by Katrina Cope
“Yeah.” Robert rolled his eyes. “We all have chores to do. We all hate most of them and Avando won’t hire cleaners or other staff, so some of us are designing inventions that can complete certain chores for us.”
“We don’t get stuck with the same chores, though, since they are rotated—and some aren’t so bad,” Eva said and took a sip of water.
“What are the chores and when are they supposed to be done? Our schedule seems so packed as it is.” Jayden finally picked up the sandwich and bit into it.
“We have to do everything from cleaning, cooking, and feeding the animals to watering the plants and growing the vegetables. Some chores are incorporated into our lessons, and others aren’t,” Aaron said. “Right after our next lesson, we have two agriculture classes.”
“There are animals?” Jayden frowned. He didn’t recall seeing any animals.
“Yeah,” Aaron replied. “Some are pets, and others we’re raising for eating.”
“Can we see any before our next lesson?”
“We have time to visit one of the pets,” Aaron replied. “Eat up quickly and we’ll go see them.”
They all finished their food, put their plates in the dirty-dish area, and hurried out the door. Before they reached to the pool area, they headed left. Along the way, Jayden saw a couple of greenhouses and some vegetable-garden beds next to them. Close to this was a large, natural-looking aviary that looked to be about two stories high and the width of an average house. Aaron opened the door to the aviary, and the rest of the group followed him in.
After they all stepped inside, Jayden heard a loud “Hello!” He wasn’t expecting it and he jumped. He turned to see where the loud greeting had come from but didn’t see anyone.
Aaron held out his arm and called, “Come, Oscar.”
There was a moment’s pause, but soon they saw a large, floating bird coming down from. The feathers on the underside of the bird were bright–red, with some yellow on its wings. Jayden’s eyes widened as the bird flew down to them and landed on Aaron’s outstretched arm.
The head and tail of the bird were a strong, brilliant red, with a vivid blue on the wings along the edges and yellow in the middle of the wing. Aaron gave the bird a whole nut that he had taken from a box near the door.
“Hello. Whatcha doing?” the bird asked Aaron.
“This is Oscar,” Aaron said, turning to Jayden.
“That’s one big bird,” Jayden noted as he estimated the bird to be about three feet long. He didn’t like the size of its beak and was sure it could cause major damage.
Oscar took one look at Jayden after he spoke and started screeching, “Stranger!” The bird then continued yelling, “Stranger! Stranger! Stranger!”
Jayden held his hands over his ears and saw the others do the same.
Not long afterward, another large bird—who looked exactly the same—circled overhead and joined in with the screeching until Aaron managed to speak.
“Stop, Oscar!” he yelled.
Both birds stopped. Grateful for the silence, the students removed their hands.
Aaron explained to the bird, “This isn’t a stranger. This is Jayden.”
Oscar responded, “Hello. Whatcha doing?” He cocked its head to one side, studying him.
Jayden thought that Oscar was hilarious. Chuckling he said, “Hello.”
Robert laughed. “I can see that he already has you well trained,” he told Jayden, referring to how he had said hello in return.
The bird above started to descend.
Eva held out her arm and said, “Come, Juliette!” The bird landed on Eva’s arm, and Eva gave her a nut.
“They’re scarlet macaws. A magnificent breed of bird and kind of our noisy security system,” Eva explained to Jayden. “In summer, most of the time they stay out here, but in winter they fly around inside the common room, where it’s warmer.”
While she was explaining all this, Juliette was checking Jayden out. She leaned close to him, turned her head, and looked at him with one eye. She even turned her head to look at him from upside down. It made him chuckle.
“Oh, yeah. They’re full of character and are never boring,” Eva added.
“Can I hold one?” asked Jayden.
“Sure. Juliette seems to like you. Hold your arm out and tell her to come.”
He did as instructed. “Come, Juliette.”
She placed her beak on his arm and pulled herself over. He cringed when the beak touched him, but relaxed when she didn’t bite.
“I forgot to tell you! It’s best if you give them a nut when they do what you ask.” Eva indicated the box of nuts.
Jayden reached for a nut from the box and gave it to Juliette. She crushed the shell with ease and ate it happily then continued to check him out. She looked at the back of him over his shoulder, then back closer at his face and then looked him up and down from head to toe, with her head going in all different directions.
“She really is something,” Jayden said.
“I’m pretty sure she thinks you are, as well,” Eva said, laughing.
“Can I pet her?”
Eva nodded. “I think she’ll let you. Just take it slowly.”
Jayden gently stroked her back. “Wow.” He looked from Juliet to Oscar and noticed that they looked the same. “How do you tell which one is which?” he asked.
Aaron stepped closer holding Oscar next to Juliette and said, “If you look at Oscar’s beak, it’s larger than Juliette’s. Also, Oscar is longer.”
Jayden squinted as he studied them. “They are slightly different.”
Aaron smiled. “Yes, they are. It also helps if you know the birds. An owner of parrots can tell the difference quickly as the bird’s personality shines through. For instance, Oscar likes me, so he will come and greet me quickly and Juliette will take her time.”
They stayed with the birds a little longer until Robert said, “It’s time to go. It’s nearly time for our lesson.”
Aaron said goodbye to Oscar, and the bird flew off.
Jayden followed suit with Juliette, and then the kids left the aviary. As they started to head back inside, they saw Charlie.
“Hi, Charlie,” they all said at once.
“Hi, guys. Have you met Oscar and Juliette?” he asked Jayden.
“Yes. I did get to meet them. They’re awesome.”
“Yes, they are,” he agreed as he walked away.
They continued to walk back when Jayden asked, “What does Charlie do around here besides drive the limo? He said something about being a general handyman?”
“He’s also the agricultural teacher. He teaches us to grow our food and to look after the animals,” answered Eva.
“Oh. So that’s why he’s not inside much. What class do we have now?” he asked.
“Science,” Robert answered.
“Ohhhh,” Jayden moaned, imagining another really difficult subject that he wouldn’t be able to grasp.
“Actually, this class is different. We have the most awesome teacher—Professor Anna,” Eva told him and the other two agreed.
“And she also kicks butt at Tae Kwon Do,” Aaron said. “I saw her practicing once when she thought no one was watching. She’s got some gooood moves,” he emphasized.
They arrived at the science room ready for their class. There, at the front of the room, was a thin lady who was wearing a white lab coat over her everyday clothes. Jayden assumed that she was the teacher. She looked to be in her late thirties to early forties, and she had long, dark hair, which was pulled away from her attractive and friendly face by a large clip. The teacher smiled as the students entered the room.
“Good afternoon, students! Don’t worry about getting your textbooks today. Just your exercise books are needed for taking notes. We’re going straight to the lab since we only have one period, and we’re going to do an experiment. Once you grab your exercise books and pens, come straight through to the lab.” She waved both her hands toward the door to the right.
She saw Jayden as he passed her. “Hi, Jayden. Welcome.” Her smile was genuine. “Nice to see Avando has rescued another kid from the streets.”
Jayden couldn’t help but smile back. “Thanks.”
They all filed into the laboratory and stood around the tables that were already set up with equipment such as aluminum pans, acetic acid, iron filings, and some pipettes.
Once they were all inside the lab, the professor followed them in. She looked at Jayden and said, “I’m Professor Anna Showden, in case you don’t already know. You can just call me Anna—or Professor Anna, if you insist on some formality. I like to be on a first name basis with my students.” She smiled again and turned to the rest of the class. “Today we’re going to be making…hmm…who can tell me?”
Ashley, whom Jayden had half met earlier in graphics, put her hand up.
“Yes, Ashley?” Professor Anna gestured toward her with her hand.
“Looking at what’s on the tables, we’re going to be making hydrogen sulphide gas.”
Professor Anna tilted her head as acknowledgment that Ashley was correct. “Very good. Now we have six aluminum pans sitting on the table. For the people standing in front of these pans, I want you to pour a little of the iron filings into the pan and waft the pan like this.” Professor Anna held a pan in her left hand and, with her right hand, she did a little wave from the back of the pan, scooping air toward her. “Once you’ve done this, pass the pan to a person who hasn’t yet wafted it.”
The class did as instructed.
The professor asked, “Did anyone smell anything?”
They all shook their heads.
“Okay. Now you’ve wafted the filings. Take turns wafting the acetic acid in the bottle.” While they were doing so, she asked, “Does the acetic acid have a smell?”
The students nodded, and each one screwed up his or her face.
“Now the people with the pans take a pipette and draw out a little of the acetic acid out of the bottle and squirt it gently over the iron filings.” They did as instructed.
“Good!” said the professor. “Now waft this mixture.” Eva, who was one of the students who squirted the acid, wafted the mixture as instructed and then threw her head back in disgust.
“Oh! That’s awful!” she exclaimed. “It smells like rotten eggs.”
Professor Anna laughed. “Yes. It’s pretty bad. It’s now what you call hydrogen sulphide gas that is the chemical compound with the formula H2S. It’s highly flammable, colorless, and very poisonous. It often results from the bacterial breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen, such as in sewers and swamps. Now, pass it around for the other students to waft. It’s a horrible smell, but an excellent example of a chemical change. Once you’ve wafted, you need to take notes about the utensils, ingredients, and the method used.”
The gagging of the students continued for a few moments longer while the rest of the students wafted the gas.
While Jayden had his head down and was writing notes on the experiment, Professor Anna came up beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “So, little buddy. How are you settling in?”
Jayden looked up. Her hazel eyes were very kind. “In spite of all the learning again after soooo long, I’m loving it. I already have a couple of friends.” He indicated Aaron, Eva and Robert. “And I’m so glad to have a roof over my head and regular food.” Unintentionally, he smiled. “I’m blown away by all the other extra luxuries that are available here as well.”
She rubbed his back across the shoulders. “Well, that’s great. Don’t worry about anything. We’ll get you up to speed in your classes in no time. If you have any concerns at all, come and see me. I love to help students—especially the new ones.”
Jayden let out a loud breath. “Thank you.” He believed that she really meant it.
After science, they had agriculture with Charlie. As a class, they went outside and over to the greenhouse area where the extra garden beds were. When they arrived, Charlie was fiddling with the sprinkler system in the greenhouses, standing on a ladder just inside the greenhouse door.
“Oh, hello. Is it that time already?” He climbed down the ladder. “We have a busy lesson ahead of us, so let’s get started. To begin, we’re going to plant a crop of corn in these outdoor garden beds. Half of you take your garden forks out of that shed, and I’ll grab the kernels of corn that we’re going to plant.”
The students did as he instructed. Half of the students went to the door of what looked like a large boulder with dirt and grass growing on top and grabbed the garden forks. Then they all headed over to the huge, outdoor garden bed that was closest to the greenhouse.
Charlie returned with the kernels of corn. “Now all of you with forks—partner up with someone who doesn’t have a fork, spread yourselves out, and start churning the ground to loosen it up and make it ready for the roots to grow. Start at the end of the garden and be careful not to put your fork through any irrigation pipes—we need the pipes.”
He dumped a big sack of kernels on the ground and placed small bags near it. “The rest of you—fill a little sack of kernels and, once the ground is churned with the fork, start placing these kernels, one at a time, into the ground. Make sure the kernels are planted at least ten inches apart, and about half an inch deep. Do your best to plant them in straight rows.”
The students started planting kernels of corn. Jayden was planting the corn while Aaron was digging. All was going well, and the corn was being planted rapidly. The students talked quietly among themselves.
“This doesn’t seem too bad,” Jayden said, referring to the lesson. “Is this one of what you guys call the ‘not so bad’ chores?”
Aaron nodded. “Yeah. We don’t mind this since we get to be outside, and doing this is way better than washing dishes or cleaning toilets.”
Jayden wrinkled his nose. “I’d have to agree with that. I haven’t even done that work, but I’m already dreading it.”
“Definitely not our fav—” Aaron started to say, but was cut off by a loud yell coming from the other side of the field. They looked over to see one of the students being drenched by a long, upward plume of water. Someone had put a fork through the main irrigation pipe.
“Damn it, Damian!” yelled Charlie. “What part of not hitting the irrigation pipes did you not understand?” The class had a little laugh at the drama as Charlie started running toward the control tap, which was farther up the line. The students could hear him curse as he ran. After a couple of minutes, he managed to turn the control tap off.
“Seriously, kiddo,” he said in more relaxed, but still tense, tone. “What were you thinking?”
“Sorry, Charlie. It was an accident,” stammered Damian. “I didn’t see it.”
“The damage isn’t too bad this time,” Charlie grumbled. “At least we have some time to fix it before the next job. Go to the supply shed and get the saw and some more piping, will you?”
“Sure, Charlie,” said Damian, and ran off to the shed.
The rest of the students continued to plant the corn while Charlie and Damian fixed the pipe. When they had finished, and the equipment was all packed away, Charlie said, “All right—off to the animals. We’ll be doing the Jacobs today.”
Jayden frowned, but the others didn’t seem confused by this comment and started to go farther away from the “mountain.” The students talked among themselves as they walked until they reached a remote and rugged area on the side of another large mountain.
“Where are we?” Jayden asked his friends.
“We’re at the Jacobs,” answered Robert.
“What are the Jacobs?”
“Over there—beyond that wooden fence. Can’t you see them?” Robert asked, pointing.
Jayden looked past Robert’s chubby arm and could see a wooden fence, which blended nicely into the surroundings and ran from tree to tree. Past the fence, he saw an odd-looking creature that he’d never seen before. It looked kind of like a sheep, bu
t it was a little smaller and had large black spots all over its woolen coat. The face could’ve belonged to either a sheep or a goat, except that there were four horns on its head. Two long, thick and very strong-looking ones protruded from the top of its head, curving slightly outward and back. Then two other horns extended from near its ears, curving downward, outward and forward in a small half circle.
“What kind of animal is that?” he asked.
“Why, it’s a Jacob sheep,” answered Charlie, who’d overheard the conversation. “It’s bred for wool, meat, and also for its hide. They can be pets, too, and they have the ability to grow four to six horns. Because of this, they’ve also been used as guard animals—to protect farm property from theft, and also to defend other livestock against predators. Ha!” He chuckled while shaking his head. “You wouldn’t want one of them butting you.”
Returning to the subject, Charlie added, “They’re also good climbers of rocks and mountains; that’s why we chose to raise this type of sheep. Now today,” he said to the whole class, “we’re checking on all the orphan lambs and making sure they’re all getting enough water and food. Jayden—come with me. We’ll go and check on the automatic feeder.”
They headed toward a big metal barrel with dummy teats protruding from the bottom. It looked strange.
“Charlie?”
“Yes?” Charlie replied.
“How do lambs become orphaned in a place like this?” Jayden’s heart bled for the lambs. They had to fend for themselves. It was like being homeless.
“Well…” Charlie ran his hands through his gray hair. “Sometimes the ewes reject their young, or the ewe may have died from an illness or predator, or maybe the mother just couldn’t produce enough milk for her lamb. So we train the little ones to drink from these feeders until they’re about six weeks old.” He indicated the metal barrel with teats. “Here come some little ones now.”
Three of the little Jacob lambs had seen Charlie and started to run up to the automatic feeder as Charlie started to fill it up from the big barrel he’d carried with him. The lambs started sucking the teats and wriggling their tails at the same time. They were butting the feeder with their noses as if they were feeding from their mother.