Ensemble of Shards

{5} Of children's small adventures in a farmland

Day 5: Write a scene that takes place in a farm.

powered by: my 2017 trip to my parents' friend's huge farm in Masbate (my parents' province in the Philippines) and a couple of kids that I love :)

--

I ran up the stairs of the sentry house with Mon and Lia, who were brother and sister. Our slippers clacked on the steps, and our eyes followed the trail of ants along the walls of the stairway.

Mon cried out to the two of us behind him, pointing to a different trail created by large, fire-red ants, which was crossing the doorway that led to the balcony.

"Be careful!" he warned, putting a protective arm as a barrier before I or Lia could leave the last step of the stair. "You wouldn't want to get bitten by those!"

"Oh..." said both Lia and I, and I looked down at the dangerous trail six inches from his feet.

"Okay, Mon," we said. After he had heard our assent, he hopped over it bravely and anxiously watched us cross the threshold to the balcony. When we both got through, we postured ourselves to look at the wide pasturelands in front of us.

Mon leaned his elbows on the railing, while little Lia gripped the bars and looked out through them. I stood beside Mon and gripped the railing, a little giddy at being close to him.

We gasped at the view before us. The valleys and numerous rolling hills, stretching as far as the eye could see, were green and vast. Trees peppered the inclined ground, and small gray clouds in a lighter gray sky hovered over them.

"Look!" Mon said. He beckoned to a blue-roofed shed near the house. We heard the bellowing of cattle coming from inside.

"That's where they brand them, my dad said. It means they put a tag on the cow's ears to identify it," I explained. "Just like this."

And I pinched the outside of his ear. He protested in annoyance, but Lia saw us and laughed, saying, "Mooooo!!! Mon's a cow!"