through a hole in the barn door. She stretched her short legs, one and then the others until she felt more awake. Looking around she saw no other animals in the barn were awake. All the animals in the barn were asleep.
With a happy hop she left her cozy corner of the barn. As Reese came close to the hole where the sun was coming through, that hole seemed to have grown larger. It looked large enough for Reese to fit through. The sun felt warm and Reese liked to feel warm and she was curious about what was on the other side of that hole. With no worries and a bit of tumbling she worked her way through the hole. Flop, Reese went onto the soft warm dirt outside.
It was bright and warm on the other side of the hole. Reese slowly stepped across the soft warm dirt. She found fresh grass and nibbled on it. It tasted sweet. As she was nibbling the grass she felt happy until she bumped her head into something.
Reese had been so busy looking down and eating the grass that she had not been looking where she was going. She had bumped her head into something hard and it hurt. As fast as her short legs could carry her, she scurried away from that frightening object that she had bumped into. Spotting the hole in the barn door, she popped back to the safety inside the barn.
Feeling safe inside the barn but still a little frightened, Reese ran to Bandit the rabbit. Bandit was still asleep. Reese touched the rabbit’s silky soft floppy ears with one of her paws. Bandit opened her right eye and then her left eye.
Looking right at Reese, Bandit shook her head to flop her silky ears back. Reese saw that she was not happy. She had a stern look on her face. “What!” Bandit said. “Where have you been? You smell like fresh grass.”
“I went through that little hole in the barn door.” said Reese pointing to the hole. “It was warm outside in the sun. I nibbled the sweet grass and then all of a sudden I bumped into something. What do you think it was?”
Bandit thought
just for a minute. “It must be a rock.” she stated.
“Are you sure?” Reese asked.
“Yes,” said Bandit, “I bumped into a rock the first time I left the barn.”
“Was it big? Rocks are big. A rock is nothing to be afraid of.” Bandit said, “Go back and take a good look again to see if it is big. The rock should also be gray too.”
Reese wanted to believe Bandit. Quickly she bounced through the hole and plunked down onto the warm dirt and grass outside. She moved around carefully until she bumped into the rock again.
Reese remembered what Bandit had said, “A rock is nothing to be afraid of. It must be a rock; rocks are big and gray.” Reese needed to take a good look at the rock.
Reese was less frightened now and felt somewhat brave. She set her furry little body next to the rock to see if it was big. It was much bigger than she was. It was longer than Reese and it was tall. She took a good look at it to see what color it was. The rock was not gray.
Reese became concerned and quickly skittered back towards the barn, popped through the hole in the barn, where she came across her good piggy friend.
“Oink, slow down, Reese, you look and smell like you have been outside the barn in the grass and in the dirt.” said Humphrey.
“Yes I have,” said Reese. “I have been on the other side of the small hole in the barn door. I nibbled on the grass; I walked across the dirt and I think I bumped into a rock. The first time, I was frightened and ran back and asked Bandit what it could be. Bandit said that it was a rock. She said a rock is big and gray. I went through the hole again to see if it was big and to see if it was gray. It was as big as me, but it was not gray.
Humphrey moved his feet into a soft patch of cool mud. Deep in thought he replied, “Mud is soft. And I like mud. So, you think that you bumped into a rock? This soft mud has no rocks in it. I do like the feel of soft cool mud.”
“Yes”, said Reese politely to Humphrey, “but how can I be sure that what I bumped into was a rock?”
“Did it smell like mud?” asked Humphrey. “Rocks smell like mud.”
Reese did not know if the rock smelled like mud. She had not smelled the rock. Before Humphrey could say another thing, Reese was off. She had pushed her way through the small hole once again and flopping onto the dirt below. She smelled the sweet grass and this time she also smelled clover. She was hungry and wobbled over to the clover and grass to nibble it. She nibbled until she was quite full. Then away she went directly to find the rock.
This time she thought, I will smell the rock as best as a young Guinea Pig is able to.
It took longer this time before Reese bumped into the rock again. When she did, she promptly stopped and she lifted her head. Bending her short neck as high as she could Reese looked up at the rock and smelled it.
She touched it again with one paw ever so lightly. It was mostly hard but a little soft. Reese smelled it one more time. It smelled like dirt, mud and something else that Reese had not smelled before. She checked the size of the rock again. It was big, much bigger than Reese.
Reese wondered why it took so long to find the rock this time.
Reese wanted to know more about this rock. Reese had questions. Feeling brave, she turned around and skipped as fast as she could back to the hole and popped through it bumping onto the barn floor. There in front of her stood Leia. Leia was a tall goat but Reese could stretch her neck just high enough to see her face.
Leia bent down her head and looked at Reese with a puzzled look. “Where have you been?” she asked.
“I was on the other side of that small hole in the barn door. I smelled grass and clover and then stopped to nibble on it just a bit. I bumped into something out there. It was big; it smelled like dirt and smelled like something that I have not smelled before. I think that it is a rock. It took me longer to find it this time. Do rocks move?” asked Reese.
Leia was chewing some hay as she listened to Reese. She finished chewing and said, “That sounds like a rock that I climb on sometimes when I am outside of the barn. I like that rock. It is big, smells like dirt, and it is a nice place quiet place to stand. Rocks are quiet. Was the rock that you bumped into quiet?”
Reese had been so busy looking at the rock, smelling the rock, feeling the rock, and measuring the rock, that she had not listened to it. Before Leia could say another thing, Reese was gone. Off in a flash, Reese tumbled through the small hole again.
Reese wanted to know if the rock she bumped into was the quiet rock that Leia had enjoyed standing on.
Reese smelled the grass and clover again. She stopped to nibble them just a bit. She quickly wiggled her way around the barnyard and soon she bumped into the rock again.
As soon as she found the rock she stood very still and listened to it. She heard birds chirping, she heard the train whistle blowing, and she heard the music from the carousel. She scooted close to the rock and pushed up against it. It was big, and smelled like dirt. She listened and the rock was quiet.
Feeling very brave, Reese placed one of her paws up on the rock and then one more paw on to the rock. Standing with two paws on the rock, she listened quietly.
All of a sudden the rock moved and Reese’s tiny feet slipped off. This frightened her. She ran as fast as she could, skipping quickly to the hole and through to the other side.
Inside the barn, out of breath, and frightened, Reese stood shaking and then frozen in fear. For a moment she could not move. Tenji, the very tall llama was right there in front of her. “Reese, where have you been? Tenji asked.
Reese bent her tiny Guinea pig neck but could not see high enough to see Tenji’s face. Tenji knelt down to look at Reese and talk to her. Her voice was calming. “What has frightened you?” she asked softly blinking her big brown eyes and long llama eyelashes.
Trying to be brave, Reese looked at her and told her the story about her adventure outside in the barnyard. She explained to Tenji how she bumped into the rock. She told about how it looked big. Reese told Tenji about how it smelled like dirt and something else, it was a little soft, and it was quiet. Reese finished telling Tenji that when she stepped up on the rock with two of her paws, it moved.
Reese asked Tenji, “Do rocks move?”
Tenji stared at Reese with her big brown blinking eyes. “I once felt a rock move when I was trying to get to a nice piece of apple that had rolled next to it. Did the rock make any noise or talk when it moved?” she asked Reese.
“No, I tried to listen and the rock did not make noise or talk. It was quiet.” said Reese. “I wanted to get closer to listen better but that was when the rock moved.”
“You are a very brave little Guinea Pig Reese.” said Tenji. “You are having a great adventure today. Do you think you can go find that rock again one more time and listen to it again? Rocks don’t make noise and don’t talk.”
Reese thought about what Tenji asked and said, “Now that I know rocks sometimes move, I am not so frightened and I feel brave. I will go out again to find the rock and listen to it again.”
As soon as she had finished her last word, Reese was on her way through the small hole in the barn door again. This time Reese did not stop to nibble on grass and clover. She did not stop until she bumped into the rock. She knew it was the same rock because of how it smelled. She remembered that smell. It was not just the smell of just dirt. It looked the same. Reese softly put two of her paws onto the rock and it felt the same. So Reese was quiet and listened.
The rock was very quiet. Reese began to step up onto it with one more paw to listen closely. She was ready to put her last paw up. Just then Reese heard talking. The voice was coming from far above her.
“Good morning Reese.” The voice cheerfully stated.
More frightened than ever, Reese tumbled off the rock and as fast as her feet could go, she ran. She did not watch where she was running. Before she could get to the small hole in the barn door, she bumped into Mamma lying in the shade under a giant oak tree as cows enjoy doing.
“Help!” Reese squealed. “I bumped into a rock and it talked. Rocks don’t make noise or talk. What could it be?”
“What a brave little Guinea Pig you are.” mooed Mamma in her calm soft voice.
Hearing Mamma’s soft, familiar voice calmed her. Reese quickly felt better.
“I have been watching you all morning Reese. You have been having a great adventure. I have watched you tumble through that hole in the barn door before any of the animals in the barn were awake. I saw you stepping across the soft dirt, smelling the grass and clover and nibbling on it. Then you bumped into Jade. I watched you run back to the hole and plop through into the barn. You sat next to Jade; you sniffed her, you nibbled grass and clover. One time you put three paws up on Jade but you ran away fast back to the hole and into the barn. When Jade said, “Good morning.” you ran straight into me and yelled, “Help!”
“Is Jade a rock?” asked Reese in a brave voice.
“No, Reese, Jade is not a rock. Jade is a person. She is a zookeeper. Her job is to look after the animals at the barn. She feeds us, takes care of us, and makes sure we are safe and happy. She is very kind.
Just then, Reese heard Jade’s cheerful voice again, “There you are Reese. You must be tired, thirsty, and hungry.”
Reese felt two giant soft hands wrap around her like a big hug and scoop him up into the air.
She felt like she was flying. Of course Guinea Pigs don’t fly.
Gently, Jade placed Reese in the pen with the other Guinea Pigs. The hay was fresh; there was a big bowl of clean water, and some fresh fruit. Reese felt brave. She took a sip of water and snuggled down into the hay.
Looking around and bending her neck to see high and low, near and far, Reese noticed the big barn door. It was wide open with the warm sun streaming in. Reese felt adventurous and brave.