The Three Amigos: The Great Escape

Let the Antics Begin!

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly;
What is essential is invisible to the eye." — The Fox from The Little Prince

Beauford

The elephants were the first to know. No surprise there. Their large flexible ears are in constant motion, fanning the air to keep themselves cool while scanning the airwaves for any and all news they can pass on to the rest of us.

Benny, Betty and I were enjoying our morning meal of grass hay mixed with a few pieces of carrots and apples when the ground began to vibrate like the head of a giant drum. Within seconds the vibrations resolved into the elephants’ rhythmic, deep bass voices delivering alarming news. “The circus is closing! The circus is closing!” they repeated again and again until every other animal in every other part of the circus was sounding the alarm - roaring, neighing, trumpeting, snorting, caterwauling, hissing, bleating, crowing, meowing, barking, cheeping, peeping, growling, clucking, honking, whimpering, and braying all at once.

“What’s going on?” Betty nickered anxiously.

“I’m not quite sure I want to know,
But we’d better make plans and be ready to go.” Benny replied, automatically falling into the rhythm and rhyme we used to communicate with each other. He turned from his feed bucket, led the way to the back corner of our pasture, and waited for us to join him.

When all three of us were standing in a “Circle of Safety”- nose-to-nose with our backsides facing the outside world - I recited the special chant we used to start all Three Amigos meetings:

”Nose-to-nose, heart-to-heart
Amigos forever, never apart.”

Then we lifted our heads to the sky and brayed as loudly as we could three times. “Hee Haw! Hee Haw! Hee Haw!”

The Three Amigos meeting had been called to order.

A long moment of silence followed as we collected our thoughts about the elephants’ news. We’d all heard stories about what happens to animals when circuses go out of business. The larger and exotic animals (lions, elephants, bears, and monkeys) were probably safe along with the elegant white horses used for trick riding. But what about the rest of us, the so-called barnyard animals who pulled the caravans and supply wagons, dragged tent poles into place, and patiently manned the petting zoo for hours on end? What would happen to us?

It was Betty, our senior Amigo, who finally spoke.

“This news is quite disturbing, but I propose a plan.
A plan to seize the moment - take destiny by the hand.”

As the oldest and wisest member of our donkey clan, Betty’s ideas carried a lot of weight. But this time Benny and I were lost.

“What moment can we seize with hooves instead of hands?” Benny asked.
“And what within our destiny can be changed by making plans?” I added.

Betty’s response was to erupt into laughter - braying and snorting so loudly that the draft horses in the next pasture stopped grazing and wandered over to see what was so funny. When she finally stopped laughing, Betty’s answer was short but baffling.

“The plan is very simple. We begin where we began,” she said.

Before we could ask her to explain, Clayton - the barn manager whose job was to get us ready for our performances - arrived at the pasture gate. “Hey stop that hollering!” he shouted. “You’re upsetting the other animals.”

“No way,” Benny muttered, “You already spoiled the day.”

But of course Clayton doesn’t speak donkey and wasn’t listening anyway. Instead, he opened the plastic tub of animal crackers he’d brought with him and gave it a good shake. “Come get some treats!” he called.

We all knew that “come get treats” was code for “come get caught.” We could see the halters and lead ropes slung over his shoulder. But none of us could resist the smell of our favorite treats.

One by one we walked over to Clayton and accepted cookies from his left hand and pretended not to notice when he slipped a halter over our head with his right. Then he clipped a lead rope to each of our halters and led us to the wash bay where a team of groomers was waiting.

While our coats and manes were being brushed and our hooves oiled and shined we continued our discussion.

“Begin where we began is a kind of riddle to me,
It mixes up our timeline and makes it hard to see,” I said.

“Agreed!” Benny said, nodding his head up and down in agreement.

Betty, who now had a pink tutu fastened around her belly and purple bows clipped to her mane, gave a big sigh. “Looks like I’m spending the afternoon in the petting zoo again,” she said.

Although I sympathized with Betty’s feelings, I still wanted answers. “Please explain your plan,” I said with an impatient stomp of my hoof.

“It’s time to confer with other clans,” Betty called back over her shoulder as Clayton led her away.

“What does confer mean and what are clans?” Benny asked.

“I think she means talk to other animals,” said a soft, young voice. It came from the other side of the wall that separated the wash bays. “You know, like groups of birds, fish, and ants.”

“Who said that?” Benny asked, swiveling his ears in the direction of the voice.

“It’s me, Kai,” the voice said. The voice belonged to a slender young boy with pieces of straw sticking every which way out of his hair. He was wearing nothing but loose-fitting drawstring pants and pink rubber flip flops, and was carrying what looked like a heavy bucket of water. He set the bucket down and stood quietly watching us.

“I think he understood me. He replied to what I said,” Benny whispered.

“I think you’re right,” I agreed, tipping my head to one side to get a good look at this two-legged boy who understood donkey-speak. “But he’s really quite a sight.”

“Of course I understood you. I heard you in my head,” Kai said.
But you seem to have misplaced your manners. I’m hurt by what you said.”

“Oops,” I thought. “Kai was right. There was no need to be impolite.”

I was just about to apologize when Clayton reappeared. He was back to get Benny and take him to the show ring. “What are you doing here, Kai?” Clayton asked as he clipped a lead rope to Benny’s bridle.

“Trent told me to water the horses and donkeys,” Kai explained, pointing to the bucket of water at his feet.

“That’s a good idea. They’ll need extra water in this heat. But since you’re here I’m gonna ask you to take Beauford back to his pasture. The clowns have changed their act for today and won’t need a donkey.” He handed my lead rope to Kai.

“Sure, no problem,” Kai said.

“Ask what Betty means about the clans,” Benny called as he was led away. “Ask if he has a plan!”

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Outside the day was already hot and muggy with cicadas singing in the trees and thunder clouds gathering on the horizon. Almost immediately the dark shadow of a bird passed across the ground in front of us and began circling overhead. When we reached the pasture and stopped at the gate, the bird landed on a fence post revealing himself to be a very large, very bright-eyed raven.

“Beauford the donkey, meet Onyx the raven,
My partner in crime and a breakout maven,” Kai said, reaching out and gently stroking the bird’s shiny black feathers.

“Nice to meet you,” I replied, keeping a wary eye on the bird’s sharp beak.

“Me too, me too,” Onyx cawed.

“So listen Onyx, there’s not much time,” Kai said, switching back to two-legged speech and getting down to business. “The circus is closing and it won’t be long before the owners start selling off their assets and sending the animals away. My three donkey friends need to escape. Can you help?

“Of course!” Onyx replied. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world, “I love a good jail break.”

“It’s going to be tricky to get us away,” I interrupted. “It can’t be accomplished during the day.”

“Leave it to me, I’ll find a way,” Onyx reassured me. Then he spread his wings, leapt into the air, and flew off over the forest behind our pasture. Kai and I watched until he was just a black speck on the horizon.

When we could no longer see Onyx, Kai led me back into the pasture, offered me a carrot, and refilled my water bucket. Though he didn’t say anything I could tell he was worried, so I put my head on his shoulder and nickered, “It’s ok, we’ll find a way.”

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Brown Sugar Betty

Late that night, when all the electrical lights and generators that powered them had been turned off and the smells of popcorn, cotton candy, and corn dogs had finally been carried away by a cool breeze, and star-studded darkness had fallen - the elephants began their march.

Led by Imelda, the matriarch of the elephants, it started with gentle rumblings underground. At first we assumed the herd was singing one of its delightful lullabies to help us sleep. But then we heard metal screeching and groaning and the sound of wood breaking and splintering. The rumblings grew into thunderous footsteps accompanied by defiant trumpeting so piercing and loud that my ears ached. The elephants had broken their chains and were headed in our direction.

Strangely and alarmingly the rest of the animals were silent. When Imelda and her herd came into view we saw that Kai was walking with them. He had his right hand on Imelda’s gray and pink speckled trunk and was carrying an enormous set of keys. Imelda led him directly to our pasture but didn’t wait for Kai to unlock the gate. Instead, she and her two daughters - Gracie and Flo - simply kept walking - pressing their chests against the fence until it collapsed. Then they stepped over the broken pieces of wood and walked over to where we were standing.

When Imelda reached me, she wrapped her trunk around my neck and pulled me close - so close I could feel her heart thudding against my side and the heat of her body made me sweat. None of this alarmed me of course. Imelda and I were old friends and had been exchanging hugs for many years. But tonight was different. Imelda held me longer and closer than ever before, all the while taking deep breaths and murmuring comforting elephant sounds. Those sounds rumbled through my body and into the ground until I wasn’t sure where my hooves stopped and the earth began. By this I understood that this was good-bye and I might never see her again.

“Thank you for being my forever friend,” Imelda said as she released me. Then she and her family hurried off into the trees behind our pasture. Meanwhile Kai, Beau, and Benny were conferring with Onyx who’d reappeared and was perched on a fence post near Kai’s shoulder. “You’ve got to get going,” Kai said as I joined them. “The alarm’s been sounded and the circus is waking up.” In the distance we could hear the sound of approaching sirens. “The police will arrive any minute and they’ll be searching everywhere for you.”

“Let’s go, let’s go,” Onyx urged us, taking to the air and circling over our heads. “Follow me,” he called down, flying in the opposite direction from the one taken by the elephants.

“The elephants bought you some time,” Kai said, giving us each a quick hug. “They’ll search for them first. But must you get as far away as you can. Now go!”

Beau and Benny obediently turned and followed Onyx but I took a moment to press my forehead to Kai’s chest and say thank you. “I’ll carry you always in my heart.” I nickered softly.

“Always together and never apart,” Kai replied with a smile. “Now go!”

Copyright 2026 by Jena Ball. All Rights Reserved.

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I hope you enjoyed Chapter 1 of the Three Amigos story. Moving forward, each leg of the Three Amigos’ journey will take place at actual, real-world locations (rescues, farms sanctuaries or in the wild). The Amigos will make new friends, spill the tea, and learn about the work being done by the organizations they visit. Their experiences will then be chronicled as a chapter in the ongoing Three Amigos story.

Support for Donkey Rescue
Each chapter of the story concludes with a “Bray for Change” challenge that showcases the organization the Three Amigos visited. Links to the organization’s website, social media, and donation platforms are also included with a goal of raising awareness and funds for that organization or group.

Support for Parents and Educators
Resources for parents and educators will be included at the end of each chapter of the Three Amigos story and will make use of topics, questions, and discoveries made within the story itself. The goals of all Three Amigos materials are:

• Increase literacy skills - reading, writing, vocabulary, listening comprehension, and collaboration;

• Build emotional intelligence (EQ) - Empathy, kindness, and respect for differences;

• Spark and encourage creativity

• Increase self-awareness and self-confidence; and

• Give everyone involved and chance to learn about animals and the natural world.

The cost to take part in the ongoing series is just $10 - per month, which means The Three Amigos is not only fun but affordable. Higher tiers are available for those who can afford them, but I don’t want anyone to miss out on the Three Amigos’ adventures due to lack of funds.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Jena

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