The farm before the animal farm
Way before the Major Farm, when there wasn't the Manor Farm yet Mr. Jones, Benjamin, the most bealtiful dunkey in America, also know as me. I didn't borne in this farm, but I'm the oldest and I saw everything until the revolution, that chance the farm for ever. I was there when the old Major was born, and this is important, you'll going to see it.
It was 1920, 25 years ago, and neither the Animal farm nor Manor farm existed yet. There was only Mr. Jones, being his 37 years, and me, a little, cute, three-year-old nameless donkey. I have never met my mother, only Philips, my oldest owner. He is... or he was... I don't know, it doesn’t matter. We didn’t keep contact. Anyway, I wish he had gone from this to the worst, he was repugnant. Everything, according to him, was my fault, even if it wasn’t. Of course, the corn field was eaten by me, it’s no denying that it was because of me that his wife cheated on him. Since he had never had children, I had to do all the work. However, by the time I was two years old, he was cheated, abandoned, got poor... O.K., maybe not poor, just broken. Therefore, I was put for auction.
“Cubs, do never go to an auction.” I was put in a dirty, small place. There wasn't even enough space to me! Even though I was only two years old, I was already huge. To make things worse, I was put with other pigs, as you. However, they were much bigger and fatter than you – and weirder, to be honest. And I was so strong, clever, obviously handsome and healthy. How could I be provided just by 1.000€?! I was certainly more valuable than this. Moreover, I was bought by Mr. Jones exactly since I was such a low price. That could have not happened. It had been the best day of my life, at beginning... I felt like I was finally going to be loved and happy, but, of course, it was all fake. Later, the revolution could prove me that.
I remember every single second. He was number 69 in the auction and he was a navy-blue coat with black pants. He has taken me at the stable with a red string tied up on my neck. He put me on the back of an old wain with two old horses in front. I had never seen anything so beautiful. The trees and the field were all orangish because of the autumn.
We passed through an old, wood gate. In the distance, there was a white house. On the left there was one sheep, two pigs, who - I guessed - were a couple, and one cow. The horses stopped in front of the henhouses. “Yes, kids. The same henhouses where we keep our seven commanders, nowadays.” When I arrived, the sun was already setting. Mr. Jones gave me corn, water and showed a pile of hay. Oh, and that hay... it was so warm, huge and extremely comfortable.
When the moon was shining and I was almost falling asleep, I heard some noises coming from outside. For instincts, I get up. Slowly, I approached to the front door. However, when I got there, there wasn't anyone. It was just after I had already arrived there that I heard some giggles behind me. At the same moment, the fastest I could, I turned around, and the same sheep that I had seen before, he... sorry, she jumped over me. “I did get you”, she said “You is the new one! My name are Mary, who is you?”. She, for some reason, couldn't speak correctly, but as she had a funny sense of humor, I answered her. “Hi, I am... a donkey."; "No silly. What are you name?”.
“Do you know kids, I had never thought about my name before this moment. Philips gad never given me a name, no one had ever called me by any special or relevant name. And I am thankful to Napoleon.” I said I didn’t have a name, so Mary called her friends. Recia, Mollie and Muriel. “Yes kids, the same cow and couple of pigs who I had mentioned earlier.” Mary presented me to everyone – even though it wasn’t a lot of animals. We kept debating for hours about which name would be the best for me. Recia suggested Marco, Polo, Lúcia, while Mollie disagreed: “Steve! No, Hamilton!”. I didn’t enjoy any of the names at all, until John asked: “And what if it was... Benjamin! It means "son of happiness", "son of the right hand", "the beloved". It describes you pretty well”. It was wonderful. I didn't only love it; I also felt loved for the first time. Nobody had ever cared about me. Then, we started laughing over and over, and we still laughed about that night years later.
Thirteen years from that night, one little pig was born. We called him Major (later, when he got old, his name became Old Major). Mollie was the one who chased the name, and chose that, specifically because it was from a friend that she had when she was little. Two weeks later, a truck brought a lot of chicken. Even I had now fifteen, I helped Jones building their house. One year later, my friend's pigs had two more children, and this two were selected to reproduce... to make other little pigs... "Ï won't explain you that, kids, you're too young. One day you'll understand." Anyway, after that they made...one...two...three...four... no, there was, currently, four female pigs and five male pigs. Home was getting each time even bigger. Therefore, Jones wanted to start business with us to help us eating and warming up. For this reason, he created the Manor Farm!
For the next five years, the farm has grown a lot. Squealer was the first to arrive, followed by Moses and Napoleon. “Did you know, kids, that Napoleon means 'what came from Naples' and indicates a person who is always opened to new experiences and points of view, despite that it is also 'those who does not admit to have his personal freedom threatened even by the noblest goals'. Muriel was the one who has told me that.”
One year later, Mollie and Muriel died. I got really upset, I had promised I would keep them alive, but I didn’t. The animals who had come nameless would have this in honor of them.
Two more years passed until Mary got sick. We knew her time was coming, so I made a banquet for her and I stayed next to her until her last breath. One year passed and Recia was gone too. Unfortunately, I feel like she had the same end as Boxer did. I cried a lot, she was a good friend. She used to listen to me.
Three months later, two new animals arrived in the farm. OK, she didn't come... Jones found her. He didn’t give a name to anyone, so I saw an opportunity; there she was. My little fragile Mollie and my brutal and stong Muriel. "I don't support her ideologies, but what can I do?".
And that’s how we got where we are currently, this is the place where Old Major was raised and where he has come up with his ideas, which were spread yesterday in the speech that he made in the henhouse, before his death. And, inspired by him, I decided to share with you our history, for us never to forget it. Moreover, we must pass Old Major’s speech to the next generations and we must start putting in action his ideologies. But this might be something for a next talk, right now it is too late, and you must sleep. Good night, cubs!
