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Shane was a real joy to have in the ranch. He felt naturally inclined to work on the ranch with Marnie and she was definitely not complaining. He was just as excited about feeding the pigs as he was about helping her weed out the space they lived in. Shane made Marnie’s duties easier, not only by physically helping her out, but also by always being a ray of sunshine around her. The kid had a contagious smile that made it hard to worry about everything else going on in her life. He was very special, Marnie knew it since she saw him for the first time, and she wouldn't let him forget that.
She got excited every time her sister asked her to take care of the little boy, whether it was just for the weekend or for the whole Summer. Either way, she always made sure to stock up on things for Shane to snack on. She had never been big on candies or the like, only occasionally treating herself to a slice of cake or two. Shane, on the other hand, greatly enjoyed sweet and greasy food, but most of all he liked spicy food. Marnie didn’t really understand why, but allowed him to eat to his heart’s content anyway, only ever warning him when she feared he would get a stomachache.
Out of everything there was to do at the ranch, taking care of the chickens was Shane's favorite thing to do. Anything that had to do with them was guaranteed to make him want to join in, even if it was something as unpleasant as cleaning up their excrement. Shane himself couldn't explain why, but their sight and sound filled him with glee, and Marnie could never deny him an experience and emotion as pure as that.
Shane's happiest childhood memory in the ranch happened during what seemed like an ordinary morning. Tasked by Marnie to collect a few eggs for breakfast, he stepped into the coop and excitedly shouted his aunt's name when he saw a hatching egg under her favorite hen. He was beyond thrilled and refused to go back inside until the chicken had come out. Marnie sighed and, after a couple explanations, convinced him to go back inside and at least eat a couple pancakes with her.
As soon as he was done eating, Shane rushed back to the coop, not wanting to miss out on anything at all. He knew he had to be patient and, for him, it was completely worth it. After cleaning and tidying up inside, Marnie chose to join him in the wait. Luckily she chose to join him just right before the big event happened.
Shane's eyes widened when he noticed the chicken was, unlike the rest, covered in damp blue feathers. Marnie was pleasantly surprised, not having seen a blue chicken in years. Those had always been her favorite and, when she saw her nephew's expression, she knew Shane would become fond of them as well.
He did as his aunt asked him and accompanied her to look for the things the little chicken would need. Marnie answered questions nonstop about the nature of the new baby: why was it blue, why was it the only blue chicken in the ranch, why weren't its parents blue as well, why had he never seen a blue chicken before. She couldn't even find it in herself to be annoyed, not when Shane looked so happy about the whole thing. How could he not? The chicken was just as unique and special as him.