Speaker 1: Yeah. Hello, My name's Josephine and this is the Animal
Tales podcast, where you suggest the animals featured in our stories.
There are new tales to enjoy every Monday and Wednesday,
with a third premium only story every Friday. Reviews help
get us noticed amongst all the other podcasts out there,
so if you can, please take the time to leave
us one. Eva is from Melbourne, Australia, and she has
asked for a story featuring a highland cow. You can
learn more about these creatures in the animal facts after
the story. Okay, are you ready? That's good, then I'll begin.
Highland Helper On a Scottish farm, a little girl was
waiting for her parents to pack the car. She was
stood in the doorway to the small cow shed, where
the farm's highland cow quietly snoozed. I don't like leaving her,
even if it is just for a day, the girl
said to her mother. I know, the mother replied, but
Eva is a very sleepy cow. I'm sure she'll just
doze for much of the time that we're away, and
we won't be gone long. We'll be back before lunch
time to morrow. The father placed the last bag in
the car and shut the boot, signaling that it was
time to leave. So the girl waved to her bovine friend,
promised to be back before the shaggy orange cow knew it,
and then the whole family drove away. As the sound
of the car's engine faded, the sleepy cow opened a
tired eye and yawned. Have they gone? She asked herself.
It appeared so right, said Eva. It's time to make
the most of it. This wasn't the first time the
highland cow had done such a thing. In fact, whenever
the family were not around, Eva would make sure to
come out and play. She unlatched the paddock's gate with
practiced ease and headed off across the fields. The family,
of course, knew nothing of what she got up to
while they were gone. She didn't want them to werry
after all, and was quite happy for them to believe
that she was a very sleepy and somewhat lazy cow.
That way, they never suspected a thing. There was a
deep lock near by that she'd not visited for a while,
so Eva headed there, wondering if the color of the
sky were suggesting it might snow. The lock was a
pretty one, quite wide, surrounded by trees and heathland, and
when the cow came in sight of it, she saw
the water shimmer beneath the winter sun. Maud to a
dock that stuck out from the shore was the small
ferry that traveled back and forth across the loch. The
lock was very, very long, so the fastest way to
get from one side to the other was on this ferry.
Eva had never thought about taking a ride herself, but
with nothing else planned, she decided that to day this
would be exactly what she would do. Trotting down to
the dock, she joined the queue of waiting passengers, who
didn't seem all that surprised that a Highland cow was
joining them for their journey. But the ferryman scratched his
head at the sight of the cow. Sorry, he said,
no money, no ride, Oh, said the cow, sounding disappointed.
This would have been my first boat trip. I've never
taken one before. The ferryman thought this was a shame.
Every One, he felt, should ride on a ferry at
least once in their life. I'll tell you what, said
the ferryman. My first mate is off ill to day,
so I'm having to cast off, will you, untie? The
rope for me so we can set sail. I don't
see why not, said Eva helpfully. The ferry was only small,
and it rocked from side to side as the large
weight of the Highland cow stepped aboard. The other passengers
had to hold on tight. Sorry, giggled Eva. I hope
I haven't made any one seasick. The passengers thought this
was most funny, especially coming from a cow. The ferryman
took up his position at the wheel and signaled for
Eva to untie the mooring rope. Fortunately, it was just
the loop dropped over a bollard, so it was easy
enough for her to lift free. Although the journey across
the loch was long, it was enjoyable. Eva watched the
dock fade away. As the far side grew closer. She
could make out a small village made up of cottages, houses,
and a few little shops at the other side. Eva
dropped the loop of rope over another bollard to secure
the ferry in place. Good job, said the ferryman happily.
Would you like to travel back with me and do
it all again? That's very kind, said the cow, But
I think I'm going to walk home from here. The
long way round, she set off, entering the Pinewood forest
on the edge of the village. Here she came across
a gap in the trees where a woman was crouched
in the grass. What are you doing, asked the curious cow.
I'm trying to photograph the wildlife, explained the woman. But
every time I try to take a picture, they either
run or fly away. Maybe I can help, Eva said,
I get on well with the local creatures. Perhaps I
can find someone that will pose for you. Shaking her
big shaggy head, the highland cow let out a long,
low moo. Immediately, the undergrowth and branches began to rustle
as all sorts of animals appeared around them, squirrels, birds, rabbits,
and even a couple of deer. Hello, everyone, said the cow.
Would you mind posing for this human She would be
ever so grateful. Under Eva's instructions, the animals did just that,
sitting on tree stumps, munching on mushrooms and smiling at
the camera. The woman even took a few of Eva. Well,
I think that's more than enough, the woman said, I
could never have managed this without you. My pleasure, said Eva,
and carried on along the path through the trees. The
lock sparkled down to her left, as around her snowdrops,
witch hazel and winter flowering heather provided winter color. The
trees had given way to heathland by now, and Eva
soon saw a man stood amongst the heather. He held
a sketch book in one hand and a paint brush
in the other. As Eva watched, he ripped out of
page before scrunching it up in frustration. What seems to
be the trouble, Eva asked, I just can't seem to
paint it right. The man sobbed. I want to capture
a beautiful Scottish scene, but I just can't do it.
Could I help? Eva asked, I'm a Scottish cow, so
if I stood here amongst the heather, you could paint me.
The man gasped, Yes, you'd be perfect. He said, Your
colorful shaggy coat against the tangle of winter heather, it's
just what I need. Inspired, the artist got to work
right away, painting quickly and confidently with his water colors.
Several times Eva was tempted to go and have a look,
but of course that would have meant moving and as
she was the main subject this wasn't such a good idea,
so instead she waited patiently until the man was done.
Will you hang this on your wall once it's finished,
she asked. Oh no, said the man. This will be
the picture on a tin of Scottish shortbread seen by
people from all over the world. Oh fancy that, thought Eva,
I'm going to be famous. The man gave a final
flourish with his paint brush as a wide grin stretched
across his face. Done, he cried, turning to show Eva
the finished picture. What do yo think? I think I
look beautiful, blushed the Highland cow. And we finished just
in time, said the man, gesturing to the sky. By
the looks of those clouds, it will start snowing soon.
Although Eva wanted to see some snow, she didn't want
to get stuck out in it, so, saying good bye,
she carried on alongside the lock just as the first
snowflakes began to fall. She wasn't sure how far she
had left go, but thought that in the distance she
could see the roofs of her farm. The snow began
to fall more thickly, but thanks to her long, shaggy coat,
Eva wasn't much bothered by it. Her thick fur kept
her warm, while her powerful legs could push through the
thick snow with ease, something she had to contend with
as night fell by. Now she'd been walking for hours
and had lost sight of the farm altogether amongst the
swirling blizzard and the darkness. Where do I go now,
she said, sounding worried. Then up ahead she saw a
speckling of warm lights. It was the small town that
lay in the valley beneath the farm. If Eva walked
into town, she could find her way up to the
farm from there. But as the Highland cow made her
way down the main street, she noticed something amiss. There
were no cars on the road or any people anywhere.
The town appeared to be deserted. Where is every one?
She asked. She got her answer as she passed the school.
The children had been putting on an end of year
play for their parents, but the snow storm had struck
while they were inside. Now the families were coming out
to find their cars swallowed by the ever deepening snow.
The snow is too thick to walk, the woman said,
I'm freezing, muttered a girl in a star costume. Where's
the plow? One man cried, we need to get home.
I've got shovels, announced the caretaker, But it will take
us a long time to dig every one out. Can
I help, asked Eva as she pushed through the deep
snow covering the car park. I'm pretty good at getting
through this sort of thing. It will be a lot
of work, the man said, I don't mind. Eva replied,
better that I help, so every one gets home safe
and warm. Being a highland cow, Eva had long, slender horns,
which she now bent downwards towards the ground and used
to push aside the snow. Her strong neck and powerful
legs carried her back and forth, sweeping the snow aside
to reveal the half buried cars. That cow's a superstar,
said the little girl in the star costume, as Eva
began work on a path to the main gate. That
was mighty kind of you, said the caretaker. Once she
was done. These people would have been stuck without you.
Don't mention it, Eva replied, I'm glad I could help.
As the cars made their slow journeys home, Eva decided
it was long past time she went home. Too. Tired
but happy, she climbed the lane to the farm arriving
at her paddock soon afterwards. She had to drag the
gate closed behind her, making sure to secure it properly,
then headed straight into the cow shed, where she could
flop down amongst the warm, dry straw and sleep outside.
The blizzard eased, but flakes continued to fall throughout the night,
covering her tracks across the snow. The family arrived home
late the next morning. The first Eva new was when
the car doors slammed, but she kept her eyes closed
amongst the straw, even when she heard the crunch crunch
of footsteps approaching there. She is grinned the girl as
she arrived in the cowshed doorway, fast asleep as usual.
Told you, The mother said, I doubt that lazy cow
has moved once in all the time we were away.
Eva couldn't help but smile to herself as the humans
headed to the farmhouse. They didn't suspect a thing, not
for a few weeks anyway, because that's when the family
saw the new design on the Scottish shortbread tins animals.
Fat Highland cattle are a long haired breed of cow
from Scotland. They are known as a hardy breed, which
means they are capable of withstanding difficult weather conditions. A
group of cattle is normally called a herd, but for
highland cows we call a group a fold. This name
comes from the winter shehd shelters called folds that they
were once kept in. These shelters were made of stone
and helped to protect them from the worst of the weather.
Many Highland cows were taken to Australia by early Scottish immigrants,
but in time they all died out. For the last
eighty years, efforts have been made to reintroduce highland cows
and they remain a popular breed there to this day.
Thank you for your suggestion, Eva. We hope you enjoyed
the tale, and thank you to all of you across
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Join us next time for another great animal tale. Goodbye,