Rummaging through the cabin I was able to get the needed bedding from the attic and air them out to get rid of any mothball or stale smells. Usually I try to stagger when people come to space it out, but this month of all months was going to see my liberal white friends at the cabin during the same time as my more conservatively practicing Muslim sister and her young son. To make matters worse I have a never before seen creature and her spawn living in my living room.
Andrea was content with her foals in the corner and wouldn’t move much aside from eating and using the litter box while I cleaned and prepared for the clash my my two different worlds coming to visit. Amazingly enough I observed her using the bathroom a few times and she would dig and shift around before she was able to create a comfortable spot to use the bathroom like a proper house cat, what I had not anticipated was the offensive odor that was given off by her droppings. Her shit smelled like the combination of rotten boiled cabbage and death, I quickly had to move her box from the kitchen to the storage room, which stopped the smell from infecting the rest of the house.
After I took the day to get the guest room and pull-out couch ready for the guests, I was able to relax and observe the new mother at work. Her foals were only 4 days old but were quite active with a healthy appetite. Andrea was having trouble keeping them all satisfied so I looked to see if I could help out.
“Andrea, it looks like the little white and brown one aren’t getting as much milk as the others, do you think it would be alright if I tried feeding them some of the store bought milk?” I asked, knowing that cow’s milk can be difficult for other animals to process. I was willing to try a little feeding experiment for her and her foals, if they couldn’t stomach the milk there was a goat farm around the bend and I could always buy some of their milk, which I knew was easier for animals to tolerate.
“Fank yuu daddeh, mummah Andwea am onwy hab two miwkie pwaces, mummah nee’ gib bestest miwkies to bestest babbehs!” She said as she encouraged the red and pink foals to continue nursing.
I didn’t have any bottles or syringes to slowly feed the little tikes so I took turns using a small turkey baster with a little bit of the milk at a time until they were plumped and fed.
“Andrea, have you thought about naming the babies?” I asked, as I set the newly stuffed foals next to their siblings.
“Namesies?” She replied excitedly. Maybe she was thinking that I was intending on keeping them all if I named them, I guess kind of like claiming ownership.
“Well, yeah! They need names so we know which one to call which, I don’t want to call them by their colors, like whitey or bluey…”
“Buh dat am gud namesies…” she said sheepishly. I think she may have already been thinking of just calling them by their colors, which made me think she must have gotten her name from a human caregiver in the facility.
“Names can be fun! Like this red one, he has a green tuft on his head, which makes me think of a pepper, I think we should call him Jalapeño!”
“Ha…Hawa-peen-yo? Peppuh? Wut am dat?” She said, perplexed.
“It’s a spicy food… uh…” I paused as she seemed confused at the word “spicy”.
“Um, it’s a food that can burn the mouth that people like…”
“Mouf huwties?” She was even more confused that I associated her child with pain.
“N-no! Err… It can burn, but the red ones are sweeter… uh, they make your mouth warm. He’s a sweet jalapeño. It’s a cute name!” I try to recover.
“Heehee, Hawapeeno am funneh namesies, be gud babbeh and no huwt mummah!” She scrunched her nose close to the blind foal’s muzzle who instinctively suckles on her snout. “Hee hee hee, dat tickew!”
Looks like she accepted it without much of a fight, this has got to be the easiest pet to ever manage, if I can simplify my language, I can give pretty much any instruction to her and she happily obeys. No need to negatively or positively reinforce behaviors, just simple speech and knowing who is the authority.
We name the other three foals: Sky for the light blue pegasus, more of her choice than mine; Whisper for the white pegasus, which surprised me she was able to come up with that; and Bubblegum for the pink regular horse, she was unfamiliar with the word but promptly accepted it when I showed her a stick of gum and let her smell it. She wanted to eat the chewing gum but I didn’t think she would know how gum “works”, she kept saying “if gumgum smeww pwetty, it gud nummies.” When we got to the brown unicorn Andrea seemed indifferent about naming her, she definitely was playing favorites and it tended toward the more bright and colorful foals. When I was trying to show the pretty hazelnut and speckled color of the coat, I heard her mutter “poopie”. I had the idea to use her previous saying against her and gave her a “nummie” in the shape of one of my brownie batter bars I kept around for hikes. Her introduction to chocolate was a gamble, but she was amazed that something such a color could taste so good, she called it “da bestest nummie!” And I think she even likes it more than the noodles. She lightened up a lot more with the introduction of the treat and treated the brown foal with more compassion. Unfortunately she also named it “Brownie”, but if it helps her to be a more fair and loving mother I’m all for it.
The next day the foals finally opened their eyes for the first time, their irises were just as colorful and diverse as their coats. With the new sense of sight through their squinted eyes, the foals became more adventurous in their shuffling around the living room, but all too often if they left the proximity of their mother’s scent or sight they would peep furiously as they crawled back to the warmth and security of Andrea. They were still weak and getting used to their limbs as they would bob their heads looking around, even turning too quickly to look at something would make them tumble over or roll over. The two foals that were fed the cow’s milk ended up having some digestive issues, they didn’t experience any pain from gas or bloating, but they shat the bed with a nasty flow of poop that even Andrea refused to clean up. She was rightfully upset but misdirected it at the “bad babbehs” making “bad poopies”. I guess I’ll try the goat’s milk next.
Meanwhile I trialed new foods for Andrea, giving her a more balanced meal of oats, grains, and legumes. She was a bit disappointed at no longer getting “sketties”, but it did drastically improve the smell from her litter box. She had no ill effects with the chocolate, so as figure I could use it as a special treat to reward good behavior. There was some protest about “gud nummies make gud miwkies” when rebalancing her diet, but her receiving other treats of apple or pear slices as rewards put a stop to it so that it didn’t develop into begging. Andrea did ask to make frequent visits outside, maybe she developed a love for nature while running away. I made sure she didn’t bring food outside, which she readily obeyed.
A little over a week after their birth the foals were more active and would even shuffle away from their mother for longer periods of time until they were hungry or had some other need for using the bathroom or wanting affection. Surprisingly they would even shuffle up to me peeping and chirping as I would go through the motions of picking them up, cuddling them in my hands, wiping their behind with the warm rag, or feeding them until the noise stopped. I was getting a little concerned about them moving about freely with guests present, so I grabbed a used playpen at a local flea market and cut a hole in the side so Andrea could hop in and out, but the foals couldn’t climb out over the small ledge. I also figured I can put a blanket over the playpen and hide them from the guests. The young were also developing the beginning signs of language with their chirps and peeps becoming the occasional “mummah” and “dada” in their little high-pitched voices. Brownie and Whisper took well to the goat’s milk without any digestive issues and I was able to hang a sizable hamster sipper bottle in the pen for them all to feed on and help Andrea to keep them satisfied.
Julie and Miles were the first ones to arrive, they live out in Chicago now so it was more convenient for them to drive to the cabin. I had explained to Andrea that I needed her and her children to be quiet, which she understood, but also knew it would be hard to tame the peeping mass when they got hungry. I helped the new guests settle quickly and get them out on a hike before they noticed the hidden pen, I figured that it would be easier to explain it when everyone was around. It was good to catch up with them, they had two young daughters that Andrea and I had referred to as our “godchildren”, despite not being religious. Miles and I had been roommates in college, so it was nice to catch up, although bittersweet to see their life and marriage continue in contrast to the gut wrenching end that mine encountered.
By the time we get back, my sister and nephew arrived along with Andrea’s cousin, Lora. Fatima was of course tired and demanded to eat something since she probably had trouble finding something halal out in the backwoods of Virginia. I feel like her visits are more for me to babysit her ten year old since her “devout” husband left them. They were all entering into the cabin when Miles had noticed a pink blur hustle back into the covered pen, I’m guessing Andrea had to use the bathroom, can’t fault her for that. She must have rustled her foals in her rush because some peeping started to come from pen.
“Jesus! Ahmed, do you have some kind of wild animals in the house? Was that a dog or a pig dyed pink?” Miles asked. I guess it was now or never to tell them about my new hobby.
“Guys, I need to show you something.” I start as I make my way to the playpen nest. “I need you all to promise me that you won’t freak out.” They each promise but are now intrigued about what it was.
“There are these labs out here creating all kinds of things from medicine to food, to even animals. Some of the animals escaped and… well, it followed me home.” I say with a chuckle. I approach the pen and whisper to Andrea, “Hey, it’s going to be alright, I want you to meet some of my friends and family, okay?” She whispers back “Otay…” quiet and shy, but still enthusiastic to have a change to her daily regimen of feeding and cleaning her children.
“I encountered her out in the woods, and her name is Andrea, I did not name her!” I say, already defending myself. “She was made in one of the facilities here, and she is a fluffy pony… Andrea, would you mind coming out and meeting my friends and family?” Andrea sheepishly walks out of the pen and manages to force a smile.
“It looks like a girl’s toy, Ahmed.” My sister says.
“Why is it pink?” Lora joins in the judging.
“I think…” I pause as I know I didn’t want to say anything that would offend Andrea. “I think they are designed for children to enjoy and they come in a wide variety of colors and styles. But Andrea is an adult and I think as big as they get.”
“They?” Miles cuts me off, “Are there more?”
“Well, Andrea was pregnant and had a litter of foals over a week ago, they are the little guys peeping here.” I say as I crouch down and reach in to gently grab Sky, the blue pegasus. “This one is a pegasus.” I gently cradle it close to my nephew Habib.
“Here, you want to hold him? Be gentle.” I say as I offer the child the foal, I glance back and see that Andrea looks slightly concerned but doesn’t protest.
“Now Habibi, make sure you are soft and gentle when you hold him, okay?”
“Okay…” My nephew says while gingerly cupping his hands. “He’s so soft, I can feel his heart beating… he has wings? Like a malak?” He states, referring to an angel.
“Ahmed, are these just smaller horses like those uh… Shetland Ponies?” My sister asks.
“No, they are much different…” As I answer, Sky looks up from my nephews hands and says “dada?”
“Whoa! It talked! Mama! Did you hear?” My nephew exclaimed.
Meanwhile, Andrea walked up to address me. “Sowwee Daddeh Awmawd, Andwea nee’ use da wittew box…” I guess she didn’t get to make her trip when we came in.
“Wait! Did that horse just talk in a complete sentence?” Miles yelled out. The surprise and shouting were scaring Andrea and the foals who started to peep and call out “mummah”.
“Guys, relax! They are really young, please don’t shout and scare them.” I try to reason with them. I allow Andrea to go use the bathroom and have everyone sit down and hand them a foal to handle and experience for themselves. I explain to them how I happened upon Andrea in the woods and how she escaped that evil place. I explained that Andrea came to me with her name and how such an amazing pet she has been for this past week. I also told them that I went to return her but found out that Andrea and her children would most likely have been killed and tossed in the burn pile. It took awhile for them to get used to the idea of a biological toy but their hearts all melted when each of their foals did something cute and adorable. The only person that had an issue was my sister, she felt that these creatures were possibly an affront to Allah, but couldn’t bring herself to take the foal away from her son who never owned a pet in his life.
The next few days were raining, so it kept us indoors to explore and get to know the animals better. Andrea showed that fluffies could play tag and roll around a ball, along with stacking items and counting up to the number five before trailing off in the same sing-song cadence and repeating or humming numbers. Miles had an allergy to pet dander and fur, he was surprised that he didn’t have any reaction to the fluffy pony hair and there was no issue of them shedding or creating a mess.
The foals were growing quickly and the pink, red, and blue ones were the first ones to start walking and jumping around. Their vocabulary expanded as well with them mimicking the same speech patterns of Andrea, saying such words as “miwkies, huggies, nummies, and poopies”. My sister tried to see if some pronunciation exercises could change their speech, but it seems like it is was genetic trait that they speak like children with these accents. Andrea even taught her young to use the litter box using another song with a few accidents, but they were on their way to becoming more independent with flashes of personality. Jalapeño and Sky would play wrestle, maybe as a practice for which one would be the dominant male when they grew up.
Lora quickly offered up to the idea of wanting to adopt one of the fluffies, she was a natural cat-lady but lost her oldest and dearest cat a month ago, Bella, a white Persian. She was attached to Whisper and said she adored the name and how quiet and well behaved the animals were in reference to Andrea’s cleanliness in using a litter box and able to understand and follow commands. I was unsure of when to separate them from their mother, but Lora lived out by me in the Portland area and would be able to visit if there was an issue. She suggested to register Whisper as a hamster or Guinea pig so that she could bring it on as a carry-on for her flight that my sister and nephew could do likewise.
Once Lora secured her own personal fluffy Julie and Miles quickly jumped at the opportunity to grab a pair for their daughters, using the excuse that grabbing two siblings they could keep themselves company and be a good support system. It was convenient that I had houses for all of these baby ponies, but I was concerned about creating separation issues or lacking more specifics about the life of a fluffy pony, so I took to asking Andrea some questions:
“Andrea, some of my friends would really like to give good homes to your babies, is that alright?” I asked. She hesitated at first, but probably knew her babies had to grow up eventually.
“Andrea hab haewt huwties, tinkin’ bout babbehs, weavin’… buh Andwea am happies dat babbehs hab gud housies a new daddehs and mummahs to wuv and hug and gib gud nummies!” She said.
“Well, you have been a really good mother to them, we could even visit them from time to time.” I explained, which made her more accepting. “Do you know how long they need to drink milk for?”
“Weww… Andwea knu dat big fwuffies can stiww dwink miwkies.” She explains. She might not understand completely so I sweeten the offer to help her. “Let’s say I want to feed the whole family spaghetti, when can the babies eat that?” Her ears pricked up and her eyes widened at the chance to eat more “sketties”.
“Sketties?! Andwea tink babies can num sketties soon!” She was getting distracted at the potential to eat spaghetti again, but seemed confident that some solid food could be eaten safely.
I figured that we could trial some other solid foods soon but told each adoptive family to pad their diets with some of the goat’s milk or use puréed foods. The only hold out was my sister. Fatima had initially a strong negative opinion of the pets, but Habib her son took to Sky as soon he held him and would play and teach him new words and tricks each day. It wasn’t until she saw the pony imitate Habib making salah near the end of their visit that her opinion softened. The little pony even attempted the prayer with a “Awwah Akbaw”. She reasoned that it was “In shaa Allah” that a small horse that could praise god would be more welcome than a “haram dog” as a pet, which Habib had been begging for as he was having trouble making friends in school.
By the end of the week each foal had a home. Bubblegum and Jalapeño went to Julie and Mile’s preteen daughters in Chicago, while Whisper and Sky (now renamed Malak) would go to Portland with Lora and my sister respectively.
I decided to keep Brownie as a companion for Andrea until we got home and got settled. The foals had developed more by the end of the week and had started to eat semi-solid food, but preferred to drink milk if possible. The visit had drawn to a close and the little foals were just over three weeks old. The family of fluffy ponies bawled each of their little eyes out as they said good bye to one another but were quickly excited to go to a “nyu housies” and be with “nyu mummahs”. Andrea seemed to have prepared each of the foals for their adoption, which made the transition easier, but it was still hard to see. I think they should have been a few weeks older. But it gave me an excuse to break up my long ride back by visiting each of the little foals on the way back and help them acclimate. I just had to take another week to clean up and shut down the cabin for the end of the season.
Part 1: The Andrea Incident (Part 1) (Artist - Great_White_Nope)
Part 2: The Andrea Incident (part 2) (Artist- Great_White_Nope)
Part 3: The Andrea Incident (Part 3) (Artist- Great_White_Nope)
Part 4: The Andrea Incident (Part 4) (Artist- Great_White_Nope)