Jack looked around the dusty barn. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually been in there. Cobwebs hung from some of the rafters, the paint was peeling, and a few of the wood struts looked rotten. It was hard to believe that his father still used it, keeping their poor mare Sally in one of the stalls. He remembered the many times his father had asked for help repairing it and the many excuses he came up with to avoid the work. Now thinking about Sally cooped up in this sad, dirty place made him feel a little guilty.
"You can hide in here while we try to figure something out. I need to get back to my chores or people might get suspicious," said Joe.
"What am I supposed to do?" asked Jack.
Joe shrugged his shoulders.
"Just do what you always do, I guess. Nothing. Shouldn't be too hard, " said Joe as he walked back to the barn door.
Joe sighed as he paused at the barn door. He turned and looked at Jack.
"If you get bored, you could always bale the hay. Maybe stack it and load it for me so I can feed the cattle. It would be a great help to me. Probably be able to finish my chores a little quicker and get to work on your problem. But only if you feel like it. I know you had a real hard day, " said Joe as he closed the barn door.
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Jack tried to make himself comfortable on the floor of the barn, hoping to take a nap. The straw was soft, but he just couldn't get to sleep. He did feel a little guilty about not helping his father with the chores. But his Dad was right - he did have a tough day. He needed a break.
The problem was that his body didn't feel like resting. It was anxious, full of energy and raring to go. It didn't want to sit down on the ground. It wanted to get up, to move, to stretch.
Eventually Jack went over to the pile of hay at the edge of the barn. Just to have a look, not to work. It certainly was a big pile, much taller than himself. He spied a large pitchfork on the ground. Well, large was a relative word. In his hands it looked small, almost like a toy. But he could still easily lift and move the hay with the tool, as he found when he experimentally shifted some of the hay into a smaller pile. Just for fun he tied it into a small bale. The bale looked heavy, easily 500 pounds. He decided to see how strong he was now and tried to lift it. He had to strain a little, but it was manageable. He loaded it onto the old wooden wagon on the side barn without much effort. The exercise felt good. His muscles burned, but in a nice way. He repeated the process again ..... and again ...... and again ........ until all of the hay had been tied into small bales and loaded onto the wagon.
Jack wiped the sweat from his brow, proud of his work. It hadn't been easy, but the result was impressive. And he still wasn't tired. He wanted to do more. His body yearned to do more, to push itself to its limits. He wanted to repair the barn, but he couldn't find paint, wood or any of the other tools and materials he would need. He did see a shovel and got an idea.
Jack grabbed the tool and headed to Sally's stall. The poor horse's home was absolutely filthy, with large piles of manure littered all around it. The straw was dirty and smelled like old urine. No animal should have to sleep in a place like this. The least he could do for her was to clean it up. He began to load her waste into a wheelbarrow, substituting the dirty, old straw with a fresh, clean replacement.
He was still working when his father returned.
"Oh boy! You did all this? I thought you might just play around a bit with a few bales of hay, but you went and cleared out the whole stack! That is quite a feat," said Joe happily, patting his son on his broad back.
Jack blushed slightly. He was proud of his work and it felt good to get praise for his efforts. Joe looked over at his wheelbarrow.
"And cleaning out Sally's stall, too? I bet she will be very grateful," said Joe.
Jack blushed even brighter.
"I hate to ask, son, but I really need your help with something else. The tractor broke down and I got no way to haul the hay out to the cattle. Would you mind pulling the wagon for me?"
"No problem, " said Jack happily, putting the heavy yoke around his neck. He was eager to test out the strength in his legs. And even more eager to get out of that stuffy barn. His concerns about his nudity or being seen by other people were the last thing on his mind, completely forgotten.
Joe opened the barn doors wide and ran back to the wagon, sitting on top of some bales of hay at the front.
"Okay, boy. Let's see what you got," said Joe as he snapped the reins of the yoke.
Jack jumped forward, straining to pull the wagon. Getting started was a little more difficult than he thought, but once it was in motion it was easy for the powerful muscles of his thighs to move the heavy cart. And it felt good, real good. Jack smiled as he dragged the wagon into the pasture, moving towards the waiting hungry cattle.