Herman was a little cowboy. He wore a brown hat and small boots. He lived on a farm with soft hay and friendly cows. Herman was brave, but sometimes he felt shy when things looked strange.
On the farm lived King, too. King was a big, fluffy dog with a proud name. King liked to help. King liked to wag his tail and say, “Woof! I’m with you!”
One morning, Herman looked at the chicken coop. The eggs were there. But one special egg was gone. It was the biggest egg, warm and speckled.
Herman blinked. “Uh-oh. Lost egg.”
King sniffed the ground. “Sniff-sniff. We can find it!”
They walked past the barn. They walked past the pond. They walked past the corn rows. The farm felt quiet. Even the wind seemed to whisper.
Then they heard a tiny cackle. “Heh-heh-heh.”
Behind a stack of old buckets stood Witch. She had a long cloak and quick eyes. She was not from the farm. She tapped a crooked stick on the dirt.
Herman held his hat. “Hello.”
Witch tilted her head. “I took the big egg. I like big eggs.”
King stepped close to Herman. King did not growl. King just stood tall.
Herman took a slow breath. “Please give it back. The hen will be sad.”
Witch made a frowny face. “No. Mine.”
Herman thought hard. He was a cowboy. Cowboys are clever.
He pointed to the sky. “Witch, do you see that cloud? It looks like a pancake.”
Witch looked up. “A pancake?”
King quickly rolled a barrel. Inside the barrel was something shiny and loud: a farm bell.
DING-DONG!
Witch jumped. “Eek!”
Herman spoke in a calm voice. “We don’t want to scare you. We just want the egg safe.”
Witch blinked. Her shoulders dropped. “I… I only wanted to hatch it. I am lonely. I wanted a baby bird to follow me.”
Herman’s eyes got soft. “We can share.”
King wagged. “Woof! Share!”
Herman had an idea. “Come to the barn. You can watch the egg with us. The hen can sit on it. You can visit every day.”
Witch looked unsure. “Every day?”
Herman nodded. “Yes. On this farm, we help.
Witch slowly pulled the big egg from her cloak. She held it carefully. “It is warm,” she whispered.
They all walked to the coop. The hen clucked, “Bok-bok!”
Herman made a cozy nest with straw. King brought a soft feather in his mouth. Witch waved her hand and made the straw extra fluffy, like a pillow.
The hen sat down. The egg was safe.
Herman smiled. “Good job, team.”
King barked, “Woof-woof!”
Witch gave a tiny smile, too.
That afternoon, Herman found a reward by the barn door. A small wooden box waited there, tied with a red string. Inside was a bright, silver sheriff star.
A note said, “For Herman the Kind Cowboy. From the farm.”
Herman pinned the star on his shirt. It shined like sun.
King licked Herman’s hand. Witch waved goodbye, not scary now.
Herman looked at the coop. “Egg safe,” he said.
King wagged. “Friends safe.”
And the farm felt warm again.