Key 7,
The Cultivators Farmer Giles and his two shire-horses Jack and Jill were a formidable team and amazing cultivators.
They prided themselves on creating furrows that were straight and parallel.
All the neighbouring farmers wanted to know their secret.
Farmer Giles was under the illusion that it was down to his amazing control of Jack and Jill.
Just a nudge on the reign now and then seemed to be all that was needed.
They had been working together for over ten years and it was almost like their bond was psychic.
Jack and Jill were brother and sister,
With Jill being the older by three years.
If Farmer Giles pulled one of Jack's reins,
Jill sensed it.
Jack also felt every virtual jerk on Jill's reins.
The two horses were equally proud of the work they did and saw things a little differently from the two-legged creature who tacked them up and took them out for long walks up and down the muddy fields.
They felt that it was their collective responsibility to keep Farmer Giles focused on the task in hand.
They didn't know why this was,
It just was.
Any time the farmer's attention wandered away from creating the most perfect furrows,
Jack and Jill took it in turns to wander off course.
Farmer Giles would immediately stop dreaming about going to the pub and his yearning for the new barmaid and pull the naughty animal back in line.
This is what you call teamwork.
From an evolutionary perspective,
Wheat has been on the planet a lot longer than the horse or the human.
As a result,
It's a bit wiser.
So when it came time to seed the field,
Something more magical was underfoot.
The wheat seeds collectively experienced a sense of relief and pride at the work that the farmer and his horses did on their behalf.
Their bidding had been done once more.
They knew they could now sleep soundly and dream peacefully of the sunny days ahead for the coming spring,
Knowing that all is in perfect balance.
