I couldn't sleep, though I forced my eyes to close. At last, I came out and sat in my lounge in the front yard.
It was dark blue and silent. However, thanks to the fireflies, they accompanied me through this lonely night.
It was the second day that I had to pay a rose apple to Crow. Like the previous day, I put the fruit on the table in my front yard, and while she was eating it, I lay in the lounge next to the table.
Suddenly, a loud voice came out from the farm next to my house.
“What’s it?” Crow asked.
“It’s masters of Duck are quarreling,” I said.
Crow wagged her head a few times before she continued eating. Then the loud voice happened again, and along with it there was a sound of BANG, causing Crow to jump.
“What’s that?” She yelled.
“Maybe a pot or another object that they threw from their house,” I said.
Crow looked at me, “You aren’t surprised, are you?”
I shook my head.
“Why do they quarrel?”
“Recently, I heard from my friends that their masters are meeting financial problems. Hence, I think the money is the cause of their quarrel today. It happened before. When they were having a problem, they argued with each other, and then they threw things to release their anger. However, I am happy that they threw things outside, not at each other.”
Crow shook her head, “Human life is not happy at all.”
Then she carried on eating. BANG…
“Hey,” she yelled with her eyebrows knotted, “I want to have a peaceful meal.”
I chuckled, “You can’t if you stay near humans.”
“Then I should go to eat on a tree in the forest.”
After saying that, she put the rose apple in her beak then flew away.
“Hello,” they said in an unhappy voice.
“What's wrong?”
They took a loud sigh.
“Who dies?”
“Perhaps all of us die,” they said.
I tried my eyebrows because I didn't understand.
“We heard our masters’ discussion. They said they are having financial problems. If this issue continues longer, they would probably have no ability to raise us.”
All of them sobbed.
“I see.” I wagged my head. “It's about money.”
“If I were a human, I would help my master find money,” Cow said.
“Me too,” Duck said.
“Us too,” Twin Piggies said.
“Ha ha…” I laughed. “If you were a human, why wouldn’t you find money for yourself?”
“Right.” Two Piggies nodded.
“Let's imagine for fun,” Duck said. “If we could transform to be a human, how could we find money?”
“If we don't have even a penny and we want money, there are two ways we can earn it,” I said.
“What's that?” All of them said.
“First, we go to work for the person who has money. Second, we take from nature.”
“I understand the first point, but the second point…” cow said.
“Nature includes sun, wind, land, water, trees, etc. We can benefit from those things. For example, growing vegetables to sell, picking fruits to sell.”
All of them wagged their heads, “I see, I see.”
“Yes, he is inside,” I said.
“Why don’t you call him to get out?”
“I did, but he is shy; he doesn’t like to meet anyone because he is afraid of everyone mocking his body size.”
“Is he big?”
I nodded and told, “He isn’t big; he is so big,” while my ears noticed a low-pitched howling of a wolf from inside the jungle.
I opened the door and put a rose apple on a table in my front yard.
The crow flew to stand on the table and ate the fruit while I was lying in a lounge next to the table.
“Since I knew you, you have been alone. Don't you have friends?” I said.
“I once had it, but now I don't have it, and I don't want to have it,” Crow said.
“Why?”
“Because they were my friends, but I was not their friend.”
“Can you tell your story?”
The crow took a few bites of the rose apple, then she told, “When we went to find food, they always asked me to get it. When I got it, we shared, but they took more than half. One day, when I tried to steal food, the food owner saw and threw a stick at me. They didn't care about me; they flew away. I got injured, but I tried to take the food and escaped. When we met, I told them I got a wound; they said it was my karma. If I didn't steal, I wouldn't get it. However, they took the food that I stole and liked before they took more than half. After that accident, I decided to work alone.”
“I see.” I wagged my head.
“Hello duck, why are you late?” Twin piggies said.
“I was listening to my master and his daughter’s discussion,” Duck said.
“Why are you interested in the matter of humans?” I said.
“Because it sounded interesting,” Duck said.
“What did they discuss?” Cow asked.
“His daughter said she and her team distributed the leaflet. However, the people refused to take it, and some took it but then threw it into the dustbin,” Duck said.
“Oh pitiful,” Cow and Twin Piggies said.
“People won't be interested in the leaflet unless it benefits them,” I said.
All of them shrank their eyes, “What does it mean?”
“Humans call it marketing. Giving leaflets is a way to tell the customers about their services. However, nowadays customers don't like to take leaflets, but if the company creates a leaflet that gives benefits to the customers, for example, if there is a discount coupon on the leaflet, it might be helpful.”
“Wow, pig, you are great,” all of them said.
“No, I’m not. This idea I heard from my ex-master,” I told.
I opened the door and saw the crow was on a tree branch in front of my house.
“Hello, crow, how are you doing?” I said.
“Every day is the same,” the crow said.
“Steal food every day.”
The crow nodded, “Uh huh.”
“Well, can I ask you a question?”
“Yes, you can, but I can refuse to give an answer as well.”
“Sure.” I smiled. “I just want to know how you manage to live safely after you get the food.”
“This question I can answer, but not for free.”
“How much?”
“One apple a day for seven days.”
“I have rose apples.”
“Deal.” She was silent for a few seconds, then said, “If you want to live safely, don't let anyone, even people in your family, know what is the thing that makes you die.”
While waiting six months to arrive, three of us worked like usual in the garden in the daytime. As evening arrived, I wrote a plan to promot...
