by Lindsay Howe

 

I thought today was going to be an ordinary day in February and I thought nothing was going to go wrong - but it did.

The weather was miserable (as it always is in February) and Dad had been reading the newspaper when he went pale.

I asked what was wrong and he said:

"The foot and mouth's back" and of course I didn't know what that was so I asked and Dad said:

"It's when sheep, pigs and cows get very ill and they get blisters on their tongues and their feet go sore."

I asked whether Dad's animals would get it and he said:

"Maybe. It's not down here yet but it'll spread."

I suppose I am an ordinary girl. I am ten years old and I go to the 'Dulverton Middle School' in Somerset. I wear glasses and have long brown hair, which I wear in a ponytail as I have since I was little.

But, as dad told me I was shocked and, although I have never heard of foot and mouth before, I was scared!

I have a little lamb called Sean, after the sheep "Wallace and Grommit"! He is four months old and I love-him-to-bits! I take him everywhere like he is my pet dog. He sleeps in my bedroom on some newspaper and sometimes in the middle of the night he jumps on my bed the goes to sleep. When I found out the foot and mouth was here, all I could think about was Sean.

Although when people come to our house they have to stand on a bowl of disinfectant so it will kill the germs, it still could spread through the wind or even on people.

But there was one day in March when I looked out of my bedroom window. The big gate on the long driveway was closed and there was a big sign outside of it. I went downstairs and asked Dad what the sign was for. He told me it was because we had the foot and mouth on our farm.

Dad had a tear in his eye and it trickled down his face. I have never seen Dad like this before. I went upstairs to get Sean and cuddled him and cried.

The sky was dark and it began to rain. I was terrified.

Dad told me to go and listen to my music as loud as I could and keep Sean with me. He told me that his cows and sheep and his few pigs had to be slaughtered. He told me that "the Angels of Death" were coming.

I asked what he meant. He told me that they were evil people in white overalls who will shoot all the animals!

Dad told me not to look out of the window and keep my music on so I couldn't hear the gunshots and the wailing of the animals.

I ran upstairs and closed my curtains. I didn't want to hear anything; only my CD that I started to play. I knew that Dad was upset; he genuinely cared for his animals and he didn't want to stay outside but he had to.

I nearly forgot about the foot and mouth while I was listening to my CD but the last song went off and all I could hear was the gunshots being fired. Then I just had to look out of the window and I wished I hadn't.

Sean got of my bed and jumped onto my windowsill. The firing had stopped and a man was with my dad holding a clipboard.

I opened my window because at this time I was sweating and clutching Sean.

The Man in White was shouting:

"A lamb, a lamb is missing."

He then noticed me holding my lamb that I loved so much and shouted that I had to come down and give up Sean.

'I couldn't, I couldn't, please help me', I thought.

I cried onto Sean's soft warm body and went downstairs and walked out of the door clutching Sean so much I could feel his heart beat.

I walked up the garden path said my final goodbye and kissed his sweet little head and sobbed.

I let Dad hold him and told him to look after him.

I cried on Dad's shoulder and ran away and cried onto my pillow.

I heard a shot - it was all over.

I loved him so much and at this moment all I could do was cry.

 

The End