The crowing rooster
There is a small farm on the edge of the village. The farmer and his wife are immensely popular and many a child has had an enjoyable time there over the years during the holiday season.
But recently there is a problem… Every morning, when the rooster crows, the dog sings along.
Not just along, no he sings very out of tune. So false that it confuses the other animals. The rooster then gets angry and sulks all day long.
The atmosphere on the farm does not improve and the farmer discusses with his wife how they could solve the problem.
“You know wife, this can’t go on like this.”
“You’re right Bertus, we have to do something about this, but what?”
Together they come up with several options but conclude that there is always a loser, and they want to prevent that. They sit quietly staring into space and then the farmer’s wife’s eye falls on the piano, which has been theirs for years.
Bert, I have an idea. What if we make up a song for them and have them perform it every morning? We accompany them until no false note can be heard anymore.
Bertus is proud of his wife. How does she come up? He likes the plan, but he is not so sure whether it will succeed.
The next morning, they gather all the animals on the farm and explain the farmer’s wife’s plan.
“Let’s all come up with a special song and then we’ll practice together. Until everyone sings the right notes. That way they will not be angry anymore and Brutus will not sing falsely anymore. What do you think of our plan,’ the farmer’s wife asks.
Believe it or not, everyone thinks it is a cool idea and the goat comes up with the first rule of the song.
“On the farm, so nice and happy,” she begins.
“With our feathers and our cackling,” the chickens add.
And the others also add a rule to it. Soon the song is complete, and they can start practising. Only Brutus, who is very shy. You would not say it for such a big dog, but still, it is. But he also does his best and tries to keep the beat of the music wise.
The rooster does not like it, what a hassle, he thinks. If that dog had not been preoccupied with my crowing, all this effort would not have been necessary. Nevertheless, he is soon convinced and takes pleasure in singing together. At first, softly plucks along, but a little later he sings the highest of all.
They have been practicing for a few days now and the song sounds great. All animals sing in harmony. The rooster happily crows along and Brutus the dog is happy that he no longer sings out of tune.
From now on it is one big party on the farm and the farmer and farmer’s wife are extremely proud of their animals. The rooster is no longer angry. The chickens are happily strumming around again, and the goat makes funny dances in the meadow. And Brutus is not so shy anymore. It seems like this whole adventure has given him a lot more confidence.
If you ever walk past a farm and you hear the animals singing happily, you are near the farm of farmer Bertus and his wife.
So, you see if you do something together and practice, you can achieve something beautiful.