Sunshine the Cow could hear the moaning a long time before she ever got to the barn. It was plain that someone was very sick or in terrible pain. Sunshine had left her favourite cowlick and now approached the barn.

 "Is someone in there?" asked Sunshine, looking into the barn and letting her eyes adjust to the darkness.

 "Ooooooohhhh!" came the pitiful moan from Thunder Horse.

 Sunshine slipped into the barn and over to Thunder's stall. Thunder was lying in the hay and from the cloudy look in his eyes, Sunshine knew that Thunder was very sick.

 "Where does it hurt?" asked Sunshine, rubbing Thunder's head with her paw. The head was very warm to the touch and red blotches appeared on Thunder's cheeks.

 "All over," moaned Thunder. "I don't think I ever felt this bad in my whole life. It could be the flu or maybe it is something terrible."

 "Now don't jump to any conclusions. I will get Farmer Brown and he will get the vet," said Sunshine. "You try to rest and stay warm. I know that is an important thing."

 Sunshine pulled the blanket over Thunder's back and hurried out of the barn. Farmer Brown was in the south 40 with his tractor so Sunshine rushed to that destination.

 Farmer Brown had stopped for his lunch. His wife had packed big thick ham sandwiches, a thermos of tea, molasses cookies and an apple. Farmer Brown had eaten everything and was about to start the tractor again when he heard Sunshine mooing from the corner fence.

 "What are you doing way out here?" called Farmer Brown.

 Sunshine mooed and mooed. She turned and headed back and then turned to see if Farmer Brown was following her.

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 "You want me to follow you, don't you?" asked Farmer Brown. "Something must be wrong."

 Farmer Brown left the tractor in the field and hurried after Sunshine back to the barn. When he entered the barn, he could hear Thunder moaning himself. Farmer Brown quickly rushed to the barn phone and called Vet Miller.

 Sunshine held the ice bag on Thunder's head that Farmer Brown filled with ice cubes. It seemed in no time Vet Miller was there putting a needle into Thunder's hip for the infection.

 "The ice bag was good but I think we will hose him down just to bring the fever down more," said the vet. He pulled the hose over and doused the horse and then wrapped him back in the blanket.

 "I want him to stay in bed all day," said the vet to Farmer Brown.

 "Sunshine will see to that," said Farmer Brown.

 Sunshine read Thunder stories for the rest of the afternoon as the horse dozed and then woke for periods of 15 minutes. By the end of the day, Thunder's fever had broken and he was on the road to recovery.

 Question about the story: What was in Farmer Brown's lunch?

 Winners: Dominique, Lecrissa, Ryan and Nick were part of a pizza party and received a newly released book for their library at Hebbville Academy

 Send answer to Storytime, c/o Verna Dunlop, RR#1 Moser River, NS BOJ 2KO, or e-mail answer to vernadunlop@yahoo.com.

posted on 01/27/09