The life of a farmer is filled with routines. They wake up before the sun rises and begin their work. Their days are filled with hard labor. But it is also very rewarding.
Being a farmer had always been Hans’ dream, and now that he had made it a reality, nothing could go wrong. At least, that’s what he thought.
Hans has two daughters, Mary and Giselle, with his wife Bonny. They live on a farm where they grow vegetables like corn and tend to sheep. It’s a simple life, and extraordinary events rarely occur.
So you can imagine the shock on Hans’ face when he woke up this morning.
Hans woke up like any other day and put on his overalls. He always let his wife sleep a little longer than himself. He prepared breakfast for the family so they could eat right after waking up.
He was about to feed his animals when Hans was interrupted by something strange.
As Hans stood in the kitchen, he heard a strange noise coming from outside. It was still dark, so he couldn’t see where it was coming from, but he had never heard anything like it before. It gave him an eerie feeling. He stood in the kitchen, listening to the sound when something startled him.
An Unfamiliar Sound
Scared Half to Death
It was his wife, Bonny. She sneaked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder, causing Hans to be startled half to death and let out a small, shrill scream.
They laughed about it, but Hans wasn’t pleased. He was just about to go outside to investigate the source of the noise, but it had already disappeared.
Scared Half to Death
Nothing Ordinary About Today
Suddenly, his two daughters rushed down the stairs, looking around frantically. “Where is Mom? Is she okay? We heard her scream!” his girls cried out. Hans looked at his wife, and they smiled.
It seemed like an entirely normal day, but they had no idea what was happening outside.
Nothing Ordinary About Today
Unusual Behavior
After everyone finished breakfast, it was finally time for Hans to go outside and feed his animals. He had his buckets of feed ready and headed towards the chicken coop.
His chickens were behaving differently than usual. They were running around the coop, seeming to be afraid of something. But what were they afraid of?
Unusual Behavior
Then Hans noticed something else. One chicken was missing from the coop. Where could it be? He walked around the cage but stopped as he saw a small bundle of feathers lying motionless on the ground.
“Oh no,” he thought. This can’t be good…
What’s Going On
Grabbing a Box
Hans knew exactly what this meant. He rushed into the house to get a towel and a box, placing the lifeless chicken inside. How could it have died so suddenly?
Just yesterday, everything was fine with this chicken. And how did it manage to get out of its coop?
Grabbing a Box
He continued his rounds and went to the pig pen. They were louder than usual. “What’s going on here?” Hans thought to himself. He fed the pigs, and for a brief moment, they became quiet again.
But Hans knew that something strange was happening. And he would soon find out what it was…
Not Just the Chickens
Strange Noises
Then, suddenly, he heard that peculiar sound again. He listened intently but couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from. It couldn’t be too far away because he could hear it distinctly.
He had never heard anything like it before. It sounded almost animalistic, but what kind of animal could it be?
Strange Noises
After feeding all his animals, he walked into the barn to prepare his tractor. Today, he needed to harvest the fields, starting with the corn. So he attached the machine to his tractor and opened the barn doors, unaware of what was happening beneath his tractor.
Time for Harvest
Wait
He was about to drive off when he heard a loud scream. It was Maria. “Dad, stop!!! There’s something on the ground.” She looked as if she had seen a ghost.
Mary pointed at the tractor’s wheels, and as Hans saw it, he immediately jumped off.
Wait
A small, sickly kitten lay on the ground in front of one of the tractor’s wheels. Hans would have run over the poor creature if Mary hadn’t come outside. The kitten had strange bleeding spots on its ears.
And it was clearly malnourished. Maria immediately offered to take care of the animal, and Hans agreed.
Poor Kitten
What’s Going On
Usually, Hans’ days ran on autopilot and were almost boring, but today things were happening one after another, and he could barely keep track of his rounds. He had never seen such marks on an animal before.
It was likely from one of his barn cats, but they were usually very friendly…
What’s Going On
Before he could even figure out what had happened, his other daughter Giselle ran out of the house. “Dad, you have to see the cornfield,” she called out.
“Yes, Giselle, I was just on my way.” Hans sighed. But he was ready for a big surprise.
Come Here
Seeing White Dots
Hans climbed back onto his tractor and drove to the field. It was right across from his house, so it wasn’t far. He noticed small white dots in the distance, but he didn’t think much of it until he got closer.
What on earth could it be?
Seeing White Dots
Hans climbed back onto his tractor and drove to the field. It was right across from his house, so it wasn’t far. He noticed small white dots in the distance, but he didn’t think much of it until he got closer.
What on earth could it be?
Baffled
Eggs?
Mary and Bonny also ran onto the field, and when they arrived, their jaws dropped. “Eggs?” Bonny said in astonishment. “How is that possible?” She looked at her husband, who was equally as stunned as she was.
He was about to answer her when he heard that strange, familiar sound again.
Eggs?
Hans hears the same sound that he has been hearing all morning. It was coming from the field the entire time. He crouched down and brought his head close to one of the eggs.
Then he jumped up in surprise. There’s something inside! Mary and Giselle looked at the eggs and crouched down as well, listening intently.
Same Sounds
What to Do
It appeared that the eggs were nearly ready to hatch. But Hans wanted to get rid of them, so he climbed onto his tractor, until his daughters intervened. They jumped in front of the tractor and refused to move.
Hans suggested something else to calm his girls down, which completely shocked them.
What to Do
“Well, girls, the harvest is beyond saving, but maybe we can still save the eggs,” said Hans. The girls’ faces lit up, and they jumped for joy.
But they had to figure out how to keep all the eggs warm at once.
Happy Girls
Fragile Eggs
There were about twenty eggs scattered in the field. Hans was afraid that something might happen to the eggs if they were to move them, so he had another idea.
How could he move the eggs without breaking them? They seemed quite fragile…
Fragile Eggs
He suggested placing a large black tarp over the eggs. This way, they would stay dry if it started to rain, and the tarp would help keep them warm in the sun.
The girls were excited about this plan and ran back to the barn to search for a tarp.
A Black Tarp
Disagreement
But Bonny wasn’t as excited as the girls. She looked at all the eggs with concern, wondering which animal they belonged to and how they had ended up there.
What if they were snake eggs? She didn’t want to harm any creature, as Bonny was against inflicting harm on animals, especially harmless creatures.
Disagreement
Hans bemerkte die Sorgen seiner Frau und legte seinen Arm um sie. Ist schon gut, Schatz. Für mich sehen sie wie Hühnereier aus. Du musst dir keine Sorgen machen.” Seine Worte sollten sie beruhigen, aber sie ließen Bonny mit noch mehr Fragen zurück.
It Is Okay, Darling?
Securing The Tarp
Shortly after, their daughters returned with a large black tarp. Together, they stretched the tarp over the eggs and secured it with stones at the ends.
“Well,” said Hans. “Back to work.” Hans instructed his girls to be very careful while working because the last thing he wanted was to break these eggs.
Securing The Tarp
His daughters were inseparably connected to the eggs. They stayed with them the entire day while Hans finished his rounds. At the end of the day, Hans had to give in to their request for dessert, despite his initial reluctance.
Inseparable Daughters
Strange Noises Wake Hans
The next morning, Hans woke up to a peculiar sound. But it wasn’t the same as yesterday. This time, it sounded more like giggling. In an instant, Hans knew what it was, and he shot up.
He rushed to the window and looked out at the field. “You’ve got to be kidding me….”
Strange Noises Wake Hans
His suspicions turned out to be true. His girls had woken up before him and went to the eggs. “It’s four in the morning?!” Hans exclaimed loudly, waking up his wife.
“What’s going on, dear?” she asked, but then she heard the giggling too.
Waking Up Bonny
Quickly Downstairs
Bonny rushed out of bed and ran down the stairs. She jumped into her boots and grabbed her bathrobe. “I knew these eggs were up to no good. We didn’t raise our girls like this,” Bonny muttered, looking at Hans.
Bonny could only hope that nothing bad had happened to the eggs. Perhaps the girls had been reckless here…
Quickly Downstairs
Girls!!!!
Mary and Giselle’s smiles faded as they saw their angry mother approaching. It was still quite dark outside, so they knew they had done something wrong, but they just had to look at the eggs.
Those were their babies! There was something strange about these eggs…
Girls!!!!