Jeremy the cowboy wakes up on the farm. The sun is warm. The barn is red. The hay smells sweet.
Jeremy pats his hat. “Howdy!” he says.
Horse clop-clops in. Horse is tall and brave. Horse likes to help.
Pig trots over. Pig is round and funny. Pig loves to giggle.
Mouse peeks out. Mouse is tiny and smart. Mouse sees small things.
“Oh no,” Jeremy says. “My shiny star badge is gone.”
Horse nods. “We will find it.”
Pig snorts. “I will sniff!”
Mouse squeaks. “I will look low.”
They walk past the coop. Chickens go “bok bok.” They walk past the pond. Ducks go “quack quack.”
Pig puts his nose to the ground. “Sniff sniff.” He follows a trail of crumbs.
Jeremy laughs. “Crumbs, Pig?”
Pig giggles. “I was hungry!”
Mouse points. “Look. A little scratch on the dirt. Something dragged.”
Horse leans down. “Good eyes, Mouse.”
They follow the scratch to the corn rows. The corn is tall. It makes a soft shhh-shhh sound.
Jeremy feels a tiny shiver. “It’s a bit spooky.”
Horse stays close. “I am here.”
Pig tries to be brave too. “I am… mostly brave,” Pig says, and makes a silly face.
Mouse whispers, “Listen.”
Far away: “Awooo.”
Wolf is near.
Jeremy holds Horse’s mane. “Wolf?”
Wolf steps out. Wolf is gray. Wolf has big paws. His eyes watch.
Pig squeaks, “Eek!” then hides behind Jeremy’s boots.
Mouse stands tall, even if tiny. “Hello, Wolf.”
Wolf sniffs. “I saw a shiny thing.”
Jeremy says, “That is my badge. I need it.”
Wolf looks down. “I did not take it to be mean. I took it because it sparkled. It hurt my eyes in the sun. I carried it to the shade.”
Jeremy blinks. “You carried it?”
Wolf nods. “To the old hollow log by the fence.”
Horse says, “Show us. Please.”
Wolf walks slow. Jeremy, Horse, Pig, and Mouse follow.
At the fence is a hollow log. Inside is the badge. It is dusty.
Jeremy smiles big. “There you are!”
Pig claps his hooves. “Yay badge!”
Mouse squeaks, “We did it!”
Jeremy wipes the badge clean on his sleeve. It shines bright again.
Jeremy looks at Wolf. “Thank you for telling us. Do you want something too?”
Wolf’s ears droop. “I am hungry.”
Jeremy thinks. “Farm friends share.”
Pig says, “I know where apples are!”
They go to the apple tree. Jeremy picks one apple, then another, then another.
Wolf takes an apple and crunches. “Mmm.”
Horse smiles. “Good.”
Mouse says, “Now no one is scared.”
Jeremy pins his badge on his shirt. “I learned to ask first, not just worry.”
Then Mouse pulls out a tiny box from under the log. “Also… I found this.”
Inside are three small gold buttons, like little coins.
Pig gasps. “Treasure buttons!”
Jeremy laughs. “A farm treasure!”
They share the buttons: one for Jeremy, one for Pig, one for Mouse. Horse gets a new shiny ribbon tied to his mane.
The farm feels safe. The sun feels soft. Jeremy the cowboy rides slow with Horse. Pig trots and hums. Mouse rides in Jeremy’s pocket. Wolf sits in the shade with his apple, calm and full.
And Jeremy’s star badge shines on the happy farm.