Good evening, children. It's Granny McDuff, ready with a story. So make yourselves comfy,

and I'll begin.

Once upon a time, when men and women were not quite as clever as they are now, there happened

a big event in a small town.

It all began when one of the great horned owls that lived in the woods found herself inside

a barn at the edge of town. Her name was Arwen. She had gone out for her

nightly hunt and after enjoying a lovely meal she decided to take a quick fly around town. It was not

the first time she had done this. Each time she was able to do it unseen, which was not an easy feat given her wingspan.

She was quite beautiful to watch, coasting along silently in the air.

It was a sight to see.

But none ever did.

In fact, at this time, no one in the village had ever seen an owl.

And that was just the way the great horned owls liked it.

They were wild and free and wanted to stay that way. But on this night, a storm was rolling in.

Knowing she would not make it back to the woods in time, Arwen saw a barn door open and decided to take cover inside. The barn was very dark indeed.

She landed on a high beam,

the perfect place for her to rest for a while and let the storm pass.

She could see clearly a few chickens, a cow, two goats and a horse, all down below, all sleeping soundly on beds of straw.

On the other side, there were bales of hay piled up, almost as high as the beam she sat on.

But before Arwen knew it, the sun rose up over the hills. This was most certainly a problem.

For humans and other birds, birds that would prey upon her could see her. It was only under the cover of

darkness that she dared venture out of the woods.

...