Scandal in Animal Farm
(Part 1 of Animal Farm is here.)
And so it came to pass that the farm elected the Pig for Supreme Animal. Or at least that’s what the Comselec, the commission that counted the votes, declared.
Within six months the Parrot lost its voice and eventually died of heartbreak. The Owl retreated into deep silence and seemed not to be sorely missed. The Dove had to go back to its divided flock to explain how it misheard the voice from heaven. The Dog started acting like a domesticated puppy. But the Duck had the most fun, selling recordings of its quack and getting paid for finally acting like a duck. The Pig continued campaigning for a while, as if it needed reminding that it had been elected Supreme Animal. It finally stopped trying to win a popularity contest and tried to solve the problems of the farm with mixed results as in the past.
Within a year, excitement was back in the animal farm. Some animals have accused the pigs surrounding the Supreme Animal of hoarding more and more food illegally. Now this is interesting because this was how the former Supreme Animal, an Ass, was kicked out and is now confined to a cage. But the farm animals really took notice when a cockatoo, a talking bird, was brought into the farm by a hawk. This cockatoo kept repeating a conversation that started with “Hello Gorsy?” The animals started calling the bird a “cockatape” because of this. What is even more interesting is that the hawk claimed that the voice repeated by the cockatape is that of the Supreme Animal’s giving instructions to a monkey named Gorilla and nicknamed Gorsy, a member of the Comselec, to rig the election in the Pig’s favor. Aha! The Pig’s enemies said, proof that it cheated!
The spokesfrog of the Supreme Animal first said the Pig was actually talking to Goatsy, a goat, but later retracted and croaked that it may not be the Supreme Animal’s voice after all and, besides, nobody even knows where the cockatape came from or if it really overheard a conversation or was just trained so.
Dung broke loose in the animal farm. Each side was throwing dung at the other and before long it was a messy situation indeed. The whole farm was bleating about the Cockatape Scandal and many talking birds were copying the cockatape throughout the farm. The Pig avoided the topic but grunted that it will be addressed in due time. The House of Roosters, composed of animals supposed to pass laws but do nothing but preen, tried to step in but ended up out-crowing each other for days as usual. So the dung kept piling and some animals started advising the Pig to just own up and apologize so the dung could be cleaned up. The Ass’s friends and some hawks, who had been asking the Supreme Animal to resign, were joined by their former enemies in their protests. Finally the Dog, which had been a puppy lately, started barking to present itself as an alternative leader.
Now this is making the Pig’s friends nervous. They thought the farm animals would be tolerant of the Pig since, with the Parrot’s demise, there was no credible challenger to the Supreme Animal. Now they are worried that the Dog can unite all the Pig’s enemies, just when the farm animals are getting impatient with the Pig. The Dog, which has tried to portray itself capable of ruling with an iron paw to solve the problems of the farm, is baying, waiting for a chance to pounce.
What is going to happen?
Will the Supreme Animal continue avoiding the topic, hiding behind a technicality and wish its opponents would let it die down? Do the Pig and its friends have something up their hooves?
Will the Pig break its silence, own up to the voice but not admit wrongdoing, and hope the animals are willing to believe, forgive and move on?
Will the Pig resign? Will the rules of succession be followed and the elected Next Animal become Supreme Animal?
Will the hawks take over the farm, fire the Roosters and make the Comselec obsolete?
Will the Ass return to power?
Will the Dog gather enough support and bypass the rules of succession to become Supreme Animal?
Who will clean up the dung?
And so it came to pass that the farm elected the Pig for Supreme Animal. Or at least that’s what the Comselec, the commission that counted the votes, declared.
Within six months the Parrot lost its voice and eventually died of heartbreak. The Owl retreated into deep silence and seemed not to be sorely missed. The Dove had to go back to its divided flock to explain how it misheard the voice from heaven. The Dog started acting like a domesticated puppy. But the Duck had the most fun, selling recordings of its quack and getting paid for finally acting like a duck. The Pig continued campaigning for a while, as if it needed reminding that it had been elected Supreme Animal. It finally stopped trying to win a popularity contest and tried to solve the problems of the farm with mixed results as in the past.
Within a year, excitement was back in the animal farm. Some animals have accused the pigs surrounding the Supreme Animal of hoarding more and more food illegally. Now this is interesting because this was how the former Supreme Animal, an Ass, was kicked out and is now confined to a cage. But the farm animals really took notice when a cockatoo, a talking bird, was brought into the farm by a hawk. This cockatoo kept repeating a conversation that started with “Hello Gorsy?” The animals started calling the bird a “cockatape” because of this. What is even more interesting is that the hawk claimed that the voice repeated by the cockatape is that of the Supreme Animal’s giving instructions to a monkey named Gorilla and nicknamed Gorsy, a member of the Comselec, to rig the election in the Pig’s favor. Aha! The Pig’s enemies said, proof that it cheated!
The spokesfrog of the Supreme Animal first said the Pig was actually talking to Goatsy, a goat, but later retracted and croaked that it may not be the Supreme Animal’s voice after all and, besides, nobody even knows where the cockatape came from or if it really overheard a conversation or was just trained so.
Dung broke loose in the animal farm. Each side was throwing dung at the other and before long it was a messy situation indeed. The whole farm was bleating about the Cockatape Scandal and many talking birds were copying the cockatape throughout the farm. The Pig avoided the topic but grunted that it will be addressed in due time. The House of Roosters, composed of animals supposed to pass laws but do nothing but preen, tried to step in but ended up out-crowing each other for days as usual. So the dung kept piling and some animals started advising the Pig to just own up and apologize so the dung could be cleaned up. The Ass’s friends and some hawks, who had been asking the Supreme Animal to resign, were joined by their former enemies in their protests. Finally the Dog, which had been a puppy lately, started barking to present itself as an alternative leader.
Now this is making the Pig’s friends nervous. They thought the farm animals would be tolerant of the Pig since, with the Parrot’s demise, there was no credible challenger to the Supreme Animal. Now they are worried that the Dog can unite all the Pig’s enemies, just when the farm animals are getting impatient with the Pig. The Dog, which has tried to portray itself capable of ruling with an iron paw to solve the problems of the farm, is baying, waiting for a chance to pounce.
What is going to happen?
Will the Supreme Animal continue avoiding the topic, hiding behind a technicality and wish its opponents would let it die down? Do the Pig and its friends have something up their hooves?
Will the Pig break its silence, own up to the voice but not admit wrongdoing, and hope the animals are willing to believe, forgive and move on?
Will the Pig resign? Will the rules of succession be followed and the elected Next Animal become Supreme Animal?
Will the hawks take over the farm, fire the Roosters and make the Comselec obsolete?
Will the Ass return to power?
Will the Dog gather enough support and bypass the rules of succession to become Supreme Animal?
Who will clean up the dung?
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