Page 49 - The Black Deer and Charlie Rabbit

The Black Deer and Charlie Rabbit 47
‘Another security measure?’ she murmured as she slipped through a thicket. When she arrived at the far side of Barns Wood she sat down for a rest. From here, she could see a herd of cows grazing in the pasture and to her left, the river winding down to the coast. It was a terrific view and she felt fortunate to live there.
In the distance, she noticed a movement in the sky and watched as two birds came into view. Daisy smiled and waved as two seagulls swooped overhead. Ronnie and Rocky Gull had been invited to watch over the fairies, elves and gnomes in the enchanted garden.
After resting, she walked towards the barn at the side of the farmer’s tractor. She didn’t want to raise any suspicion and carried on to the bridge where she met two young rabbits. They chatted after she introduced herself. The rabbits continued to look along the river bank as they were talking and one turned around sharply to face Daisy.
‘Don’t stare,’ it said quietly, ‘but if you look at those tall rushes you will see a mink hiding in the bank. It has been prowling around Barns Farm, probably looking for hen’s eggs, so my brother and I are keeping a watchful eye on it.’
Daisy frowned and gazed down into the water, and saw the mink staring back.
She felt scared yet exhilarated. ‘I wonder what it’s doing here? Perhaps it’s lost. Thank you for showing me where it’s hiding,’ she whispered to the rabbits.
‘Cool!’ thought Daisy as she walked away. When she was out of sight she took out a pencil and notebook from her bag and wrote: ‘Farmer’s bridge – 1 mink or 1 black deer.’