On a farm in Cumbria lives a lady called Anne. One day I went to visit Anne. She told me about a duck called Lucky. When her mother laid some eggs, Lucky was the only one to hatch and she had a crooked neck.
When a tiny piglet was born it nearly died. But Lucky covered it with her wing to keep it warm and the piglet survived. Its name is Hannah. Lucky and Hannah became friends and lived together on the farm.
Hannah grew up to be one of the farm pets and was always getting into mischief. When Anne asked me to write about Lucky and Hannah, I turned it into an adventure story and added a new character, Tiger the kitten. Ann’s farm is a lovely place with lots of rare breeds and a farm shop.
It is called The Cowran Estate
Chapter1
The barn was a warm and noisy place. Bales of straw were built in stacks that disappeared into the darkness. Kittens prowled around the stacks hoping to catch the mice scampering safe within their towers of straw. Old Tabby looked on, purring with pleasure at her children’s antics. One day soon she would teach them the proper way to hunt.
Some of the straw bales had been used to build a pen for the goslings. They dashed here and there, pecking at the straw and sometimes at each other. Once in a while one of the kittens would climb up to have a look. Then the old gander would bear down hissing and beating his wings and the kitten would run to his mother in terror. But it did not take long before he was back to hunting mice with his brothers and sisters.
Across the way from the great barn doors the piglets squealed for their mum. They were not long weaned, and it would take a while to fatten them up for Market. None of the barn animals knew what Market was, except for old Tabby, and she wasn’t going to tell them. The rest all thought that Market was the big lorry that came by once in a while. The pigs and ducks and geese that went to Market were never seen again.
Within all this noise there was a small corner of silence. The old duck sat uneasily upon her clutch of eggs. Her laying days were nearly over. Perhaps these eggs would be her last. She had laid them on a full moon. That was normally a good sign. But last night the full moon had returned and still nothing stirred. The eggs felt strangely cold beneath her plump, feathery form. They did not return her warmth and there was no movement to give a hint of life inside their shells.
She was tempted to leave her eggs by a fresh uproar. One of the kittens, the stripy one that the farm children called “Tiger” had fallen in with the goslings. Now both the goose and the gander were flapping and hissing, driving the kitten up against the straw bales. Tabby had jumped to his defence. Her back was arched and erect with fur. Hissing and spitting, she unnerved the geese. All the noise attracted the farm children, who came rushing into the barn.
But as the old duck moved, so did one of her eggs. The clamour in the barn faded to her ears as she listened for the tip-tapping, egg-cracking sound of one of her babies struggling to be born. It took a very long time before the shell broke and the duckling was hatched. There was something odd about the way its head hung to one side. Maybe it had twisted its neck fighting to get out of the egg. The old duck did not mind. Her baby was alive. That was the main thing. She carefully folded the duckling under her wing and settled down. And still nothing stirred in the rest of her eggs.
One of the farm girls, Sophie, came over carrying Tiger, the rescued kitten. “Now then Lucy,” she said to the old duck. “What a good mother you are. All that fuss going on in here and you never once left your eggs. It is such a pity though. Dad says it has been too long now. He doesn’t think they will ever hatch.”
Sophie put Tiger down and he darted off to hunt for spiders in the shadows. He had already forgotten his ordeal with the geese. Sophie bent down to stroke Lucy and then she saw the little bundle of feathers beneath her wing. “Oh! One has hatched! You are the lucky one.” She was the only one of her brothers and sisters to make it into the world. And that is how Lucky got her name.
Chapter 2
When Lucy took Lucky down to the pond for the first time the other ducks tried to be kind. But it was hard for them not to quack with pride as their own ducklings swam and dived. Then along came Lucky, with her head bent to one side. She followed Lucy into the water and managed to swim well enough. But how was she supposed to dive with her beak pointing up at such an odd angle? All she could manage was a sort of Eskimo roll. She was like a canoeist going over sideways in the water with a very ungraceful splash.
The other ducklings teased her.
It was true. With her crooked neck, Lucky had one eye forever pointing to the ground and the other pointing to the sky. Their parents told them off and explained how she was lucky to be alive. That just made it worse.
Unlucky duck if you can’t dive!
Quack, Quack. Don’t come back!”
Lucky’s mum tried to comfort her. She told her the story of the ugly duckling that turned into a swan.
“Will I turn into a swan, mum?”
“No, but you will grow up to be a fine duck and keep your mother company. Not like those others. Quack, quack – they are never coming back when they go off to Market.”
Sophie had adopted Lucky. She had hand reared her on a special mash and tried to stop the other ducklings from picking on her. Lucy did not know much. But she knew that if a farm child liked you it was a good thing. You were safe from Market and sometimes even allowed into The House. Sophie’s dad let her keep Lucky. He did not want the other farmers to laugh at him for taking such a weird creature to Market.
Chapter 3
One morning in spring Lucky went down to the pond and it was empty. All the other ducklings had gone. “Where is everybody?” she asked her mum.
Lucy looked at the other ducks. They stared back angrily. “Hush!” she said to Lucky, “Not so loud! See those other ducks. They are sad because their children have gone to Market. But I still have you.”
Lucky longed to know what Market was. It sounded so strange and terrible but she knew that now was not a good time to ask. So she went down to the water alone and tried not to look at the other ducks. That was quite easy. Because of her crooked neck it was easier to swim with one eye looking down for fish and the other gazing up at the sky.
Then she got a fright. Instead of a fish she saw a kitten under the water! She blinked hard then quacked with laughter. Looking up the kitten appeared in her other eye. It was perched on the branch of a tree hanging over the pond. The kitten in the water was just its reflection. She knew this kitten. It was Tiger.
“I made you jump there,” said Tiger.
“No, you did not,” she fibbed. “I saw an eagle up in the sky. They sometimes steal kittens, you know.”
She looked hard at him with one eye but he just laughed. “I’m not scared of eagles. I’m not scared of anything!”
“I bet you are scared of Market,” Lucky answered.
“Of course not! Kittens don’t go to Market. That’s for ducks and pigs and silly geese.”
“So what happened to the rest of the kittens, then? And why are you the only one left?”
“They have all gone to be house cats. They live in people’s homes and get looked after. Me, I can look after myself. I am going to be a farm cat when I grow up and catch all the mice in the barn.”
“I must be a house duck,” said Lucky. “Sophie looked after me and saved me from going to Market.”
“Have you been in The House yet?”
“Not yet. But I expect to one day”
“I don’t want to go in The House. I want to stay in the barn and keep an eye on the mice. Mum is getting a bit old now. I expect she’ll retire soon and be an indoor cat. Those mice will have to watch out when I’m in charge!”
Lucky liked Tiger. He was funny and brave and a bit fierce. But she was not frightened of him. He was not cruel or unkind like the ducklings had been. And Tiger liked Lucky. To tell the truth he was a bit lonely since his brothers and sisters had left. And it was not much fun being brave if there was nobody to share your adventures with. Lucky and Tiger both knew they were going to be friends and they were both glad.
Chapter 4
Every morning Lucky went down to the pond to meet Tiger. Once he crept up on her and pounced. She quacked and flapped and Tiger jumped away laughing
“Ha! I got you that time. You have to watch out with a fierce hunter like me on the prowl.”
“I do watch out but not for silly kittens. You won’t catch me again.”
“See if I don’t.” And Tiger was off trying to catch a butterfly.
Lucky did watch out and next time she was ready for him. Her crooked neck helped her to see things other folk missed. Her mum was sure she could see round corners. Not quite, but she saw Tiger coming. Lucky waited until just before he pounced. Then she turned and, opening her wings, she flapped into the air. It was too late for Tiger to stop himself. He pounced and missed. But he did not miss the pond. SPLASH! There really was a kitten under the water now. He came up gasping, “Help! I can’t swim!” And down he went again. Lucky flew down to help him. The next time he came up she said, “Hold on tight!” He wrapped his paws around her, and she towed him back to dry land.
A very cold, wet kitten lay on the ground shivering and complaining. Lucky wanted to laugh but she knew that was not a good idea. She was not brave like Tiger but Lucky always seemed to know the right thing to do. And just now the right thing to do was to cover Tiger with her wings and let her downy feathers keep him warm.
That was how Tabby and Lucy found them. The other ducks kept away from Lucy because she still had her duckling. All theirs had gone to Market. And Tiger was right. His mum was getting old. She could still catch mice when she wanted to. But most of the time she wanted to sit in the sunshine and talk about the good old days. Lucy liked to listen to her. So, just like their children, the cat and the duck became friends.
“Hello mum,” said Tiger, popping a damp head out from under a wing. “I was just teaching Lucky a trick.”
“Yes, we saw your trick. Perhaps Lucky should teach you how to swim.”
“Aw mum! We were just playing.”
“That’s right,” said Lucky. “It’s your turn now. Come and show me how to catch mice.”
The two friends went off to the barn. After Tiger had rolled in the straw to get himself properly dry he turned to Lucky. “Thanks,” he said. I was really scared in the water, and you saved me. Then you had the chance to show off in front of our mums and you didn’t.”
“That’s OK,” said Lucky. “But I should give you some swimming lessons before you try that trick again.”
“Flying lessons would be better!” laughed Tiger. He had forgotten his fright by now. But he would never forget what a true friend he had in Lucky.
Chapter 5
Rain, rain, rain. The summer was so wet that even Lucky got fed up and she liked water. Tiger was really miserable. He hated water. He had been really scared that day he had landed in the duck pond. He kept away from water now. So he spent most of his time in the barn chasing mice or staring out at the raindrops going splish splosh on the puddles in the barnyard.
“I’m bored!” Tiger moaned one day when Lucky came into the barn. Just then it stopped raining, so they dashed outside. Even now Tiger was not happy. He stepped around the puddles and shivered whenever a raindrop fell off a leaf and landed on his fur.
“Stop moaning,” said Lucky. “Why don’t we go up to The House to see our mums?”
Tabby was an indoors cat now and Lucy was an indoors duck! This is how it happened. When it rained the two old creatures took refuge under the front porch of the farmhouse. Then Sophie’s mum opened the door for Tabby and Lucy followed her in. They both curled up together in Tabby’s basket. When he came in from work the farmer was so amused he said the duck could stay. This was good news for Tabby and Lucy. It was good news for Lucky and Tiger as well. They could get up to all sorts of tricks with their mums tucked away indoors.
Just then the rain started again. Tiger and Lucky were a long way from the barn. Tiger jumped into a tractor and hid under the seat to keep dry. At that moment the farmer came out. He climbed into the tractor and drove off with Tiger still on board. Lucky could not leave her friend. She flew up into the air and followed the tractor.
The farmer was going to the bottom field to feed the pigs. At the end of the lane was a gate leading onto a muddy farm track. He had to stop the tractor and open the gate. Then he had to close it to stop the pigs from running away. That’s when the trouble started…
The pigs all came running because they knew that the tractor meant food. The farmer moved quickly to shut the gate. Then his wellie boots got stuck in the mud. He fell over. He banged his head on the gate. The hinges creaked and the gate banged shut. The farmer lay still in the mud. He had knocked himself out.
Lucky and Tiger tried to wake him up but it was no use. The pigs all stopped when they got to the tractor. They could not reach the food on the trailer. They did not know why the farmer was lying on the ground instead of feeding them. The pigs came towards the farmer. They were feeling hungry and cross.
Lucky had an idea. She opened her wings and made herself look big and fierce. Then she ran towards the pigs flapping and quacking. They were so surprised they stopped and stared.
“Now then,” she said. “I know you want your dinner. But the farmer is hurt. We have to get help if you want to get fed.
Some of the pigs started to grumble. Then one pig said “I know. If we all make a noise someone will come.” So all the pigs squealed their loudest. Tiger jumped up on the tractor seat and pressed the horn. Lucky quacked and flew up in the air. After a while she saw Sophie and her mum coming down the lane. Lucky flew down to meet them. They did not understand all her flapping and quacking. But they knew something was wrong and followed her up to the gate.
What a sight and what a racket! The pigs were squealing and the cat meowing and honking the horn. Just then the farmer opened his eyes tried to sit up and fainted. He was alright when they got him back to the farmhouse and gave him a hot cup of tea. When he heard what the animals had done he said he was always going to take Tiger and Lucky with him down to the bottom field, “Just in case.”
Chapter 6
Tiger rode on the tractor every day now and Lucky flew on ahead to tell the pigs, “The farmer is coming. We don’t want any more accidents. So you stay where you are until Tiger sounds the horn.”
When the farmer got down to close the gate Tiger jumped up onto the seat and as soon as the gate was shut he honked the horn and all the pigs honked back as they followed Lucky down the path. The farmer told his wife, “If it wasn’t such a daft idea I would swear the cat and the duck were telling those pigs what to do.” And they both had a good laugh. But Tabby and Lucy, who were listening, just nodded and smiled. They knew.
Tiger had a rule that you did not talk to animals that were going to Market, so he ignored the pigs and went hunting in the hedgerow for field mice and voles. But Lucky soon got to know them all. One of the pigs was nearly ready to have her babies.
“I will be coming back with you soon,” she said. “The farmer will put me in the farrowing pen and all my piglets will be born.” The old sow was right. One morning Lucky and Tiger woke up to the sound of squealing piglets on the other side of the barn and went over to have a look. Most of the piglets were huddled together to keep warm. But one little one could not get into the pile. The other piglets kept pushing her away. At feeding time all the other piglets pushed ahead of her, and she could not get enough milk.
“Poor thing!” thought Lucky. She remembered how she had been picked on by the other ducklings. So she dropped down into the pen and covered the tiny piglet with her wing. She had no milk to give. But at least she could keep him warm. And that is how Sophie and her mum found them when they came into the barn.
“What’s dad going to say about this?” said Sophie. “First a cat and a duck, and now a duck and a pig!”
“You and Lucky are going to have to look after this one,” her mum replied. “It’s the runt of the litter and will need hand rearing just like you did with Lucky.”
For the next few weeks Sophie bottle fed the little creature and it lived in a nest of straw in the corner of the barn where Lucky helped to keep it warm. Tiger was jealous. Lucky was his friend. Why was she looking after a silly pig that was going to Market one day? He was in such a bad mood he moved out of the barn and went to stay with his mum in the farmhouse.
There was a box in the corner of the front room that showed pictures and told stories. One day there was a story about a real tiger in a zoo that was looking after some piglets. When he saw that, Tiger changed his mind and went to visit the barn. The piglet was not very strong and had a bad cough. All the other piglets were bigger than Tiger now. But this one was very tiny and could still fit under Lucky’s wing. Tiger said, “Hello. What’s your name?”
The piglet tried to hide but Lucky said, “This is Hannah. Come out and say hello to Tiger. He won’t hurt you. He is my best friend, and he is going to be your friend as well.”
The little piglet came out and Tiger pounced. Not on Hannah. He landed on Lucky and they fell over, laughing in the straw.
“Ha! I got you that time!”
It was a good joke. Even Hannah started to laugh. Lucky did not mind. She loved the little piglet. But it was good to have her friend back again.
Chapter 7
Hannah’s mum was called Hilda. She had gone back to live in the bottom field when her piglets were weaned. Now that Tiger had come back to keep an eye on things in the barn Lucky flew down to see Hilda and give her all the news.
“Your piglets are doing really well. I heard the farmer say they would soon be ready for Market.”
Hilda was pleased but that word, “Market,” always made farm animals feel nervous.
“And what about Hannah? Is she going to Market?”
“Oh no! She is staying at the farm. She’s famous. And so am I.”
And Lucky told Hilda how a man had come to the farm with a box and pointed it at her and Hannah together in the barn. The box flashed and Hannah was frightened so Lucky covered her with her wing. The man said, “What a fantastic picture! That will make the front page.” And the box flashed again. When the paper arrived at the house, there they were. Lucky and Hannah’s picture was on the front page. Then more people came to the farm. They put the story on the TV.
“That is the story box the farmer keeps in his front room,” explained Lucky. Hilda did not understand. But she was happy. She knew that her little baby was not going to Market. She would see Hannah again when she came down to the barn to have some more babies.
Lucky did not know that lots of people had story boxes in their houses. She had no idea that she was famous all over the land. She did not know that the man who drove the lorry to Market had seen her on his TV. And she did not know that he had a plan.
The next time he came to the farm with his lorry it was to collect all the piglets. While the farmer made sure the piglets were all loaded safely in the lorry the man popped into the barn. Lucky was in there with Hannah. She was a bit frightened of Market. In fact she was a bit frightened of most things. Lucky was comforting her as usual with her wing wrapped around her. The man bundled them both into a sack. He whisked them out of the barn and under the driver’s seat of his lorry.
All the piglets were making so much noise that nobody heard Lucky quacking for help or Hannah crying. But Tiger had been watching. He remembered how Lucky had come after him when he got stuck in the tractor. He was not going to leave her now. When the farmer went round the front of the lorry to talk to the driver Tiger knew what he had to do. This time he was really brave. He jumped in the back with all the piglets. They were so surprised that they all started squealing again.
“Be quiet!” he hissed. “I am Tiger, the barnyard cat and I am here to look after you.”
They were even more surprised that the cat had actually spoken to them. It shut them up until the lorry was on its way. Then the questions started.
“Is this Market then? What’s going to happen to us? Where’s my mum?”
Tiger did not know all the answers. But he was not going to tell the pigs that.
“This is the way to Market,” he told them. “And when you get there you will all find new homes because you are too big to live in the barn and you cannot stay with your mum forever. There is something else as well. The lorry driver has captured Lucky and Hannah. When we get to Market you have got to help me rescue them.”
“What’s the plan?” asked one of the pigs.
“You’ll see,” said Tiger.
Chapter 8
The fact was that Tiger did not have a plan. Not yet. He was bound to think of something before long. He had to. Lucky would know what to do. She always did. But he could not ask Lucky. The lorry was making too much noise for her to hear him. Then he had an idea.
“Listen,” he called the piglets together. “When we get to Market you are all supposed to go quietly to your new homes. But that won’t do at all. When the man opens the back of the lorry I will pounce. I’m good at pouncing. And you all run as fast as you can, shouting for help.”
And that is what they did. When the man opened the back of the lorry Tiger sprang straight at him. The man was so surprised he let the piglets escape. The piglets ran off in all directions squealing at the top of their voices. The man tried to catch them, but he tripped and fell over. Other people came to help but the piglets were too quick and the people kept missing them and bumping into each other.
Tiger jumped into the front of the lorry and found the sack. But it was tied up with string. He could not open it.
“Yes. But we cannot get out. Do something Tiger!”
Tiger jumped up on the driver’s seat. It was a bit like the tractor. Then he remembered the horn.
“Beep! Beep!” The lorry’s horn was very loud. People stopped chasing the piglets and came over to have a look. The driver came back as well.
“You again! You dratted cat!” he snarled and flung open the door to grab Tiger.
Just as he grabbed Tiger by the neck the sack started to move. Little Hannah was wriggling so much she wriggled the sack out of the lorry and onto the ground. The sack quacked like a duck and squealed like a pig. Then it wriggled a bit more. By now everyone in the Market had come over to see what was happening, including the farmer.
He had driven up to Market and arrived just in time to see his piglets racing down the street and away. He stepped over to the lorry driver.
“Now then, Bob, what’s the carry on?” Then he saw Tiger. “And WHAT are you doing with my cat?”
Bob mumbled something about finding him in his lorry and handed Tiger over to the farmer. Then he bent down to pick up the sack. Just then it quacked like a duck, squealed like a pig and gave another wriggle. Some people were laughing, but not the farmer. He stepped towards Bob with a fierce look. Bob threw the sack at him and tried to run away. Tiger jumped out of the farmers arms and pounced on Bob’s head. This time there were lots of big strong hands to help and Bob was caught.
The farmer opened the sack and safe inside were Lucky and Hannah. By the time they got home that night Lucky and Hannah were famous again. And so was Tiger. The farmer let them all into the house to watch themselves on the TV news. Tabby and Lucy made a bit of a fuss but secretly they were very proud of their children.
Hilda was just as proud when Lucky flew over to tell her all about their adventure. She told her how Tiger had been very brave. And Hannah had been brave as well. It is very hard to brave when you are tied up in a sack. But Hannah had wriggled and wriggled and saved them both. Hilda was also proud of her other children, and just a bit worried. What was going to happen to them now?
Well, lots of people had heard about them on the News and decided that they did not deserve to go to Market and finish up as pork chops and sausages in a butcher’s shop. So when they were all caught – and that wasn’t easy – the farmer did not send them back to Market. He put their pictures on the internet instead. People bought them as pets, so they all became house pigs.
After a while things settled down at the farm and everyone got back to the quiet life. But I do not think it will stay quiet for long with Lucky and Tiger and Hannah!