:: Random Item—The Bull Brand Missive ::

The Bull Brand Missive

by Wm Jay Carter III, 5/14/15

Scroll: Letter/Message

Color: Brown

Conditions: Small, Glistening

Keyword: Bull

Leaving town far behind you, you take in the smells of the country air. Among these, unfortunately, is the stench of nearby cattle. You turn around and notice that a free-roaming bull is trotting after you at a fair pace. You ignore the wayward animal, but after several bends in the road it appears to be fixated on you and will not relent. Giving in, you finally stop and let the thing catch up. It bawls and flicks a glistening ear in your direction, damp with sweat, where a fresh brand has been made. Looking closer, you immediately grasp the symbol’s meaning, and know that it is unmistakably meant for you...

Secret messages are only as good as their obscurity. Pirates have the black spot, thieves have their cant, and—for those who have been to the Barnyard (a place rumored not to exist)—there is the Bull Brand Missive. Very few have been trained in this method of communication, and fewer still employ it; the consequences for not abiding by the language’s many bylaws can be severe and inescapable.

Researchers of the Bull Brand Missive operating outside the Barnyard have deduced that each Rooster (or speaker of the cryptolect) has his or her own Tooth (or brand), kept safely on a ring, walking cane, or other inconspicuous item. Should the Rooster ever lose possession of his Tooth, or leave it unattended for any period of time, that Rooster must see the Barber (a handler of some kind) to “see about crossing the river” (meaning unknown). If this attempt is unsuccessful, the Rooster must give up their most valued treasure in exchange for the lost Tooth (fairly straightforward), which has somehow ended up in the Barber’s hands by that time and is being kept under his Pillow (?).

So far, lay researchers are uncertain what each Tooth conveys, but when the need arises for a Rooster to Crow (or send their message), a bull is wrangled and branded, and then sent after the Dog (or intended recipient of the message). Upon receipt of the missive, the Dog must cut off the bull’s branded ear and set it loose or the aforementioned severe and inescapable consequences will occur. It is as yet unknown how the branded bull knows how to find the Dog, or what happens in the event that the bull never reaches its destination.

Somehow, Dogs are never aware of themselves until they see the Bull Brand Missive, at which point some sort of hypnotic suggestion triggers and they realize which of their possessions bears their Tooth. At this moment a Dog becomes a Rooster, and waits for the moment when it is time to Crow. Hidden whispers tell of a day when all Roosters shall Crow together, signaling the dawn of a new Day. Though as to what this means, perhaps none but the Roosters can tell, and surely they would never do so.