March 31, 2025 • 21 mins
“Liam’s Farm” Liam is a young boy with a big responsibility, one that he’s eager to take on when his parents leave him in charge of the farm. But as he faces the challenges of running the farm alone, he begins to wonder: Will his parents ever return? A new acquaintance becomes a friend, but Liam’s emotions might just get the best of him. Will he rise to the occasion, or will the weight of his feelings hold him back?Tune in to find out.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Did you pre order yet, because I got it from
my mama is landing April twenty second, and you don't
want to miss it. It's filled with love, laughter, and
all the wonderful things we get from our mamas. Tap
the link in the show notes to grab yours now
on Amazon, orfortsumter dot com and if you preorder, you'll
also have it in your hands before you know it.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Pencil to paper, sketching, you are on this page. What
kind of journey will this drawing bring to today? Another
adventure waits for you. Ro Scout and Laila my comm
(00:46):
along to It's imagination time a Curiosity col Curiosity Come,
It's a magical place. Come trun Welcome to Adventures Curiosity.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Come Hello, it's me Ella the Curious. Whether you're joining
us for the first time or coming back for more adventures,
I'm thrilled to have you here. Welcome back to season
two of the Adventures of Curiosity Cove, where each episode
(01:32):
we dive into one of my own Ella the Curious adventures,
or listen to an original story right here in my
cozy treehouse picture this. We're nestled among the trees, surrounded
by comfy bean bags, piles of fluffy pillows, and yes,
my favorite stuffy roe is here too. It's like we've
stepped into a peaceful world, almost as if my mom
(01:54):
used her relaxing dream spray to set the tone. It's
just peace and quiet, perfect first story time. So what
are we waiting for? Let's dive into today's tail called
Liam's Farm Part one. Are you ready to listen? I
sure am, all right. Let's do it.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Out in the country where the greenest of grass grows,
there was a farm. This farm was every boy and
girls dream. A little white farmhouse sat on a huge
plot of land, accompanied by a big red barn. It
had cows, horses, pigs, goats, chickens, cats, dogs, and one
(02:42):
ornery ostrich named Bertie. You could spend a month on
this farm and still not see everything or experience all
you'd want, and you'd still be hungry for more. But
to Liam, it was just another farm. Because he grew
up here, It's all all he's ever known. Liam's mom
(03:03):
and dad gave him responsibilities at a young age. Now,
at the age of ten, it was second nature, and
he's always dreamt of one day owning the farm himself.
His grandma and Grandpa used to own the farm, but
they passed away a year prior to our story. They
both lived a beautiful life on the farm and died
hand in hand as they wished Liam and his parents
(03:25):
a happy and prosperous life. Every day was the same
for Liam. He would wake up when the chickens cockadoodle dude.
That was at four point thirty in the am am
is morning. He knew the rules, get up, fix his hair,
wash his face, put on sunscreen per his mom's request,
(03:46):
and head out to the barn to feed and care
for all of the animals. How do you care for them,
you ask, Feed and water every single one of them,
shovel their poop, and visually check them over for any
signs of ailment. But Liam's secret to keeping the animals
in the best tip top shape is showing them love.
(04:09):
Liam carried on conversations with each and every one of them.
He had names for them. He had individualized games and
jokes he would play with them. He played hide and
seek with the little piglets. He used a balloon to
play Don't let it Drop with the horses. He chased
the chickens, and he would try to wring the hula
hoop on the Ostrich's neck. One day, I'll ride you Bertie.
(04:31):
He always told the Ostrich this. Bertie never let anyone
ride her. Who knows why, but she sure loved to
get in pictures. Almost every picture taken outside has Bertie's
long neck and tiny head in it. Did you know
that ostriches are the fastest bird and animal on two legs?
(04:51):
No wonder Liam wants to ride Bertie. All of this
love that Liam showed the animals awarded him with having
the prettiest livestock in the state. At the end of
the month was the annual Harvest Home, where judges give
awards to the best livestock. It wasn't out of the
ordinary for Liam to have at least a handful of
farmers asking them what is it that makes their animals
(05:15):
so beautiful? They usually run down the list. Is it water?
Is it food? Is it the batten? And every time
Liam would tell them, now, it's a special ingredient called love.
And they would laugh as if it were a joke,
but Liam's face would remain sober because it was the truth.
(05:37):
Liam was looking forward to this year's annual Harvest Home.
This is where he gets to show off all of
his animals, produce and crafts that his mom was always
busy making. This year, for the first time, Liam helped
his mom make animal carvings from wood, jars of homemade
strawberry jam, and Liam came up with a great idea
(05:57):
to make coasters out of pine. He was particularly excited
to see if people would buy the plain coasters or
the ones painted like woodland creatures. Liam's day started out
just like any other day. He heard his dad's truck
leave early in the morning. This wasn't unusual. His dad
usually took off to pick up feed, run to town,
(06:19):
run errands, or drive the property to check on the
land and the cattle. The one thing that was different
is that he didn't hear his mother clamoring around the house.
Liam got out of bed and walked to his mom
and dad's room. The bed was neatly made and vacant.
He headed downstairs to the living room, nobody to be seen.
(06:41):
He walked into the kitchen and nobody was there. Mom.
He stopped to listen. Mom nothing. He walked over to
the fridge, grabbed two hard boiled eggs, some cottage cheese,
and a handful of snappeas and took his lute to
the breakfast table. As he set off all the items down,
he noticed a note.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
The note read, Dear Liam, your father and I head
in the town to pick out some livestock. Then we're
gonna run some errands for the annual harvest home. We
know you can handle the animals and farm if you
have time left over. Put the finishing touches on the crafts,
and we'll be home by midday. XOXO, love mom and Dad.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Liam sat for a moment thinking of what the day
will look like without any parents. Then woohoo, I'm free.
He grabbed his father's newspaper and scarfed down his food
while looking at the pictures. Wow, there's some interesting things
in here. I always thought it was boring. Hmm. Liam
(07:46):
left his plate and crumbs on the breakfast table and
went back upstairs, brushed his teeth, threw on some jeans,
and ran outside. He was so excited to be free,
to be alone, to run everything the best way he
knew how not anyone else. He ran fast to the
pigs and chickens. Guess what, guys, we're free. We're free.
(08:08):
He slapped the little piglet on the butt and ran
to the horses. Guys, it's just us today. Mom and
Dad left the farm to me because they trust me.
But with great power and freedom come great responsibility. Liam's
excitement lasted for quite some time. He took all that
energy and carried it right into the morning chores. When
(08:29):
he got to the chickens, they were all scattered throughout
the pen and were being particularly urnery, so feeding them
was a task, but Liam was unfazed. He wanted to
show his papa that he could do anything himself, so
he scattered the feed all around the pen. If you
don't want to eat in the coop, then I'll just
scatter it around the pen. You'll get to it eventually.
(08:51):
Next Liam went to herd the female cows to milk.
None of them would come into the barn. He wasn't
sure what to do. They would always just walk in
willingly for dad, but today they weren't being helpful. Liam
went into the barn to think. He looked around and
couldn't find anything. He started to walk out of the
(09:12):
barn when he saw a rope hanging by the door. Aha,
I'll use this to tie around their necks and pull
them in one by one, and that's exactly what he did,
and it worked well. The first cow came in willingly
with the rope tied around her neck, but as soon
as she got into the barn, she laid down. Now,
(09:34):
how am I supposed to milk you when you're laying down?
Come on up? But the cow wouldn't budge. He tried
to get down by her belly and push her. She
acted like nothing was happening. Finally, Liam gave up and
laid down on top of her. She seemed to like this.
She took her big snout and started sniffing his face,
(09:57):
and then gave him a big lick on his face
with her gigan gigantic tongue. He started to scratch behind
her ear and she leaned in. He did this for
a few seconds, then asked her, can you get up now? Girl?
I need to milk you so I can move on
to my other chores. Come on. He sat up and
she also started getting up. He stood and she stood. Ah,
(10:22):
you just needed a little love. The cow seemed more relaxed,
care free and open. Liam then proceeded to milk the
cow with ease. When he was done, he moved on
to the other cows. They weren't any better. He knocked
over one of the full buckets of milk, almost got
trampled by another, and the last just wouldn't allow him
(10:44):
to milk her. Every time he got the bucket into place,
the cow settled, and right when Liam went to grab
the cow's teat the cow walked a few steps away.
He sat up again, bucket in place ready, aim and
the cow walked away. Despite the difficult day, Liam tried
to keep a positive attitude. He couldn't shake the fact
(11:07):
that he could really use his Papa right now, He
thought to himself, Now I know what Papa meant when
he would always say it must be Monday. Oh where
are you Mom?
Speaker 1 (11:20):
And Dad?
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Stay positive, Liam, Our farms made of love and positivity.
That's what keeps the animals healthy and beautiful. Liam walked
the remaining cow back out to the pasture and told
them all he would be back before sundown to corral
them back into the barn for the night. He moved
on to the horse's stable to care for them. He
went to his best friend, Justice the horse first. He
(11:44):
was a middle aged, even tempered horse. Liam got along
with him so well because he felt like Justice taught
him a great deal about life and how to act
by just being his graceful horse self. Justice treated Liam
like a nephew or a gram He kept Liam in line.
He never put up with Liam's nonsense throughout the years,
(12:05):
but he was always forgiving of Liam's mishaps. All right, Justice,
I don't know where mom and pop are, so it's
just you and me. I need your help today, Buddy.
Justice immediately pointed to all the horsepoop in the stall
and braid right, I'll go grab the wheelbarrow and shovel.
(12:26):
Liam proceeded to shovel all the horse pooh into the
wheelbarrow while talking to Justice the entire time. I just
don't know where my parents have gone. I mean, don't
get me wrong, Justice, I'm pretty honored that they would
trust me with the farm. It's a big responsibility, and
I think I'm ready to take it on. But if
(12:46):
I'm being fully honest with you, I'm a bit worried
about them. They never been gone for more than an
hour or two, and here it's already. Liam checks his watch.
It's lunchtime. Shoot. I was wondering why I was getting
burnt out. I'll tell you what Justice. I'll give you
your food, but don't tell any of the other horses.
(13:07):
Then I'll be back after lunch. When Liam was done
feeding Justice, the horse pushed his giant horsehead into Liam.
Liam laughed and wrapped his hands around Justice. Then he
heard a loud bang and a bunch of braying and
winning in the other horses and their stalls were making
a fuss. They must have smelled the feed and wanted
(13:30):
their share. After all, it was almost lunch and they
still haven't eaten yet. Liam hurried to grab more feed
for the other horses and watered all of their buckets.
He only had one horse left, and it seemed as
if he saved the worst for last buck Guy. Buckeye
was a rough horse. She just didn't like anyone, not people,
(13:54):
not horses. However, she did love one of the pigs,
but that's it. Liam tried to put water in Buckeye's bucket,
but she tipped it over. He tried again, and immediately
she bashed it with her snout, spilling the water again.
You don't want water, fine, don't drink any water. I'm
going to eat lunch, and you could be hungry and
(14:15):
thirsty for all I care. This only made buck Eye
more angry. She started kicking and stomping and braying so
loud that it scared Liam. Liam didn't know what to do.
His stomach started rumbling. He was getting hungry too, and
to make matters worse, he heard the pigs start to
whine and snort. Oh, no, I forgot about the pigs.
(14:39):
Liam felt so overwhelmed. All of the animals should have
been fed, cleaned up after it, and the horses should
have been brushed. He only fed half the animals, he
didn't clean up their poop, and he definitely did not
brush the horses. Yet, Liam was so in over his
head that he let his emotions and anger get the
best of him. Liam was like a balloon. Every unfinished
(15:03):
task was another breath, inflating it more until it finally popped.
He looked down at his feet and saw Buckeye's water bucket.
He bawled up all of his frustration and put it
into the hardest kick. Releasing all of his frustration into
the bucket. That bucket made the loudest bang it soared
(15:24):
through the air. The temporary relief he felt in kicking
the bucket was quickly replaced by regret as he watched
its soar in slow motion towards Justice, his favorite horse.
Even though the bucket seemed to hang in slow motion,
there was nothing Liam could do to stop it. Poor
Justice had his head down, drinking from his water bucket,
(15:46):
his focus entirely on the task at hand, but slowly
his attention shifted to the bucket soaring towards him. His
eyes widened. The bucket hit him square on the forehead.
Before Liam could show. Justice winnied in surprise, the fucking
a few times before the pain sank in. Then he
began bobbing his head up and down, trying to rub
(16:08):
the sting away against his stall. Liam ran over to
his best friend, trying to console him. Oh, I'm sorry, buddy,
I didn't mean for it to hear you, but Justice
backed away, giving him an angry look of confusion and frustration.
Liam tried to hand him a snack, but Justice turned
and looked the other way. Liam tried for quite some
(16:29):
time to earn back Justice's trust, but Justice was hurt.
He couldn't understand why Liam had intended to hurt him,
even though you and I know this was a grave
mistake on Liam's part. A horse can't comprehend our sometimes
messy emotions. Liam slumped down the door of the stall
(16:49):
and began to weep. So sorry, Justice, You're my best friend.
I'd never want to hurt it you. My emotions just
got the best to me, and you didn't deserve that.
Please forgive me. I'm just so worried about my mom
and my dad. Can't run this farm on my own.
(17:10):
I wanted to do a good job for them, to
make them proud. But I'm only you boy. None of
that justifies you getting hit on the head with a bucket.
I wish I could take it back. Liam got up
and walked back to the house with his head hung low.
He made a sandwich and sat down at the kitchen table.
He chose the chair facing the driveway, watching, hoping that
(17:33):
his parents would come back while he was eating. He
got halfway through the sandwich and still no sign of
a vehicle. Then something changed in Liam. The better part
of Liam emerged. He thought, instead of wallowing and self pity,
he needed to shift focus. There's no way of getting
(17:55):
hold of my parents and nothing I could do to
help them accept for running this farm the way Dad
would have. They'll be back when they can. But until then,
I need to take care of this place. It's time
I step up and take responsibility. He scarfed down the
other half of his sandwich, down the big glass of water,
and he started towards the door when he saw a
(18:17):
pot of coffee left over from the morning. Hmm, well
Dad always had some after lunch. Maybe it'll work for
me too. He poured some in a cup, took a sip,
and his face immediately scrunched up. He ran to the
sink and spat the entire sip out. Uck. Oh, how
did they drink this stuff? It tastes like tractor oil
(18:40):
and dirt. Oh, maybe that was too big of a step.
Liam was still making funny faces from the taste until
he grabbed a sip of milk to extinguish the taste. Ah,
that's better. Okay, pigs here I come.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Wow. I can't wait to continue to see what happens
on Liam's farm.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Boy, oh boy, being left alone?
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Who knows what's next?
Speaker 3 (19:10):
I hope you.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Enjoyed our podcast story as much as I did. Oh boy,
was I comfy and cozy and all tuned in. If
you loved what you listened to, please leave us a
five star review, but only if you really mean it.
We love hearing your feedback. It helps us grow so
we can continue to bring stories to you In all
our curious listeners. You never know you might even get
(19:31):
a shout out from me here in the cove. All right,
I need a snack, so I'm headed back home. Until
next time. Friends, we never say goodbye. It's always see
you later. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, The
Adventures of Curiosity Cove on your favorite podcast platform and
on our Instagram page at Love Fort Sumter. Remind your
(19:55):
parents to subscribe to our newsletter at Fort Hyphensumter dot com.
They'll get early updates on what's going on around here
for them and for you. Adventures of Curiosity Cove was
created by Tika Sumter and Nicholas Muscarella. Today's story was
written by Nicholas James Muscarella. Adventures of Curiosity Cove's theme
(20:15):
song was written and composed by Mattie Limb and sung
by Laura Saraphine. Engineered by Robert Aultchuler, sound effects by
Command Creative Studios. Ella the Curious is an original story
series created by Tika Sumter.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
At Curiosity Come Curiosity Come get some magical place. Come
Welcome to Adventures Up, Curiosity Came. This is a fortsome
(21:00):
your production.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
Hey, hey, Curiosity Cove listeners, Guess what. Ella the Curious
is not just in your ears, She's about to be
in your hands. That's right.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
My brand new children's.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Book, I Got It From My Mama is coming out
on April twenty second, and you can pre order it
right now. If you love the magic of Curiosity Cove,
you're going to adore this heartwarming story about the special
things we inherit from our moms. Hit the link in
the show notes, or head to Amazon or fort hyphensumter
dot com to snag your copy. Early Adventure awaits, this
(21:34):
time on your bookshelf.
Did you pre order yet, because I got it from
my mama is landing April twenty second, and you don't
want to miss it. It's filled with love, laughter, and
all the wonderful things we get from our mamas. Tap
the link in the show notes to grab yours now
on Amazon, orfortsumter dot com and if you preorder, you'll
also have it in your hands before you know it.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Pencil to paper, sketching, you are on this page. What
kind of journey will this drawing bring to today? Another
adventure waits for you. Ro Scout and Laila my comm
(00:46):
along to It's imagination time a Curiosity col Curiosity Come,
It's a magical place. Come trun Welcome to Adventures Curiosity.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Come Hello, it's me Ella the Curious. Whether you're joining
us for the first time or coming back for more adventures,
I'm thrilled to have you here. Welcome back to season
two of the Adventures of Curiosity Cove, where each episode
(01:32):
we dive into one of my own Ella the Curious adventures,
or listen to an original story right here in my
cozy treehouse picture this. We're nestled among the trees, surrounded
by comfy bean bags, piles of fluffy pillows, and yes,
my favorite stuffy roe is here too. It's like we've
stepped into a peaceful world, almost as if my mom
(01:54):
used her relaxing dream spray to set the tone. It's
just peace and quiet, perfect first story time. So what
are we waiting for? Let's dive into today's tail called
Liam's Farm Part one. Are you ready to listen? I
sure am, all right. Let's do it.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Out in the country where the greenest of grass grows,
there was a farm. This farm was every boy and
girls dream. A little white farmhouse sat on a huge
plot of land, accompanied by a big red barn. It
had cows, horses, pigs, goats, chickens, cats, dogs, and one
(02:42):
ornery ostrich named Bertie. You could spend a month on
this farm and still not see everything or experience all
you'd want, and you'd still be hungry for more. But
to Liam, it was just another farm. Because he grew
up here, It's all all he's ever known. Liam's mom
(03:03):
and dad gave him responsibilities at a young age. Now,
at the age of ten, it was second nature, and
he's always dreamt of one day owning the farm himself.
His grandma and Grandpa used to own the farm, but
they passed away a year prior to our story. They
both lived a beautiful life on the farm and died
hand in hand as they wished Liam and his parents
(03:25):
a happy and prosperous life. Every day was the same
for Liam. He would wake up when the chickens cockadoodle dude.
That was at four point thirty in the am am
is morning. He knew the rules, get up, fix his hair,
wash his face, put on sunscreen per his mom's request,
(03:46):
and head out to the barn to feed and care
for all of the animals. How do you care for them,
you ask, Feed and water every single one of them,
shovel their poop, and visually check them over for any
signs of ailment. But Liam's secret to keeping the animals
in the best tip top shape is showing them love.
(04:09):
Liam carried on conversations with each and every one of them.
He had names for them. He had individualized games and
jokes he would play with them. He played hide and
seek with the little piglets. He used a balloon to
play Don't let it Drop with the horses. He chased
the chickens, and he would try to wring the hula
hoop on the Ostrich's neck. One day, I'll ride you Bertie.
(04:31):
He always told the Ostrich this. Bertie never let anyone
ride her. Who knows why, but she sure loved to
get in pictures. Almost every picture taken outside has Bertie's
long neck and tiny head in it. Did you know
that ostriches are the fastest bird and animal on two legs?
(04:51):
No wonder Liam wants to ride Bertie. All of this
love that Liam showed the animals awarded him with having
the prettiest livestock in the state. At the end of
the month was the annual Harvest Home, where judges give
awards to the best livestock. It wasn't out of the
ordinary for Liam to have at least a handful of
farmers asking them what is it that makes their animals
(05:15):
so beautiful? They usually run down the list. Is it water?
Is it food? Is it the batten? And every time
Liam would tell them, now, it's a special ingredient called love.
And they would laugh as if it were a joke,
but Liam's face would remain sober because it was the truth.
(05:37):
Liam was looking forward to this year's annual Harvest Home.
This is where he gets to show off all of
his animals, produce and crafts that his mom was always
busy making. This year, for the first time, Liam helped
his mom make animal carvings from wood, jars of homemade
strawberry jam, and Liam came up with a great idea
(05:57):
to make coasters out of pine. He was particularly excited
to see if people would buy the plain coasters or
the ones painted like woodland creatures. Liam's day started out
just like any other day. He heard his dad's truck
leave early in the morning. This wasn't unusual. His dad
usually took off to pick up feed, run to town,
(06:19):
run errands, or drive the property to check on the
land and the cattle. The one thing that was different
is that he didn't hear his mother clamoring around the house.
Liam got out of bed and walked to his mom
and dad's room. The bed was neatly made and vacant.
He headed downstairs to the living room, nobody to be seen.
(06:41):
He walked into the kitchen and nobody was there. Mom.
He stopped to listen. Mom nothing. He walked over to
the fridge, grabbed two hard boiled eggs, some cottage cheese,
and a handful of snappeas and took his lute to
the breakfast table. As he set off all the items down,
he noticed a note.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
The note read, Dear Liam, your father and I head
in the town to pick out some livestock. Then we're
gonna run some errands for the annual harvest home. We
know you can handle the animals and farm if you
have time left over. Put the finishing touches on the crafts,
and we'll be home by midday. XOXO, love mom and Dad.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Liam sat for a moment thinking of what the day
will look like without any parents. Then woohoo, I'm free.
He grabbed his father's newspaper and scarfed down his food
while looking at the pictures. Wow, there's some interesting things
in here. I always thought it was boring. Hmm. Liam
(07:46):
left his plate and crumbs on the breakfast table and
went back upstairs, brushed his teeth, threw on some jeans,
and ran outside. He was so excited to be free,
to be alone, to run everything the best way he
knew how not anyone else. He ran fast to the
pigs and chickens. Guess what, guys, we're free. We're free.
(08:08):
He slapped the little piglet on the butt and ran
to the horses. Guys, it's just us today. Mom and
Dad left the farm to me because they trust me.
But with great power and freedom come great responsibility. Liam's
excitement lasted for quite some time. He took all that
energy and carried it right into the morning chores. When
(08:29):
he got to the chickens, they were all scattered throughout
the pen and were being particularly urnery, so feeding them
was a task, but Liam was unfazed. He wanted to
show his papa that he could do anything himself, so
he scattered the feed all around the pen. If you
don't want to eat in the coop, then I'll just
scatter it around the pen. You'll get to it eventually.
(08:51):
Next Liam went to herd the female cows to milk.
None of them would come into the barn. He wasn't
sure what to do. They would always just walk in
willingly for dad, but today they weren't being helpful. Liam
went into the barn to think. He looked around and
couldn't find anything. He started to walk out of the
(09:12):
barn when he saw a rope hanging by the door. Aha,
I'll use this to tie around their necks and pull
them in one by one, and that's exactly what he did,
and it worked well. The first cow came in willingly
with the rope tied around her neck, but as soon
as she got into the barn, she laid down. Now,
(09:34):
how am I supposed to milk you when you're laying down?
Come on up? But the cow wouldn't budge. He tried
to get down by her belly and push her. She
acted like nothing was happening. Finally, Liam gave up and
laid down on top of her. She seemed to like this.
She took her big snout and started sniffing his face,
(09:57):
and then gave him a big lick on his face
with her gigan gigantic tongue. He started to scratch behind
her ear and she leaned in. He did this for
a few seconds, then asked her, can you get up now? Girl?
I need to milk you so I can move on
to my other chores. Come on. He sat up and
she also started getting up. He stood and she stood. Ah,
(10:22):
you just needed a little love. The cow seemed more relaxed,
care free and open. Liam then proceeded to milk the
cow with ease. When he was done, he moved on
to the other cows. They weren't any better. He knocked
over one of the full buckets of milk, almost got
trampled by another, and the last just wouldn't allow him
(10:44):
to milk her. Every time he got the bucket into place,
the cow settled, and right when Liam went to grab
the cow's teat the cow walked a few steps away.
He sat up again, bucket in place ready, aim and
the cow walked away. Despite the difficult day, Liam tried
to keep a positive attitude. He couldn't shake the fact
(11:07):
that he could really use his Papa right now, He
thought to himself, Now I know what Papa meant when
he would always say it must be Monday. Oh where
are you Mom?
Speaker 1 (11:20):
And Dad?
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Stay positive, Liam, Our farms made of love and positivity.
That's what keeps the animals healthy and beautiful. Liam walked
the remaining cow back out to the pasture and told
them all he would be back before sundown to corral
them back into the barn for the night. He moved
on to the horse's stable to care for them. He
went to his best friend, Justice the horse first. He
(11:44):
was a middle aged, even tempered horse. Liam got along
with him so well because he felt like Justice taught
him a great deal about life and how to act
by just being his graceful horse self. Justice treated Liam
like a nephew or a gram He kept Liam in line.
He never put up with Liam's nonsense throughout the years,
(12:05):
but he was always forgiving of Liam's mishaps. All right, Justice,
I don't know where mom and pop are, so it's
just you and me. I need your help today, Buddy.
Justice immediately pointed to all the horsepoop in the stall
and braid right, I'll go grab the wheelbarrow and shovel.
(12:26):
Liam proceeded to shovel all the horse pooh into the
wheelbarrow while talking to Justice the entire time. I just
don't know where my parents have gone. I mean, don't
get me wrong, Justice, I'm pretty honored that they would
trust me with the farm. It's a big responsibility, and
I think I'm ready to take it on. But if
(12:46):
I'm being fully honest with you, I'm a bit worried
about them. They never been gone for more than an
hour or two, and here it's already. Liam checks his watch.
It's lunchtime. Shoot. I was wondering why I was getting
burnt out. I'll tell you what Justice. I'll give you
your food, but don't tell any of the other horses.
(13:07):
Then I'll be back after lunch. When Liam was done
feeding Justice, the horse pushed his giant horsehead into Liam.
Liam laughed and wrapped his hands around Justice. Then he
heard a loud bang and a bunch of braying and
winning in the other horses and their stalls were making
a fuss. They must have smelled the feed and wanted
(13:30):
their share. After all, it was almost lunch and they
still haven't eaten yet. Liam hurried to grab more feed
for the other horses and watered all of their buckets.
He only had one horse left, and it seemed as
if he saved the worst for last buck Guy. Buckeye
was a rough horse. She just didn't like anyone, not people,
(13:54):
not horses. However, she did love one of the pigs,
but that's it. Liam tried to put water in Buckeye's bucket,
but she tipped it over. He tried again, and immediately
she bashed it with her snout, spilling the water again.
You don't want water, fine, don't drink any water. I'm
going to eat lunch, and you could be hungry and
(14:15):
thirsty for all I care. This only made buck Eye
more angry. She started kicking and stomping and braying so
loud that it scared Liam. Liam didn't know what to do.
His stomach started rumbling. He was getting hungry too, and
to make matters worse, he heard the pigs start to
whine and snort. Oh, no, I forgot about the pigs.
(14:39):
Liam felt so overwhelmed. All of the animals should have
been fed, cleaned up after it, and the horses should
have been brushed. He only fed half the animals, he
didn't clean up their poop, and he definitely did not
brush the horses. Yet, Liam was so in over his
head that he let his emotions and anger get the
best of him. Liam was like a balloon. Every unfinished
(15:03):
task was another breath, inflating it more until it finally popped.
He looked down at his feet and saw Buckeye's water bucket.
He bawled up all of his frustration and put it
into the hardest kick. Releasing all of his frustration into
the bucket. That bucket made the loudest bang it soared
(15:24):
through the air. The temporary relief he felt in kicking
the bucket was quickly replaced by regret as he watched
its soar in slow motion towards Justice, his favorite horse.
Even though the bucket seemed to hang in slow motion,
there was nothing Liam could do to stop it. Poor
Justice had his head down, drinking from his water bucket,
(15:46):
his focus entirely on the task at hand, but slowly
his attention shifted to the bucket soaring towards him. His
eyes widened. The bucket hit him square on the forehead.
Before Liam could show. Justice winnied in surprise, the fucking
a few times before the pain sank in. Then he
began bobbing his head up and down, trying to rub
(16:08):
the sting away against his stall. Liam ran over to
his best friend, trying to console him. Oh, I'm sorry, buddy,
I didn't mean for it to hear you, but Justice
backed away, giving him an angry look of confusion and frustration.
Liam tried to hand him a snack, but Justice turned
and looked the other way. Liam tried for quite some
(16:29):
time to earn back Justice's trust, but Justice was hurt.
He couldn't understand why Liam had intended to hurt him,
even though you and I know this was a grave
mistake on Liam's part. A horse can't comprehend our sometimes
messy emotions. Liam slumped down the door of the stall
(16:49):
and began to weep. So sorry, Justice, You're my best friend.
I'd never want to hurt it you. My emotions just
got the best to me, and you didn't deserve that.
Please forgive me. I'm just so worried about my mom
and my dad. Can't run this farm on my own.
(17:10):
I wanted to do a good job for them, to
make them proud. But I'm only you boy. None of
that justifies you getting hit on the head with a bucket.
I wish I could take it back. Liam got up
and walked back to the house with his head hung low.
He made a sandwich and sat down at the kitchen table.
He chose the chair facing the driveway, watching, hoping that
(17:33):
his parents would come back while he was eating. He
got halfway through the sandwich and still no sign of
a vehicle. Then something changed in Liam. The better part
of Liam emerged. He thought, instead of wallowing and self pity,
he needed to shift focus. There's no way of getting
(17:55):
hold of my parents and nothing I could do to
help them accept for running this farm the way Dad
would have. They'll be back when they can. But until then,
I need to take care of this place. It's time
I step up and take responsibility. He scarfed down the
other half of his sandwich, down the big glass of water,
and he started towards the door when he saw a
(18:17):
pot of coffee left over from the morning. Hmm, well
Dad always had some after lunch. Maybe it'll work for
me too. He poured some in a cup, took a sip,
and his face immediately scrunched up. He ran to the
sink and spat the entire sip out. Uck. Oh, how
did they drink this stuff? It tastes like tractor oil
(18:40):
and dirt. Oh, maybe that was too big of a step.
Liam was still making funny faces from the taste until
he grabbed a sip of milk to extinguish the taste. Ah,
that's better. Okay, pigs here I come.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Wow. I can't wait to continue to see what happens
on Liam's farm.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Boy, oh boy, being left alone?
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Who knows what's next?
Speaker 3 (19:10):
I hope you.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Enjoyed our podcast story as much as I did. Oh boy,
was I comfy and cozy and all tuned in. If
you loved what you listened to, please leave us a
five star review, but only if you really mean it.
We love hearing your feedback. It helps us grow so
we can continue to bring stories to you In all
our curious listeners. You never know you might even get
(19:31):
a shout out from me here in the cove. All right,
I need a snack, so I'm headed back home. Until
next time. Friends, we never say goodbye. It's always see
you later. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, The
Adventures of Curiosity Cove on your favorite podcast platform and
on our Instagram page at Love Fort Sumter. Remind your
(19:55):
parents to subscribe to our newsletter at Fort Hyphensumter dot com.
They'll get early updates on what's going on around here
for them and for you. Adventures of Curiosity Cove was
created by Tika Sumter and Nicholas Muscarella. Today's story was
written by Nicholas James Muscarella. Adventures of Curiosity Cove's theme
(20:15):
song was written and composed by Mattie Limb and sung
by Laura Saraphine. Engineered by Robert Aultchuler, sound effects by
Command Creative Studios. Ella the Curious is an original story
series created by Tika Sumter.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
At Curiosity Come Curiosity Come get some magical place. Come
Welcome to Adventures Up, Curiosity Came. This is a fortsome
(21:00):
your production.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
Hey, hey, Curiosity Cove listeners, Guess what. Ella the Curious
is not just in your ears, She's about to be
in your hands. That's right.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
My brand new children's.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Book, I Got It From My Mama is coming out
on April twenty second, and you can pre order it
right now. If you love the magic of Curiosity Cove,
you're going to adore this heartwarming story about the special
things we inherit from our moms. Hit the link in
the show notes, or head to Amazon or fort hyphensumter
dot com to snag your copy. Early Adventure awaits, this
(21:34):
time on your bookshelf.
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