While the strange donkey is lying prone on the ground, clearly struggling for it's own life after the mother unknowingly tortured her own son....at least, his brain anyway....Animal Control pulled up in a truck with a horse trailer attached.
Two men got out and greeted Jeff's parents. They showed them the animal in the yard, and explained that she had pepper-sprayed him.
The animal control soecialists told her they wish she hadn't done that, because it could harm the poor critter. But it was better to be safe than sorry. It was a mighty large animal that could do some damage to a human, if it really wanted to.
While it was lying there, writhing on its side, one of the two men pulled out a tranquilizer gun and shot the jackass right on it's rump. It didn't take long for the animal to cease it's convulsions.
The other man, meanwhile, went into the bed of the truck to rummage around for an oxygen mask specially designed for the size and shape of an equine's muzzle. He had nothing to clear away the pepper spray from it's vulnerable face holes. But at least it would greatly assist the beast's body's ability to breathe through that mess.
Hitting the animal with a tranq was supposed to be the last resort, as they have ways of coaxing a large, frightened equine into a horse trailer in a safe manner for both man and beast. But it was beginning to suffocate on the foul chemicals of the pepper spray. Putting the animal out, would make it much easier to save it's life. And if it does end up dying, at least it wouldn't suffer.
They were able to stabilize the donkey's breathing, but had to request for backup. The donkey would be out for at least five hours. At this point, it would be easier and safer to load it up into the trailer while it was out, rather than wait until it was conscious again. But the animal was clearly overweight. Not very well taken-care of. It was much too heavy for two men to lift, or even to move the thing into the trailer by themselves.
They're backup arrived an hour later, with a winch, cable, and "saddle" attached to an attachment on the back of another truck.
Carefully maneuvering the wide strap of leather and securing it around the middle part of the donkey's body, they used the crane with two ropes of steel attached to both ends of the leather strap to begin lifting the big boy slowly and gently into the air. As they did so, the donkey's body naturally rolled to the left until the leather strap was resting comfortably under the belly with it's legs sticking down towards the ground.
They were then able swing the beast over the fence, into an extra-extra-extra-large gurney-type thing on wheels. Lying it down on its right side. From there, they were able to then wheel it into the trailer to take it away for good. To maybe find its owner, or to even find a new owner.
Once animal control left, Jeff's parents went into the house to greet their son. But Jeff was nowhere to be found. Thinking he must be at a friend's house, his mother began cooking supper.
As it came closer to supper, Jeff still hadn't come home. Or even to call. Which was unsual for the unsusually responsible, pleasant boy. A boy whose mother was very proud of and deeply loved.
Thinking he may have lost track of time; it is, afterall, summer and boys his age value their freedom during the glorious months of summer vacation; Jeff's mom began to dial his friends' parents' cell phones.
"No. He was never here. No, he's here at home, not outside playing."
"Sorry, didn't see him around for the last couple of days."
"My son has been working with his father in the backyard the entire day. Jeff wasn't around today."
Call after call, Jeff's mom couldn't find her son. Who he was with.
She began to worry, and waited around for a couple more hours. Supper was done and Jeff's parents sat down to eat without their boy. As they would do for the rest of their lives. Deeply pained, never knowing what happened to their precious boy. When he went missing, or where he got off to. The police investigation turning up as a cold case. Never to be solved. His computer turning up nothing of value in the case.
His mom would wander periodically into his room for years and years. For decades. Never touching it, not even to clean. Leaving it exactly as Jeff left it. Messy bed. Pillow with a lump in the middle from when he last had his head lying on it. Baseball trophies neatly lined up on the shelf. Desk with his old gaming computer resting on. Dresser holding all of his clothes his mother washed for him the last time before he mysteriously went missing. Never to wear any of those clothes she had lovingly washed for him for the very last time. She left it that way for the day he would walk through the door and say "HI!" Which he would never do, of course. For he had his own hard life to live unbeknownst to his mom and dad.
For a while, his mom would be in denial that he was missing. That he would come marching through that door. But deep deep down, she knew he was never coming back.
It would be more than a year, before she would enter his room, and actually collapse onto her knees for the first time in heart-rending grief. Looking at his frugal possessions. Frugal, except for that gaming computer. The only computer in his room, and the only expensive item he possessed. The chronivac nowhere to be found. It transported itself back to Transdem Labs once it's owner transformed himself into something utterly useless on a permanent basis. Nobody the wiser.
Meanwhile, "back at the ranch," so-to-speak, Jeff starts to wake from the effects of the tranq chemicals wearing off.....