Snow Gift
Short Fiction Young Adult Science Fiction Fantasy, #4
Reeks: Short Fiction Young Adult Science Fiction Fantasy
C. C. Brower
- **A
- farmer
- out
- checking
- his
- cattle
- finds
- a
- newborn
- calf
- of
- many
- colors.**Deep
- in
- fresh
- snow
- with
- no
- momma
- cow
- in
- sight.
- It
- is
- supposed
- to
- get
- well
- below
- freezing
- tonight
- and
- the
- sun
- is
- going
- down
- quickly.What
- choice
- does
- he
- have
- but
- to
- pick
- the
- newborn
- up
- and
- get
- her
- to
- where
- it's
- warm
- and
- dry
- for
- the
- night?
- ...And
- then
- come
- back
- in
- the
- dark
- to
- find
- its
- mother.40
- pounds
- of
- calf
- a
- quarter
- of
- a
- mile
- from
- anywhere.
- So
- he
- wraps
- her
- up
- in
- his
- coat,
- picks
- her
- up,
- and
- starts
- trudging
- through
- the
- snow
- back
- to
- his
- farmhouse.But
- a
- couple
- of
- spirits
- were
- waiting
- for
- him
- to
- arrive...Excerpt:It
- was
- supposed
- to
- be
- a
- time
- of
- peace.No
- conflicts
- beyond
- fighting
- with
- the
- weather
- for
- crops
- and
- rebuilding
- our
- society.Better
- than
- that,
- there
- were
- outside
- forces
- adding
- to
- that
- mix.
- Spirits
- and
- demons
- and
- stuff.I
- didn't
- know
- all
- that
- when
- I
- was
- checking
- the
- cows
- that
- winter
- day.
- Just
- my
- dogs
- and
- me.
- Seeing
- how
- the
- fences
- were,
- making
- sure
- the
- calves
- were
- on
- the
- right
- side
- of
- them.
- Not
- that
- there
- was
- much
- conflict
- or
- worry
- from
- those
- cattle.
- Even
- coyotes
- left
- them
- alone.
- Nothing
- like
- a
- mean
- momma
- cow.
- They
- were
- never
- far
- from
- their
- young
- calves.
- And
- wolves
- were
- only
- up
- north.
- Hunters
- made
- them
- scarce
- in
- this
- state.So
- when
- I
- saw
- the
- calico
- calf
- in
- the
- snow,
- it
- was
- surprising.
- The
- cows
- were
- black
- and
- white,
- no
- red
- or
- brown
- in
- them.
- Not
- in
- several
- generations,
- anyway.
- Not
- with
- this
- bull.
- And
- the
- neighbor's
- haven't
- been
- out
- of
- their
- fences
- into
- ours.Now
- I'd
- heard
- of
- striped
- cows,
- and
- spotted
- cows,
- but
- those
- were
- in
- two
- colors.
- This
- was
- three.
- Like
- a
- cat.
- Or
- more
- like
- a
- kitten.There
- was
- this
- calf.
- New
- born.
- Shivering.
- No
- cow
- tracks
- anywhere.
- Just
- fresh
- snow
- on
- top
- of
- old
- snow.
- Still
- below
- freezing.
- Means
- I
- had
- to
- get
- this
- calf
- somewhere
- warm.
- Closest
- place
- was
- a
- quarter-mile
- away.
- Carrying
- a
- forty-pound
- calf.
- So
- I
- took
- off
- my
- outer
- coat
- to
- wrap
- up
- that
- calf.
- (Layers
- helped
- in
- more
- ways
- than
- one
- -
- besides,
- I'd
- be
- sweating
- shortly
- hefting
- this
- weight
- up
- and
- down
- hills.)
- And
- I'd
- still
- have
- to
- warm
- up
- some
- colostrum
- and
- milk-replacer.
- And
- come
- back
- to
- find
- that
- mother
- cow
- and
- bring
- her
- up
- to
- wherever
- I
- got
- the
- calf
- safely.I
- had
- some
- hundreds
- of
- other
- thoughts
- going
- through
- about
- what
- I
- now
- had
- to
- do.
- Like
- the
- many
- fences
- I'd
- have
- to
- cross
- with
- this
- calf,
- where
- to
- keep
- it
- warm
- that
- I
- could
- clean
- up.
- How
- much
- it
- was
- going
- to
- take
- to
- get
- another
- cow
- to
- take
- it
- in.
- My
- day
- had
- just
- been
- changed.
- One
- bright
- spot
- was
- that
- it
- was
- still
- morning.That
- bright
- spot
- was
- dimming
- though.
- The
- sky
- was
- becoming
- dark,
- but
- without
- any
- clouds.
- I
- could
- hardly
- see
- my
- own
- tracks
- to
- make
- my
- way
- back.
- I
- didn't
- want
- to
- stumble
- with
- this
- precious
- bundle
- in
- my
- arms.
- And
- that
- slowed
- me
- down
- as
- I
- had
- to
- be
- more
- careful.
- There
- wasn't
- even
- a
- moon
- to
- light
- my
- way.
- This
- was
- becoming
- quite
- a
- chore.
- And
- I
- thought
- I
- was
- used
- to
- farm
- chores."Are
- you
- sure
- this
- is
- the
- one?""You've
- read
- the
- same
- signs.
- The
- stars,
- the
- loneliness,
- the
- remoteness.
- He's
- the
- future.""The
- future
- that
- is
- yet
- to
- be,
- hundreds
- of
- years
- in
- the
- future.""But
- only
- if
- we
- act
- now.""Right.
- Let's
- do
- this."Bonus
- Story:
- "Mr.
- Ben's
- Rail
- Road"
- where
- an
- entrepreneur
- is
- working
- to
- re-establish
- a
- working
- railroad
- between
- the
- farmers
- and
- the
- city
- just
- miles
- away.
- A
- young
- girl,
- along
- with
- her
- father
- and
- cousins,
- are
- allowed
- to
- ride
- along
- for
- the
- adventure.
- She's
- recording
- everything
- for
- history,
- just
- in
- case...Get
- Your
- Copy Now!
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