Hugston has always felt a little different and out of place among everyone in his circus. He felt like something was missing, as blank as the white t-shirt Hugston wore. You see, he was the only hippopotamus in the traveling troupe. So, when his group stopped in a charming small town just northeast of Austin called Hutto, Hugston decided to explore and see what else was out there.
As Hugston began his journey through Hutto, he quickly noticed another animal that resembled him. “That animal looks just like me; could it be another hippo?” Hugston wondered silently. He approached the large creature and said, “Hello! Are you also a hippo? You’re the first one I’ve met who is like me.”
The larger hippo turned to Hugston in disbelief, “You’re not from around here, are you? There are many of us in this town. “Really? I’ve always been the only Hippo. Where’s your home?” said Hugston. “We all have someone where we belong! You just have to look in the right place and follow your heart,” said the larger hippo.
Hugston looked down and mumbled, “I wish I knew where I belonged. Is there a place for me here in Hutto?” The other Hippo slowly patted Hugston’s shoulder and said, “You just haven’t found your new home yet. It’s out there waiting for you.” Hugston looked up at the larger hippo and said, “You think so?” I sure hope so!” said Hugston. “I think Brohnny is looking for some help to build his new Heritage Mill community. I would start your journey there. Just continue up the road, you can’t miss the model home being built,” said the other hippo.
Hugston said goodbye to the other hippo and continued his adventure. Along the way, he passed the public library, an amphitheater, and a lot of open green space. Not long after, he saw a building under construction and a small bear trying to juggle carrying a bucket of paint, a hammer, a “for sale” sign, and what looked like a pair of keys. The bear was clearly struggling, and Hugston saw something fall to the floor. The bear continued, oblivious to his dropped item. Hugston moved closer and picked up the item. On closer inspection, he saw that the dropped item was a pair of keys with a home key chain attached. The hippo glanced at the bear, who had dropped everything and was searching for something on the ground.
Hugston glanced at the keys in his hand and walked over to Brohnny. “Did you happen to drop these?” Hugston said as he held out the keychain toward the bear. Brohnny looked up from his frantic search. “You found my keys!” he exclaimed. As soon as the bear grabbed the keys from Hugston, the hippo felt a tingle on his t-shirt where a teal heart appeared. Brohnny and Hugston both glanced at his shirt. “How interesting. That’s one of our Brohn Homes hearts. I think it appeared because you demonstrated one of our core values, integrity,” said the small bear.
Hugston continued to gaze at the heart, feeling a newfound sense of peace within himself. “What do you mean? Did I really?” Hugston asked. “Yes, I think our meeting was meant to happen. What’s your name?” Brohnny replied. “Hi! I’m Hugston,” he said, shaking Brohnny’s paw. “Hi, Hugston! I’m Brohnny. I could really use your help with building Brohn Homes’ new community, Heritage Mill. Can I count on you?” Brohnny asked. “Absolutely! Let’s get started,” the hippo replied excitedly.
Hugston and Brohnny started helping in the community with various tasks such as planting grass for the play lawn, setting up picnic tables, and filling the pool. Hugston suggested they take a break to cool off from the hot Texas sun, then cannonballed into the pool. While underwater, he felt another tingle on his stomach, and a teal heart appeared on his shirt again. He looked down, surprised by the new heart. As he surfaced, Brohnny pointed to the heart on his t-shirt, saying, “I think you just completed another core value—fun! At Brohn Homes, we work hard, but we also love to have fun along the way!”
After taking a quick break and playing in the swimming pool, they moved on to their next task. They began finalizing one of the move-in-ready homes by walking through the house and checking for any last-minute repairs. Once they finished their inspection, they locked the door. “There are a lot of families who want to tour this house, but there’s only one of me! I wish there was a way to let more people tour,” Brohnny said. The hippo thought about it. “What if we gave them the option of self-touring? I’ve heard of technology that can provide visitors with a code to unlock the home themselves,” Hugston stated.
Brohnny clapped his paws. “What an amazing idea! That means more people can see our homes on their own time,” the bear praised. Hugston felt another tingle on the shoulder of his shirt and looked down to see another teal heart appear. “Looks like you showed another one of our core values, innovation,” Brohnny said. The hippo felt more and more at home with each heart’s appearance.
That home inspection was the last item on our list, but if you’re willing, I could use your help with one more thing,” said the Bear. “Sure, what is it?” Hugston asked. “Would you volunteer with me at our local food bank? Here at Brohn Homes, we try to give back to the community, and volunteering is one way we demonstrate this, said Brohnny. “I’ve never volunteered before, but I would love to help,” said Hugston. The two headed to the local food bank and helped prepare and serve meals for the homeless. As Hugston was volunteering, he felt something stir within his heart. When the last meal was handed out, the hippo felt another tingle on his nose and all over his shirt. He looked down to see his shirt covered in teal hearts. “If that heart on your nose is anything to go by, it looks like you showed one of our most important core values, love,” Brohnny said.
Hugston touched his nose and smiled. “I always felt like I was missing something, but now I don’t feel so lost. Brohn Homes has some great company values! “Hugston, I couldn’t have gotten Heritage Mill ready without you! I really do feel like you’ve become a part of the Brohn family! “I feel the same way!” the hippo said. “You know that house we inspected together; it’s yours if you want it.” “Really! I would love to call Heritage Mill my home!” said Hugston.
“Welcome to the Brohn family, Hugston!” Brohhny said as he gave Hugston a hug.
Come meet Hugston and Brohnny at Heritage Mill in Hutto.