What really happened that night? Was it a night of fright or pure animal delight?
It was October 31, 2024, a day of unusual warmth and humidity. The children were bundled beneath heavy fleece costumes becoming skunks, dragons and camels. They were probably dressed too warm for this Halloween night. They waited impatiently for chores to be done.
The young calves were fed and tucked into warm straw beds for the night. The dry cows rested comfortably beneath the trees on the edge of the lush green pasture. The milk cows had given their best for the day and contentedly chewed their cuds in their clean sand bedded stalls. Day was done early on the farm. The farmer did a final check of the herd, dimmed the lights and loaded the kids into the truck to trick or treat in the neighbourhood.
What happened next is a mystery. Young calves spooked and ran with their hutches still attached, spilling feed and water along the driveway and barnyard. The contented dairy herd suddenly stampeded the walkway and crowded into the parlour, a place of routine and security. It was a place where they recognized the touch of the farmer but the farmer wasn’t there.
The cows on pasture rose up and ran to the old barn. They pushed and shoved until they broke the latch and knocked down the old door. Admittedly, the latch had seen better days. They were found in the morning roaming the old barn and foraging for dry hay.
The wild turkeys watched the evening unfold from their roost in the maple trees. With the trees mostly bare of leaves, the turkeys witnessed the comings and goings of the farm from the best vantage point.
They know what really happened on Halloween night but they’re not talking!
Good stuff! Loved the use of legitimate farming terms and methods.
ReplyDeleteI liked the way it built in energy until it got to the turkeys!
ReplyDelete