Until this morning, he remembered, he had been such a happy buffalo. Before the sun rose each morning he would wake, stretch and run along the riverbank, grunting in contentment. Sometimes, as the sun rose, he would have a swim and walk back home ready for his day's work. More often, though, he would turn into the village for some food. There was always plenty around in the morning, with yesterday's newspapers thrown out into the streets, or perhaps a lovely oily cardboard box. In his excitement Keelay would skip from one course to the next, trying to beat the cows to all the best food. Eventually Pravena would come and find him, to push him back home with her sharp stick.

Pravena was five years older than Keelay, but Keelay had grown much faster. Pravena made many strange noises, and Keelay understood that one or two of them meant something. He always understood the meaning of the sharp stick, though.

This morning had started well, with a swim first, then a jog into the village. Keelay was late, because of his swim, so the cows were eating all the best food as he arrived. Keelay ran through the village and out to the other side. No good food, but Keelay decided to keep running and find some the cows had not yet eaten. After a few minutes he found what he wanted; a whole sackful of papers lying next to a pile of green coconut shells. Perfect breakfast.

Keelay did not hear Pravena coming, and was startled to see her with her father, both damp faced and with a stick each. Pravena's father also had a rope looped over his shoulder, and carried an axe in his left hand. Keelay was even more surprised when they used their points to push him further along the road, rather than back through the village and home.

In only a few minutes they reached the edge of a small wood, and Pravena's father vanished inside. Now, as he heard the regular thud of the axe, Keelay understood. A tree was being felled, and Keelay was to drag the log back home. Keelay loved work, and dragging was the best of all as everyone would stop and admire his strength. Pravena started tying the rope around Keelay's neck as her father reappeared, not with a tree, but a thick log about half as long as Keelay. As he tied the other end of the rope to the log, Keelay suddenly realised he was being given a log necklace. Such shame.

Many buffaloes managed their whole lives without a necklace, but every herd had a few. It was a mark which said "This buffalo cannot be trusted, and cannot play", but Keelay had never worn one before.