Whittington invites Abby and Ben to the pond to whistle for owls. An owl drops a dead mouse on Ben’s shoulder, startling him; he, Abby, Whittington, and the Lady all run back to the barn.

Bernie forgets to file Spooker’s teeth and she falls ill. The vet explains that because Spooker’s teeth have lost their sharp edge, she hasn’t been able to grind the food that she eats into fine bits; this means that she has been swallowing pieces of food that are too large to pass through her intestines, causing a blockage in her gut. The vet treats Spooker’s gut cramps and files her teeth, and Spooker makes a full recovery.

Abby and Whittington disagree on how best to encourage Ben’s reading progress. Ben can read back statements which he has memorized, and while Whittington argues that it should count as reading, Abby isn’t certain. To diffuse the argument, the Lady suggests Whittington continue with his story.