Sometimes the real splash isn’t the one you planned.
The peacock had told everyone, “We need a faster watering solution.”
A few weeks later, it was the summer showcase—with teams from Dunwell, Yolotown, and Picklewillow showing what they’d been working on.
The team from Yolotown demoed their design first.
They wheeled in a massive slingshot labelled “AquaBazooka 9000™”, loaded it with a huge water balloon, and aimed it at a hay bale.
The sloth slowly leaned against the trigger lever…
…and after an agonising pause, fwump—the balloon launched.
It missed the hay bale entirely and slammed into the lazy cat, who immediately recoiled, fur soaked.
The cat blinked, dripping.
“…Refreshing,” she muttered, pretending everything was fine.
The rooster turned to the crowd.
“Boom. Innovation.”
The peacock stepped forward, feathers bristling, loud enough for everyone to hear.
“No. That’s not right. You’ll need to do it again.”
The rooster freezes.
“We did what you asked for. We’re not doing it again.”
Stunned, the rooster strutted out of the barn, the parrot flapping loyally behind.
The hedgehog from Picklewillow quietly stepped forward, dragging a small wheeled cart with a spout on top.
Her paws trembled on the cart. It was her first time presenting to the whole barn, and every heartbeat sounded louder than the murmurs in the crowd.
She quietly said:
“Right… so ours doesn’t launch anything.”
A tiny placard read: “Low-Pressure Delivery System.”
She hadn’t even begun her demo when…
Outside the barn, the rooster launched into a tirade:
“He’s a preening, pompous, pencil-necked poser.
All tail, no brain. A hundred eyes but no vision.
His rear end could blot out the sun.”
The parrot nodded, adding:
“I wanted to throw my hay bale out the window, followed by my perch and seed bowl.”
The rooster kept going:
“Stick a broom handle up him and you could dust the rafters.”
Inside the barn: stunned silence.
All the animals sat with their mouths or beaks hanging open.
It had been hot.
All the windows were wide open.
They heard everything.
The peacock turned bright blue and stormed outside.
Everyone heard him scream:
“Say that to my beak, you chicken!”
The hedgehog had been awkwardly standing at the front the whole time.
She thought solemnly for a long time.
Cleared her throat.
Then said:
“So… who wants to see this watering can?”
Davide la Locomotive 
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