Water Rising in the Yard

Pip stood on tiptoe beside the rain barrel, one hand on its damp rim and the other stretched toward the farmyard bucket line. He was trying very hard to look useful. The evening drink for the cows, hens, and geese needed to be ready before dark, and Pip had decided he could help by keeping the barrel from sloshing over.

But the barrel was not the only thing making trouble.

A clear, bright trickle was pushing up through the packed earth beside the pump. It bubbled like a tiny hidden spring, right where the ground should have stayed firm. Each little puff made the dirt shine and spread. The water was climbing faster than Pip expected, running around the pump stones and edging toward the waiting animals.

Mina was kneeling nearby, peering at the wet patch with her curly head bent close, while Tamsin pointed from the shed and called, “Look! The yard is waking up under our feet!” The geese had already begun to waddle closer, and the cows were shifting their heavy legs, drawn by the sound of water.

Pip stared at the barrel, then at the bubbling place beside the pump. The barrel was only catching what the ground kept sending up. If he stayed here, the yard might turn soft and squishy before the animals got their drink. But if he moved too fast, he could make a mess or get in the animals’ way. He had to choose where to go first: follow the barrel, study the bubbling ground, or call the others to help hold the animals back.