the farm animal chronicles [diktat]

”One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Seven? Since when were there seven of you?” Six bottles of milk and seven hungry baby pygmy goats to feed, Jimmy really has his hands full. He slots the bottles into the makeshift feeder, all but the seventh latch onto bottles and fill their bellies up. Jimmy picks up the smaller red tanned goat, it makes the annoying WAAAA noise when he scoops it up into his chest. ”You do want breakfast don’t you?”

It is not unusual for one of the farm animals to have an excursion inside of the house. Little lambs that are in dire need of warmth, calves that find comfort on the living room’s rug instead of a bed of straw and little goats with empty stomachs.

Jimmy sprints past the loose goose before it notices him, that thing is out for his head, and he is lucky to reach the door before it makes its war cry and starts charging towards him. Out of all the livestock that he shares the land with, the goats are his favorite. Before his roommates.

The baby goat finds its place on top of the kitchen counter and Jimmy makes up another bottle for it with the milk from the refrigerator, all while frying eggs on the stove and boiling a kettle of coffee for his and his roommate’s breakfast. Making breakfast for Kiara and Enzo has become his permanent adopted role, it has always been his favorite meal of the day. Collecting the morning’s eggs and feeding all the animals before his own breakfast is just a perfect ritual in his routine. Nothing and nothing ever should break it, he is quite happy to allow his roommates to lie in and get on with whatever they all do with their days.

Jimmy sets the bottle on the side as the frying pan starts to spit yoke all over the place, he turns the heat down and gives the pan a shake. Where has the goat gone?

”Goat?” Jimmy swipes the bottle, somehow the little hoofed beast has managed to jump from the counter and scurry out of the kitchen without him even noticing.

”Goat?” It is nowhere to be found in the kitchen. Or even in the hallway outside, the door is shut to the living room, so it is not in there. Upstairs? Jimmy stomps up every step, if his roommates were not awake, they are now. Enzo’s door is closed. Kiara’s door is closed. So is the bathroom door. His bedroom door is wide open.

”Goat!” The innocent looking baby red goat is stood chewing on one of Jimmy’s best shirts, that hasn’t quite found its way to his wardrobe after going through the laundry at Saffron&Mace’s house. ”That is my best shirt, goat!” Jimmy scoops up the goat, shoving the bottle into its mouth so that it loses its taste for his best shirt.

In the kitchen, the smell of burning eggs drifts it way upstairs and lingers out in the hallway. Today is starting off well for Jimmy.