Daniel stepped into the house, cradling something. A second look revealed the surprise, a perfectly adorable fawn covered with white spots. By all evidence, it was no more than a week old. We gasped. Could it be a real baby deer?
Daniel explained how its mommy had gotten hit on the road a few days before. And now the neighbors notified us that they had seen its baby out on her own.
I joined the six children as we all trailed Daniel to the barn. This baby deer was to get the best care ever.
We had all relished the stories Daniel, and his siblings had shared of Frisky, the baby deer they had rescued years ago, and how it just was loose running around the farm. Why it had been so tame, it followed them right into the house, heading straight for the pantry where it was always treated with marshmallows. In my head, I was seeing all sorts of future scenes with our little ones bonding with this adorable little thing in desperate need of nutrition. First, we mixed up some adoption formulas for baby animals as such. We were relieved to see it drink it down. One by one, Daniel gave the children permission to come and touch it so as not to scare or overwhelm it.