A Sheep on Campus

Pacabel was sleeping in the fields when she heard a loud sigh. It came from Boyd, the large German shepherd who watched over the sheep in the afternoon. He was lying by the fence, staring at the grass on the other side. Boyd sighed again, louder this time. The sun hadn’t risen over the mountain range near Farmer Patchwork’s farm, and Pacabel wanted to sleep awhile longer before she had to get up. But this was impossible to do unless Boyd stopped sighing.

“Boyd, tell me what’s eating you,” Pacabel said. “Because I can't sleep as long as you're here."

“No need to be so rude,” Boyd replied. “I’m upset because Hana and Ruben have gone away, and I can’t go with them.”

Pacabel lifted her head and stared at him. “What are you talking about? Ever since this pandemic thing occurred, Hana and Ruben haven’t gone anywhere for months.”

“That’s what you think,” Boyd said. “Things are opening up again, including the mythical land of college. The two of them are returning there.”

“What!?”

Pacabel scrambled to her feet and trotted over to Boyd. She looked at him for a long time, but his soft brown eyes showed no signs of trickery.

“When are they leaving?” she asked.

“They already left. Earlier today while you were asleep.”

Pacabel stamped her foot and headbutted the wooden fence, frightening Boyd. “No way! They can’t leave!”

“That isn’t your choice,” Boyd muttered as he stood up. “I know it’s hard to take in but we-”

“We have to go after them.”

Boyd balked and looked at Pacabel to see if she was joking. She wasn’t.

“Pacabel, that’s crazy talk!” he cried.

“After two years, we finally had Hana and Ruben home, just like old times,” Pacabel said. “And now you’re telling me that we can't do anything?”

“Pacabel, I miss them just as much as you do, but we can’t go after them.”

“Why not? You went with them a few times to college, right? Surely you remember how to get there.”

“Yes, but we have to go through town to get there. It is a dangerous area for sheep.”

“Fine, you can stay here. I’ll just ask someone from the flock to help.”

Boyd frowned and looked at the field of 39 sheep, some sleeping and some eating grass. From a distance, they resembled marshmallows with legs, a fitting term for their scatterbrained and timid disposition. They wouldn't last a second in town. Boyd sighed and rubbed his nose with his paw. “Okay,” he said. “You win. I’ll come with you.”

“Great,” Pacabel said. “Let’s go.”

Boyd turned around and leaped over the fence. He went to the gate, lifted the latch with his nose, and pushed the door open. Once Pacabel passed through, he nudged the gate closed and joined her on the other side.

“I hope you’re fully rested,” Boyd said. “Because this will be a long walk.”

Pacabel nodded and followed Boyd down the dirt path towards town. For a while, things were calm, and Pacabel looked around, enjoying the scenery. Things changed when they approached the town entrance. The cars and loud noises frightened Pacabel, and she stopped on the side of the road. When Boyd noticed her standing in place and shaking, he turned around and went back to her.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

Pacabel nodded and tried to smile. “Yes, I’m just resting for a minute.”

Boyd eyed her shaking legs and pale face. “Perhaps we should go back. You look like you're about to faint in fright.”

“It’s not fear. It’s excitement.”

"But it’s not too late to head back. Master might still be asleep, and we can slip into the field as if nothing happened.”

“No, I’m not going back until we find Hana and Ruben.”

“And then what? Even if we do find them it's not like they'll come back with us.”

“I’ll figure that out once we find them. For now, focus on getting me to the college place.”

Boyd sighed and shook his head. “Things will only get worse from here.”

Once Pacabel’s nerves settled, they resumed the journey into the town. After some time, they arrived at an area where cars moved from all sides of the street. Boyd ran over to a crosswalk and pointed at the pedestrian light across the street.

"When the light turns into a green human, we have to hurry across this path," he said. "Be quick and don’t stop until you reach the other side.”

Pacabel nodded and watched the light, waiting for it to turn into a tiny human. When the light changed, the two of them started across. All seemed well until Pacabel noticed a car coming towards them. Panic seized her, and she froze in place.

“Pacabel!” Boyd cried. “Move out of the way!”

He ran behind her and bit her tail. Pacabel shrieked and ran to the other side, just as the car slowed to a stop. The light changed, and the traffic moved again. Across the street, Pacabel stood with her head lowered as Boyd snarled at her. “This is what I was worried about!”

“I’m sorry,” Pacabel mumbled.

“I told you to keep on going no matter what! You could have gotten hurt!”

“I said I was sorry. And it won’t happen again."

“Of course not,” Boyd said. “We’re going back to the farm.”

“No!” Pacabel shouted. “We’ve already gone through enough trouble getting here! We can’t go back now!”

Boyd shook his head. “We’ll have to cross more roads from here. And you could get scared and freeze up again.”

Pacabel stamped her hoof and shook her head. “In that case, you can go back by yourself! I’ll find Hana and Ruben on my own!”

“You don’t even know how to get to the college!”

“I’ll get there even if it takes a year.”

“Pacabel, why are you being so stubborn about this?”

“Because I can’t go another year without seeing them again!”

"What?"

“You just don't get it," Pacabel said. "Hana and Ruben have always been with me ever since I was a lamb. We always played together, ate together, and took naps in the same field. Yes, there were days when they had to go away, but they always returned. However, since they started going to college, they rarely come home now. When they came home for a year, I was delighted. We were able to play games again and enjoy meals together. And now they're gone, and who knows how long it'll be before they come back?"

Pacabel lowered her head and began to cry. Boyd stared at her, stunned by what she said. He hung his head and pawed at the ground.

"I see," he said. "Sorry for yelling at you earlier. I didn't know this was the burden you were carrying."

Pacabel sniffled and shook her head. "You were worried about my safety. I understand. And, if you wish to return to the barn, I won't stop you."

"No, I'll stay. We'll find the young masters and bring them home together."

Pacabel smiled at Boyd, and he smiled back.

"Let's keep going," Boyd said. "I know a shortcut we can take to get to the college."

Pacabel and Boyd walked down the road with their objective in mind and hope in their hearts. As Boyd predicted, they had to cross more streets on the way there. However, Pacabel did not freeze up when the time came for them to cross. The thought of seeing Hana and Ruben gave her the courage to keep going. After walking for a long time, they arrived at a large metal gate, where a large building stood beyond it.

“The college is that building over there," Boyd said.

"Excellent,” Pacabel said. “Thank you for leading me all the way here."

"You're welcome. But what do you plan on doing now?”

“I'm going to go in and find them.”

“Bad idea. This place is huge, and it will take forever to locate them.”

“Can’t you sniff them out?”

“There are too many scents in the area. I won't be able to find them unless they're nearby.”

“Then we’ll split up and find them. You go one way, and I'll go the other."

“Pacabel, I don’t think that’s-”

“Please Boyd. We're so close to finding them. And if we split up, we're bound to run into them sooner or later.

“Splitting up is the last thing we’d want to do here. What if you get captured by a human? You won’t be able to defend yourself.

“Then what do you suggest?”

“Not splitting up. However, when I came here with the master and the children, we stopped by some areas of interest. There’s a good chance Hana or Ruben might be in some of those areas, so we should see if we can find them there. If not, we’ll search the rest of the campus together and see what we can find.”

“Okay. We’ll try that.”

“Good. Now follow me and don’t wander off.”

Boyd led Pacabel through the gates and towards the large building. Soon, they emerged in a large plaza where humans walked from one area to the next. Most of them wore a blue cloth over their mouth and nose, while others had them tucked under their chins. Some walked by themselves, and others traveled in groups. Pacabel had never seen so many humans in one place, and the sight filled her with wonder.

“Keep moving,” Boyd called. “We don’t have time to stop and stare.”

Remembering her reason for being here, Pacabel shook her head and resumed her search. She followed Boyd to a place he called a parking lot, where cars sat in painted pens, like docile bulls. No Hana or Ruben. Next, they went to a large building which Boyd said was the library. Humans were sitting on the outside steps and talking to one another, but no sign of Hana or Ruben. Some of the humans took pictures of Pacabel and Boyd, and one tried approaching them. Boyd snarled and barked until the boy backed away. Then, they traveled to another building where delicious scents wafted through the doors; a place called a cafeteria. More humans were there but not the ones that Pacabel and Boyd were searching for.

“Well, that’s all of the main places,” Boyd said. “Let’s try walking around and see if we can find them by the other buildings.”

Boyd started walking and Pacabel followed after him, but at a slower pace. Doubts were beginning to grow in her mind.

“Boyd,” Pacabel called. “Are you sure we’re at the right college?”

“Yes,” Boyd replied. “Whenever the Master went to visit the children, he always came here.”

“Then how come we haven’t found them yet?”

“Pacabel, this is a very large area. I told you that it wouldn’t be easy finding them because there are so many people. But I promise that Hana and Ruben are somewhere around here.”

Suddenly, Boyd stopped in front of her. He sniffed the air, his ears swiveling in different directions.

“Did you find something?” Pacabel asked.

“I think so,” Boyd said. He sniffed the air and walked a few paces. Then his tail went up and ran back towards Pacabel.

“I’ve got a scent! Cucumber and ham!”

Pacabel eyes widened, and she felt a glimmer of hope rise within her. Ruben loved cucumber and ham sandwiches, and he was never without one when it was time for lunch. Sometimes he’d share a cucumber with Pacabel after she headbutted his leg a few times.

“Where?” Pacabel asked.

“Follow me!” Boyd cried, and he took off.

Boyd was giddy with excitement, and Pacabel had to run to keep up with him. But her short legs and wooly body made this difficult, and she soon lost sight of him. When she realized this, she tried calling him.

“Boyd!” Pacabel called. “Boyd, where are you?”

Pacabel tried walking in another direction, but a group of humans blocked her path. One of them stepped forward and reached for her, but Pacabel backed away in fright. Panic gnawed at her brain, and she felt trapped as more humans drew closer. Frightened, Pacabel employed her only means of defense, bleating non-stop.

“Baa!” Pacabel screamed. “Baa! Baa! Baa!”

Pacabel screamed and attempted to headbutt some of the humans. Frightened by her aggressive change, the humans backed away from her. Pacabel continued bleating and hurried past the humans. Suddenly, she heard a familiar sound, barking.

“Boyd!”

Pacabel looked up to see Boyd running towards her, with two familiar humans chasing after him.

“Hana!” Pacabel shouted. “Ruben!”

“Pacabel!” Boyd called. “There you are!”

Pacabel ran towards them, bleating and bouncing with joy. She ran into the arms of a stunned Hana and began licking Hana’s face. Next to her, Boyd ran around and barked up a storm as Ruben tried to calm him down. Hana was talking to Ruben about something, but Pacabel didn’t care. Part of her knew that she and Boyd would be taken back to the barn afterward. Farmer Patchwork would make it harder for her to escape next time too. But Pacabel didn’t care about that either. For now, she was happy to be with her family again.

~End~