The morning sun had climbed high above Krusty Farm, casting warm light across the enormous property. Kevin stood near the warehouse with Melisha and the newly transformed group ready to show them around their new home.
Jessie was still getting used to having a real body, occasionally flexing her fingers and looking down at her hands as though she expected to see painted plastic instead of skin. Bo Peep was calmer, though she kept glancing toward her sheep with an expression of amazement, while Bullseye happily trotted around the grass as if he had been waiting his entire life to run through an actual field.
The three-headed sheep were probably the strangest sight of all. Each head seemed to have its own expression, and they kept bumping into one another whenever they tried to look in different directions.
Kevin glanced back at them and smiled. "Alright, let's show you around. Since you're going to be staying here, you should know what the farm has."
Jessie looked around curiously. "How big is this place?"
"Pretty big," Kevin replied. "You won't have to worry about running out of space anytime soon."
He first showed them the main farmhouse and the worker quarters before leading them farther into the property. The first thing that caught their attention was the large grove of Truffula Trees.
The colorful trees stood proudly across the land, their unusual tops swaying gently in the breeze. Jessie stopped for a moment, staring at them. "I've never seen trees like these before."
"They're part of the farm," Kevin said. "They're also one of the things we're producing products from, so you'll probably see them quite often."
Bo walked closer to one of the trees and looked up at it. "They're beautiful."
"Yeah, they are." Kevin continued walking, and the others followed him toward the animal areas.
The Martian cows were grazing peacefully in their section of the farm. Despite their unusual appearance, they behaved like ordinary livestock, occasionally moving between patches of grass or drinking from the water troughs.
"These are the Martian cows," Kevin explained. "They're one of the farm's main sources of milk."
Jessie looked at the cows for a moment. "Martian cows?"
"Yep."
"And they're actually from Mars?"
"That's what Martian means."
Jessie stared at him.
Kevin chuckled. "You'll get used to the names."
He then showed them the Abyssal Chickens. The strange-looking birds wandered around their enclosure, pecking at the ground and occasionally flapping their wings. They were certainly unlike any ordinary chickens Jessie had seen before.
"Those things lay eggs?" she asked.
"They do."
Jessie nodded slowly. "Interesting."
Kevin then led them toward the jellyfish area, where the creatures were kept in carefully maintained tanks. He explained that the jellyfish provided the special jelly used to make the farm's jellyfish jam, and that the harvesting process was designed so the animals weren't harmed.
Bo looked relieved when she heard that. "So they're taken care of?"
"Of course," Kevin replied. "I don't want anything on my farm being mistreated."
They continued toward the factory.
Unlike the rest of the farm, the building was already fully operational. Workers moved between different sections while machines processed the farm's products. The smell of freshly prepared food drifted through the air as the production lines continued running.
Kevin pointed toward one of the processing sections. "That's where we process the Martian cow milk."
Jessie looked through the window and noticed the distinctive red liquid moving through the production line. "That's milk?"
"This place keeps getting stranger," Jessie said.
"You'll get used to it."
"I don't think I will." She stared at it for several seconds.
Kevin laughed.
They moved farther along, passing the section responsible for the jellyfish jam and another area where the Abyssal Chicken eggs were sorted and prepared for shipment.
Finally, Kevin showed them the newest addition to the factory.
A large machine occupied one of the production rooms, surrounded by neatly organized materials and freshly finished products.
Bo tilted her head. "What's that?"
"That's the Thneed machine." Kevin said.
Jessie blinked. "Thneed?"
Kevin nodded. "They're one of the products we're producing here now."
The three-headed sheep stared at the machine. All three heads tilted in different directions.
Kevin noticed and laughed. "Don't worry. You don't have to understand everything today."
After finishing the factory tour, Kevin brought them back toward the main part of the farm. "There are still plenty of things that will be added here eventually, but that's the important stuff for now."
Bo looked around the property again. "It really is a beautiful place."
Kevin nodded. "And it'll only get better."
He then looked toward Melisha, who had been waiting nearby. "Melisha, I'll leave them with you. Show them where they'll be staying and explain how things work around here."
Melisha nodded. "I've got it."
Kevin turned toward the newcomers. "You can settle in for now. I'll come back later."
Jessie nodded. "Alright. Thanks, Kevin."
Kevin gave them a quick smile before heading toward his car.
Once he was far enough away, the animals from Mossy Bill's former farm had been watching the humans disappear from sight.
Otis raised his head over the fence and waited until Kevin and Melisha were completely out of sight. "They're gone now."
Pig looked toward him. "What do we do now?"
Peck, the chicken, tilted his head. "Well, we could always leave."
Otis immediately looked at him. "Leave?"
Peck nodded. "There's a law that says we can."
Otis stared at him for a moment. "How do you know about that?"
Peck shifted his wings slightly. "I looked at Old Mossy's computer."
Otis's eyes widened. "You did?"
Peck nodded. "It wasn't just you."
Shaun, who had been standing nearby, nodded as well. Pig did the same.
Otis slowly looked between all three of them. "So all of you knew about the law?"
Shaun nodded again.
Otis sighed and looked back toward the farmhouse.
He knew Peck was right. The law existed. They had all discovered it while searching through Old Mossy's computer in the past. The Sentience Protection Act of 1987 made animals who demonstrated clear speech, reasoning and self-awareness eligible for legal personhood. Once officially registered, they could choose to leave their owners and live independently.
Nobody could legally force them to stay but the thought was tempting for only a moment.
Otis looked around the farm. "Alright, but you see what we've got here."
Pig looked around as well.
Otis continued, "Why would we even want to go out there? If we leave this farm and live by ourselves, we'd have to work, find a place to live and buy our own food."
He gestured toward the barn with his head. "But here, food is always given to us. The barns are clean and comfortable. We've got water, shelter and plenty of room. We don't have to worry about predators, and nobody's making our lives miserable."
Pig nodded thoughtfully.
Otis added, "And the food they gave us earlier was really good."
That earned another nod from the others.
Peck looked toward the fields. "I suppose that's true."
Otis rested his head against the fence and looked across the farm.
The more he thought about it, the more obvious it became. They weren't trapped here.
That was the difference.
If they wanted to leave, they could but why leave a place where they were safe, comfortable and well-fed?
Otis smiled faintly. "You know, based on everything I've seen so far, this place might actually be heaven."
"Mehhhh."
Otis froze.
The sound of a sheep had come from directly beside him. He slowly turned his head, expecting to see Shaun.
Instead, one of the three-headed sheep was standing there. All three heads were looking directly at him.
Otis's eyes widened. "AH!"
He jumped backward, nearly falling over the fence.
"WHAHAHAHAHAHA" Pig burst into laughter while Peck flapped his wings excitedly. Shaun simply stared at the strange sheep as if this was somehow normal.
The three-headed sheep calmly continued grass.
Otis stared at it. "What the heck is that thing?"
Shaun shrugged.
Otis slowly shook his head. "Yeah. Definitely heaven."
_______
Meanwhile, Kevin had reached his car.
He stopped when he saw Queen Buzzara already waiting nearby with her delegation.
More than fifty Chocobee soldiers stood behind her, accompanied by several other bees who appeared to be members of her council and royal party.
Kevin had expected them to be ready. The Queen had made it clear that she intended to visit Barr.
Queen Buzzara looked toward him. "We are ready to go."
Kevin smiled and unlocked the car. "Then let's go."
The Queen and her companions began getting into the vehicles prepared for the trip, while Kevin settled into his own car.