Tintin and the Farmgirl

Chapter 1: Daily Routine

The sound of my alarm clock wakes me up from another restless sleep. I slap my hand on the blaring alarm clock that read 4:30 a.m. I smile as I see my Wolf Husky mix, Sylvia, stare at me with her mismatched eyes and her bushy tail wagging behind her. "Morning Sylvia. Ready to start the day?" I asked her. She yapped happily and turned in a circle giving me her answer. I turn on my stereo and play my morning playlist with "Mr. Blue Skies." Playing first as I begin to do my morning routine with Sylvia. I start with my stretches and yoga. Sylvia does her funny dog stretches and licks my face when I do Downward Dog. I giggle and head to my dresser and grabbed some clothes for the day. A t-shirt and a pair of work jeans. I hop into the shower and clean myself off. After my shower and getting dressed, I pull my hair into its usual ponytail and head outside to the shed with Sylvia following behind me. I grab the pitchfork from its place leaning against the wall and stab it into a pile of hay and throw it over the fence to the cows and horse that I have. The cows are going to the fair in a few weeks along with the pigs I have, and boy are they FAT. They'll sell for a good amount of money. My horse is a grey Rocky Mountain horse I named Storm. She's one of the best horses I've ever owned. We enter in the rodeos here and win a few here and there. Her ribbons hang in the living room next to the picture of my family, back when things were good.

I head over to the chicken coop and feed the chickens and collect the eggs. I have a lot of chickens, so I have eggs to give to my neighbors if they need some. I also have a vegetable garden that I started when great-grandpa took me in. I sell the best vegetables to the people around here and do work around town to pay for the farm. Some people, such as bankers and big ranchers, have tried to kick me off my own property to take it. But thanks to the law, I can keep it because I'm legally an adult and I pay my bills on time. My main job is at Judy's Café where I work as a waitress and cook. I take orders, cook meals, and help keep the place clean. I know the owner personally, she's the one who gave me the job when I was fifteen. I usually clock out before 10 p.m., before the 'party people' show up. The manager thought it would be safer for me, and I'm grateful for that. After a few hours of work on the farm, the sun started to rise over the mountains and I headed inside to watch the news. A habit that I've gained thanks to living with an old man who loved the weather channel. I kicked off my boots and slumped down on the couch and Sylvia jumped on with her paws and head in my lap. I smiled as I scratched behind her ear. "Let's see what's wrong with the world today, shall we?" I asked as I turned on the TV. Immediately the news started blaring about world politics and such. "Thanks for the weather report Brian. In other news, worldwide known European reporter Tintin, known for his multiple crime busts across the world, and his partner Captain Archibald Haddock have disappeared from Chicago where they were helping police with an investigation. More updates will follow as the story continues. And now for Sports with Bethany Lawrence-. " I turned off the TV and stood up. I had read Tintin's articles online many times, even re-read a few of them because they were so amazingly written and very entertaining to read. He was basically my hero. I admired him for so many reasons. He was smart, skilled, and most importantly, brave. The one trait that I wish I had myself. Sylvia whined and tilted her head at me. "I'm alright Sylvia. I just hope that he gets out of that tangle alive. I'd hate to see his death reported on the news." I said holding my hands to my chest in worry. I shook myself out of my daze and checked the time. Almost seven o'clock. "Holy Cheez-Its! We're going to be late!" I said slipping on a different pair of boots and running to the truck with Sylvia behind me.

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"Sorry I'm late Jenna! Just lost track of time." I said walking into the café. The few people were there for their morning coffee and breakfast waved at me and said their good mornings to me as I walked behind the counter. "It's alright Sam. You were probably reading another travel article by that Tin can boy." Jenna chuckled. Jenna is an older woman in her early forties and my manager. She's also a good friend of mine. She fills in on the mother position for me. "It's not tin can, it's Tintin! And no, I was watching the news. Apparently, he went missing from Chicago a while ago along with his friend Captain Haddock. Just disappeared. Poof! Not a trace!" I said while getting some coffee for one of the costumers. "Has this happened before?" Jenna asked from the kitchen. "Well, yeah. But everything around his disappearance leads to the fact that he might end up dead. He's been to Chicago before and took down a lot of crime lords and made some powerful enemies. Most of them escaped from jail months back and that was the reason he went back in the first place." I said cleaning the counters. "How would you know that?" Jenna asked with a sly smile on her face. "Alright, I'll admit it. I also read the blog that he has online. He gets to travel the world and he gets to experience life at its fullest! Don't get me wrong, I love Oakley. But I yearn for crazy adventures and exotic foods. His blog is one of the sources where I can get the most honest opinions on travel and food." I said washing some dishes. "Are you sure that it isn't because you think he's cute?" she teased. "Shut up!" I said flicking my wet hands at her face while mine blushed bright red.

Sorry for the short chapter, but I have big plans for the next chapter. SEE YA LATER!