Evolution

Chapter 20

 Chapter 20

If perception really is reality, what happens when the perception dies? Does reality die?  This is one of many thoughts that randomly plague Granny Mae as her frail body lay upon the cool damp lush grass. Ironically, she felt at ease upon the ground, almost as if she were home once more. The refreshing cold wet feel upon her skin and the fresh fragrance of dew wafting into her nostrils tingled her olfactory senses. 

“I reckon this shall do nicely.” she smiles 

The creatures lurk closer, the sounds invade the atmosphere and everything feels so heavy. Granny Mae could feel the vibrating tingle of fear attempting to crawl up her spine. Taking a deep breath she grips her gun and holds in her shaking hands. 

Fear like this hasn’t gripped her since she was a little girl on the farm. She remembers fear’s awful cold hands now. She remembers the feeling of an icy hand gripping her stomach and squeezing until a large painful knot forms and she is struggling for every breath. 

After all these years she still remembers the name of that cow too. How she hated that cow. Terrified of it. They called her Maylene. She called her Mayday the devil cow. Her Pa used to do the milking for her, letting Mayday take out her aggression on him instead.

Then Pa up and bought more land. More land meant more preparations, more fields to plow and for Irene it meant more chores. Specifically, It meant milking that hateful heifer every morning before school.

She tried to plead with her Pa. She tried to tell him that Mayday was out to get her. But as all parents do, he just dismissed her pleas as nothing more than a scared little girl trying to get out of doing her chores.

The first time, Irene did give it a real try. She slowly walking around the picket fence and into barn. She had the metal bucket in shaking hands and her legs trembled as she walked. Tears already forming in the corner of her eyes, unwilling to let down her Pa. She knew she was scared. Worse…Mayday knew she was too.

Timing was precise on the part of the devil cow. It was like she knew the best moment to strike to completely scar the little girl and show her who was in charge. 

Slowly, her tiny hands wrapped around the dry rubbery utter. She slowly pulled down and closed her eyes. Her breath caught in a time warp between her lungs and her mouth. A long moment passed. Nothing happened. She exhaled the confusion and dared a peek at Mayday the devil cow. 

The heifer just stood there staring at her. She relaxed her body and tried once more. After a few minutes she could hear the tiny stream of milk pinging off of the bottom of the bucket. Things seemed okay. Irene did it, she beat her fear of Mayday the devil cow. She more than beat it, she conquered that heifer, claimed the land in name of Queen Irene and jabbed a neatly decorated flag into the ground beside her. She was beaming with pride inside and out.

As we all know, happiness and pride is not allowed near devil cows. Mayday chose that moment to strike, kicking her back leg hard, slamming it against the metal bucket. Irene felt the sting of pain as the metal bucket slammed against her knee and her tiny body collided in the hay. Mayday did her devil dance, mocking the little girl. Hopping from her front two legs to her back and going wild in her native cow tongue.

Irene pulled herself away, her body heavy and her knee swollen, attempting to free herself from the cows rage. Tears freely fell from her eyes and tiny sobs escaped her. 

She don’t really know what ever happened to Mayday the devil cow after that day. Her Pa ended up hiring a ranch hand to complete some of the chores around the farm. But she learned two lessons that day. She learned what it was like to feel afraid and helpless, a feeling she has not felt again until this very moment, where Granny Mae once again lay upon the ground pulling her body forward with fear.

She also learned the value of a vow, no matter how silly or incomprehensible it may be to the rest of the world. It was that day that she vowed to eat a hamburger twice a month. Twice a month for the next half a century, Granny Mae chewed on those burgers, they tasted of pride flavoured with revenge. She was pretty sure in her lifetime she consumed the entire body of Mayday the devil cow. 

She kind of hoped cows go to hell. She kind of hopes the devil likes cheeseburgers. 

Her thoughts were turned to shame at this moment. A vow. Two vows. For the first time, regrettably, Granny Mae would be forced to break a promise. She could see Trevor being attacked, she could see the creatures closing in on her frail body.

Through shaking hands she aims high, placing a bead on the menace threatening to rip the boy to pieces.  Her very last thoughts before pulling the trigger and succumbing to darkness was of Alex and her promise. 

A loud boom echoed in the day and the recoil of the butt kicked her back to the ground. No! Mayday kicked her to the ground. Mayday the devil cow finally finished the job. She managed to glimpse the nasty wet splatter as her shot hit the mark. 

As strange as it sounds, upon her moment of death, Granny Mae felt alive once more.