Notable Animals: Lively Laddie
Lively Laddie came from an interesting mother. His mother, maybe named Lovely Lassie, almost died before Lively Laddie even had a chance to exist and live his long life. Lovely Lassie survived a train crash when she was being carted off to be slaughtered. Who knows how it happened, but the survival of the train crash must have led to the survival of the slaughter house. Maybe the train crash set her free and she went prancing off into the nearby hills, hiding until finally discovered by someone kind enough to care for her and let her live. Or maybe someone heard her story and thought it was too cruel a twist of fate for such a survivor to be sent immediately to her death, so they stepped in to rescue her. But she lived. And she went on to have her son, Lively Laddie.
It must have been passed on to Lively Laddie, this will to live, this urge to keep on surviving. Who knows how these things work, but sometimes it seems more than just good genes. He inherited his mother's luck, or his mothers drive, or his mothers determination. The magic of their ability to keep on living seemed more than just a fluke of genetics. Whatever it was, somehow he did it. Lively Laddie became one of the oldest donkeys to ever live.
Donkey's are known to be stubborn, and what better way to use your stubbornness then by refusing to succumb to all of our inevitable fates of death. Instead of dying, Lively Laddie just kept on living, and living and living.
Lively Laddie didn't have a simple donkey life on a farm. In his youth, he was a donkey with a joy for speed. He knew how to run, and he knew how to run fast. Maybe this was something else inherited by his mother, who may have run like lightening away from the crashed train. Lively Laddie became a racing donkey. How confident he must of felt, running at full speed, his hooves click-clocking against the ground, his head tilted toward he sky with wind whipping through his mane.
Later in his life, Lively Laddie found another way to make ends meet. He lived a Blackpool Pleasure Beach, an amusement park in England, where he entertained tourists. I imagine he wandered free amongst the roaming hordes of tourists at the park. Maybe he stopped at the cotton candy stand where he was allowed to chew upon fluffy, pink puffs of cotton candy. Maybe he stopped under the Ferris wheel, looking up to watch the passing people as they soared toward the sky. Maybe on hot days, he stopped by the water rides to feel the splash of the cool water as the the ride's cars splashed downward. Or maybe he didn't have the freedom of wandering and instead ate hay peacefully in a barn with other animals where children came to visit, cupping their sticky hands on his cheeks and feeding him pellets and hay. Either way, it must have been a nice life for Lively Laddie, a life he didn't want to leave.
But, eventually it happened. Lively Laddie passed away in 2005 at the old age of 62. But in his time on earth, he made a name for himself. He lived up to being lively.
The Blackpool Pleasure Beach where Lively Laddie once entertained tourists, is known to have ghosts. There is a ghost of an old ride operator named Cloggy. Cloggy got his name due to his love of wearing clogs. People still heart the clip-clop of his clogs today. Or are they mistaken? Maybe the clip-clop sound is not the ghost of Cloggy, but rather a the ghost of another creature known for clip-clopping. Maybe the clip-clop is Lively Laddies merry steps, clicking against the cement, as he continues his life adventures even after life has left him.
Donkey's are known to be stubborn, and what better way to use your stubbornness then by refusing to succumb to all of our inevitable fates of death. Instead of dying, Lively Laddie just kept on living, and living and living.
Lively Laddie didn't have a simple donkey life on a farm. In his youth, he was a donkey with a joy for speed. He knew how to run, and he knew how to run fast. Maybe this was something else inherited by his mother, who may have run like lightening away from the crashed train. Lively Laddie became a racing donkey. How confident he must of felt, running at full speed, his hooves click-clocking against the ground, his head tilted toward he sky with wind whipping through his mane.
Later in his life, Lively Laddie found another way to make ends meet. He lived a Blackpool Pleasure Beach, an amusement park in England, where he entertained tourists. I imagine he wandered free amongst the roaming hordes of tourists at the park. Maybe he stopped at the cotton candy stand where he was allowed to chew upon fluffy, pink puffs of cotton candy. Maybe he stopped under the Ferris wheel, looking up to watch the passing people as they soared toward the sky. Maybe on hot days, he stopped by the water rides to feel the splash of the cool water as the the ride's cars splashed downward. Or maybe he didn't have the freedom of wandering and instead ate hay peacefully in a barn with other animals where children came to visit, cupping their sticky hands on his cheeks and feeding him pellets and hay. Either way, it must have been a nice life for Lively Laddie, a life he didn't want to leave.
But, eventually it happened. Lively Laddie passed away in 2005 at the old age of 62. But in his time on earth, he made a name for himself. He lived up to being lively.
The Blackpool Pleasure Beach where Lively Laddie once entertained tourists, is known to have ghosts. There is a ghost of an old ride operator named Cloggy. Cloggy got his name due to his love of wearing clogs. People still heart the clip-clop of his clogs today. Or are they mistaken? Maybe the clip-clop sound is not the ghost of Cloggy, but rather a the ghost of another creature known for clip-clopping. Maybe the clip-clop is Lively Laddies merry steps, clicking against the cement, as he continues his life adventures even after life has left him.