Life was good. It was the only one you knew.
Your eyes hadn’t opened yet, but you knew there were six of you. Two sisters, a brother, a daddeh, and of course, mummah. There was no day and no night, there was only sleepy time. When you woke up from sleepy time, you heard daddeh leave for nummies, while you got some of your own. You got your tummy full of milkies from mummah as she sang to you.
“Mummah wub babbehs… babbehs wub mummah…”
The rest of the day you crawled around on a piece of cardboard, one that daddeh had brought for mummah and you. You didn’t know why until you took your first step onto the cold metal floor. Shrieking in surprise, it didn’t take long for mummah to lift you up and carry you back to safety. Yet you ventured a few times more, one time almost to the edge of the can, before you were pulled back.
“Byu babbeh nu weave housie. Onwy daddeh weave housie to wook for nummies. Byu babbeh stay with mummah.”
There were three other babbehs. You hadn’t seen them, but still knew them by their chirping, how they felt when you bumped up against them. Mummah called them each “Yewwow Bestest Babbeh”, “Gween Babbeh”, “Owanj Babbeh”, and you were “Bwu Babbeh”.
And life was good, it was the only one you knew.
And on one very special night, you lay next to mummah, listening to her singing as Yellow gulped down her milkies.
“Bestest Babbeh wub mummah! Mummah wub Bestest Babbeh!”
As of late, much of her attention had drifted to Yellow, her “Bestest Babbeh”. She was always the first to milkies, and the subject of most of her songs. This night you chirped as usual, over and over until you could snag her attention, just for a moment. Until finally, a breakthrough. One word, your first.
“Mummah!”
Mummah darted her gaze down to you. “Byu babbeh? Byu babbeh caww me mummah! Am happiest mummah!”
She reached her hoof down to give you a gentle stroke. Savoring this rare moment of attention, you continue to chirp. “Byu babbeh am gwowing head fwuff! Is white, just wike mummah!”
Then the moment ended. Mummah felt a tug near her crotch.
“Sowwy Bestest Babbeh! Mummah wuv Bestest Babbeh…” And off she went again.
It was a short time later when daddeh returned for the night.
“Speshaw fwiend bwing nummies for mummah and babbehs?”
“Nu,” he said, looking down. “Found nu nummies. Am bad speshaw fwiend.”
“Yu nu bad speshaw fwiend. Can find nummies fo miwkies when bwight time.”
“Yeee! Yu am bestest speshaw fwiend, and bestest mummah!”
With that the pair and their foals piled up for the night. Outside the trashcan, everything continued as normal, nobody batted a single eye down the alley. All but for a dark pair of eyes, and a wagging tail. Waiting.
