Llama Drama (9 page)

The next morning when Farmer Palmer and Millie turned the corner of the yard, their hearts leapt for a moment when they saw what they thought was Lewie back home in his pen. They were equally amazed when they found that it wasn't Lewie, but Liberty. That she'd escaped from her own pen wasn't a surprise to the farmer, but the fact that she'd stayed with the sheep confused him. The pen and the area around it was in chaos, as if there'd been a big attack during the night, but none of the sheep were hurt or missing. It was yet another mystery for Farmer Palmer …

But the farmer decided to leave Liberty with the flock until Lewie's return. He set off to find the two policemen to force them to do more to find his missing animals. If they hadn't returned in the next twenty-four hours he realised he would officially have to pull out of the
Best Guard Llama
event.

Millie stayed with Liberty and the sheep, trying to tidy up the pen. All afternoon she talked to the animals and, while she almost felt that they understood what she said to them, sadly she couldn't understand a single bleat of their replies. She felt quite sure that if only she could, they would be able to tell her exactly what had happened to Lewie and the lambs. Millie was sure that those titbits were an important clue, as she told Liberty and the flock.

“I don't care what that stupid policeman says. I didn't leave them here, so somebody else must have.”

Later that evening, Ginger told Liberty, “Lewie thought someone was up to something bad, and it looks like he was right.”

Nelson, who was quietly minding his own business in the next pen, put his head over the fence and whispered, “I bet I know who it was.”

Liberty and Ginger moved closer.

“Farmer Hardman. He'll be behind it,” Nelson told them. “He always makes sure his llama wins –
whatever it takes
.”

Lewie had told Liberty he didn't trust Farmer Hardman's men. Why hadn't she listened to him. She felt she'd let Lewie down.

“If no one else is going to find him,
I'll
have to,” Liberty told Ginger.

“If you're going, so am I,” Ginger announced.

“So-o am-m-m I-I-I,” echoed all the sheep, rallying around her.

But Liberty put her foot down about that and Ginger agreed. “Don't be ridiculous,” she bleated. “We can't all go.”

Then quite an argument followed between Liberty and Ginger, and between Ginger and the other sheep.

But in the end, as usual, Ginger had the last word. “There's a whole bunch of small, scared little lambs out there somewhere, waiting to be rescued, and my little Bertie's one of them. And if anyone's going to find him, it's me!”

“But what if it's already too late?” breathed Shelley, putting into words what everyone else was thinking.

“To-o-o la-a-ate?” echoed the other sheep, their voices rising in panic.

“Wash your mouths out!” Ginger said sharply. “We're going to find those lambs – and Lewie – and bring them home safely, if it's the last thing we do!”

Ginger's strong character and moving words settled the argument. Liberty agreed to take Ginger with her while the rest of the flock agreed to stay behind.

“What about me?” said Nelson. “I can help. Take me as well.”

Liberty refused, but Nelson at least persuaded her to open his gate.

“Then, if the coyotes come back, I can look after Lewie's sheep,” he promised.

“Thank you,” Liberty said as she unlocked Nelson's gate, leaving it ajar. Then she and Ginger set off on their search for Lewie and the lambs.

They hadn't been gone long when Shona, Shelley, Shirley and the other sheep were surprised to see Nelson sneaking out of his open pen, looking pretty pleased with himself.

“Where-re a-a-are you go-o-oing?” the sheep bleated.

“Freedom calls,” Nelson announced happily as he headed off into the darkness.

“But what about us-s-s-s?” cried his own flock.

“Oh, you'll be fine,” Nelson called back cheerfully. “
Hasta la vista. Au revoir.
”

ound about the same time as Liberty and Ginger were setting out to find him, Lewie began to wake up. He was struggling to escape from a bad dream, where he was drowning in alfalfa. His head was spinning and when he tried to put weight on his right front leg, he collapsed to the floor.

It was pitch-black and Lewie had no idea where he was. Llamas are used to being outside where even at night they can see the moon and the stars. But this was a total darkness Lewie had never experienced before.

He was aware that he was covered with a thick warm blanket that moved every time
he
moved. Slowly, Lewie realised it was a living blanket made up of small, breathing bodies.

Lewie's little lambs had draped themselves over him to keep him warm while he slept. They were all so relieved when he finally began to stir.

“Lewie, are you awake?” whispered Bertie.

“Where am I?” Lewie asked sleepily.

“We don't really know,” said Shoo.

“But we've been here a long time,” bleated Shep.

“You fell and banged your head,” Bertie told Lewie.

“We were worried about you,” added Shoo, sounding close to tears.

“We tried to keep you warm,” said Shah.

“Wa-a-arm,” echoed the other lambs, sounding a little teary too.

Lewie desperately tried to remember how he had got here. He could recall setting off, following the trail, finding the warehouse, hearing the lambs' frightened voices, then the door opening, him looking inside, nervously venturing into the darkness, being pushed roughly out of the way, then, finally … falling over.

After that it was all a blank.

“But how did
you
get here?” he asked the lambs.

Everyone was rather quiet; no one wanted to admit how silly they'd been.

“It was just too tempting,” Shoo admitted at last.

“All that lovely food,” said Bertie.

“Lo-o-ovely fo-o-od,” echoed the lambs, whose stomachs were now empty and growling.

“Farmer Hardman's men gave it to us,” said Shep.

Bolt and Dolt!
It was exactly as Lewie had suspected.

“But then they locked us in here. Why did they do that, Lewie?” Bertie asked.

Lewie sighed wearily. “To stop us winning the
Best Guard Llama
event,” he told them.

The lambs were outraged.

“They can't do that!” bleated Bertie.

“We'll show them,” said Shep.

“Let's get going,” squeaked Shoo. “Come on!”

“Co-o-ome o-o-on!” echoed the other lambs, ready to go.

Lewie knew he should try to get up again, but he was feeling soooo sleepy. All he wanted was to snuggle down under his lovely warm blanket and sleep. But the lambs knew that now he'd finally woken up, going back to sleep was the worst thing Lewie could do. They had to keep him awake, but how?

“Let's sing,” suggested Bertie.

The lambs sang one song after another: “
Baa, baa, black sheep …”, “Row, row, row your boat …”, “Sing a song of sixpence …
” But rather than keeping him awake, the songs seemed to lull Lewie even further to sleep.