There was a time when the animals were happy and healthy looking. They took part in their daily activities with pride and never thought the future would be bleak. But the reality of the recession is sinking in. When the animals go to the stores to buy what they need, they are told that the era of "buy one get one free" is over. The poor animals go to the welfare office and are given lower weekly allowances or refused money altogether. Meanwhile, as the majority of animals are suffering, Mr. Bull is trying to keep the Money House afloat in spite of an unsustainable demand for loans and signs of even larger problems. His wife spends lavishly as animals in neighboring gardens starve and struggle. Now, Mr. Bull has to also contend with the leaders of the Mafia - a group of greedy animals led by Lord Cheetah - pressuring him to make sure that the Money House survives. They know that if it fails, their lives of privilege will be threatened. Take a new and modern view of George Orwell's Animal Farm as today's animals struggle with the recession in Number Tense Dawning Strict.
Number Tense Dawning Strict
By Eberekpe WhyteiUniverse, Inc.
Copyright © 2010 Eberekpe Whyte
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4502-2123-8Chapter One
They were delicious moments once upon a time when all the animals that resided in the Animal Kingdom in a lush Garden were happy because the grass was green and fresh, the weather was good, and the crops grew and there was enough food for all and businesses were doing well such that there was also enough money for every animal to spend. Some spent stupidly while many more did not bother to spend wisely. Enough for all! Enough for all! Enough to go round! Should we not be wasteful! Were the practical shouts from every nook and cranny of the Garden from the Gardeners. There was surplus of food and money such that the animals could afford to be charitable by giving away some of the things they needed and those they did not need to the poor in the neighbouring Gardens. They ate, fed upon fat at times, and would make merry with music and songs because what they allowed themselves to think and worry about was the beauty and glow of the immediate present, leaving tomorrow to worry about itself. If they believed there was a tomorrow, that was.
The animals were too happy and healthy looking and went about their daily activities with pride without a thought that the future would ever be bleak and the whole animals subjected to wants and needs that would be caused by a greedy few animals that refused to think beyond their greedy noses.
The truth was, none of the animals were ready to worry about the greedy few-they could continue to be greedy all they cared as long as their immediate necessities were meant daily. And their immediate necessities were to have money in their pockets, and enough of it to travel to wherever they chose and have plenty of fun when they wanted it.
Suddenly everything began to change. The climate became unpredictable and ever hopeless, the grass turning brown and all the crops dying and small and big businesses collapsing. Laughter soon started vanishing from the faces of the animals; there were wants and poverty none of the animals had answers to. The reality soon dawn on all the animals that they had just been hit by a shortage of everything they once knew and were familiar with that would cripple everything they had always held so dear to their hearts.
There was no fun any more nor places where they could go to and have fun because everywhere and everything was empty and the little money that was in their pockets had to be accounted for. All the animals became prudent, at times a prudence that led to selfishness that it became every animal for himself and God should mind his business wherever he must be. The animal faces were growing dark and sad. What has befallen us? A majority of the animals would not stop wondering. They wanted to cry, but their eyes were all dried of tears.
The reality of the recession started sinking in deeply when the animals would go to stores to purchase whatever items they needed and they would be told that the era when they had to buy one item and get the other free was over. Things became worse when the very poor of the animals would go to the welfare office for their weekly allowances which was either given to them after it had been reduced so that it became worthless or they were not given at all. There was a recession, they were told and the sooner they understood the better for all of them.
Those that suffered most were the animals from the neighbouring Gardens that had to depend on the wealthy animals from the well cultivated Gardens for charity for their very survival. One by one they began to go lean and confused and those that thought they were strong and smart enough began to make away with stuff that belonged to all the animals for themselves, further making the other animals poorer and the Gardens impoverished.
Mr. Bull dozed off. He was thinking in his sleep. Something must be done. If the Garden must return to its past glory, greed and the greedy animals that had caused the shortage of everything in the Garden must be chased out of the Garden and any other Gardens. He got up from where he had been sitting all day when he thought his head was going to burst open from just thinking of the shortages that had just hit the Garden, which had made all the animals to lose their fighting spirit and their ability to think of a solution to the problem. And he walked inside to meet Mrs. Bull in the kitchen.
Mrs. Bull had just finished making potato mash. She left the mash potato in the oven and had it switched off and started taking off her apron and limb gloves. She looked out through the window and allowed a smile to rest on her beautiful face. We cannot have it all bad, can we? She thought to herself.
It was a romantic afternoon, a slightfully warm weather and the rain was drizzling outside; it was more romantic inside as the whole place was only lit by the ray of the sun that managed to find its way in through openings in the window. If there was anything Mr. Bull would have loved this particular day, it would be to stay at home in bed with his wife beside him while he worries himself silly with the problem that had recently been disturbing him.
Staying at home would be a forbidden thing to say as far as Mrs. Bull was concerned, both of them were preparing to go out for shopping, it was going to be an important day in their lives-especially that of Mrs. Bull- she had been planning for this day, and now that it was here, nothing was going to stop her from enjoying every moment of it, even though for the past one month now Mr. Bull's mood had been out of place. He had been fuming over everything and anything, but Mrs. Bull had assured herself that his bad mood was not going to affect her as she did not want her focus to be lost on the reason why she was going for the shopping.
"What is that face for? Do you have to look as if you lost a beautiful world and found one wretched and miserable earth in its stead all the time?" Mrs. Bull had to force herself to say when she could not tolerate his moodiness any more.
"What I have found exactly!" Mr. Bull was almost snapping.
"And you do not snap at me!"
"I did not!"
"I thought you were almost going out of character. Do you want some mash before we leave?"
"Is there a single animal in this Kingdom that had not gone out of character? No."
"You are not going to be a party to the other animals. Go and change into something; there is shopping to do."
"I am alright in this outfit." He was wearing his garden outfit with a jacket with holes all over to keep the mild wind at bay he uses when he was tending the plants and flowers in the garden.
Mrs. Bull said nothing. She eyed him and went into the room to change into something more appealing. Mr. Bull knew better than to remain where he was standing. Though Mrs. Bull was not the nagging type, but she could spit fire when she was provoked. And if there was anything Mr. Bull hated in the world, was to see his beloved wife angry. He went in and came out with something different and a much better jacket.
"Do I have to say you are looking already like the head of the Mafia which you are aspiring to be? Let us make it snappy." Mrs. Bull said.
They both stepped out of the house and locked the door. Mrs. Bull held on to their little Puppy, Samuel, while Mr. Bull was holding the buggies. His face was twisted with a mixture of anger and a pretentious smile. Why cannot the females just go out and do their shopping without the males pushing the buggies behind...
