Otis
stood weeping over the dead body of his father. It was nighttime and the
animals had had a party when the coyotes had attacked the chickens. His father
had bravely sacrificed himself to save them. He had won the fight but now lay
lifeless in Otis' arms. The other animals had come outside to see the scene.
Miles bent down and gently hugged his friend for the last time. Otis figured
the farmer should know about this. The other animals went back to the barn and
took down all the party decorations. Otis mooed loudly outside the farmer's
house. The farmer awoke and came outside. "What is it boy"? He asked gently.
Otis led him to the chicken coop, where the hens were squawking and right near
Ben's corpse. The farmer knelt down. "Oh no, must have been coyotes". He went
over to check on the hens, and counted them and saw none were harmed nor taken.
Still, he wondered why they would attack a cow. He looked at Ben. "I'll have to
bury him, boy. He was a good cow". Otis mooed like crying, and the farmer got
chocked up himself. He picked up Ben and went to the hill he loved to graze on,
and decided it would be best to bury him there. The farmer dug up the ground,
and when he was finished gently laid Ben into it. Then he covered it up, gently
patting the last shovelful of dirt. He put up a gravestone: Ben: a good cow. By
now it was morning, and the sun shined bright over the farm. The farmer turned
and sadly walked back down the hill.