Geraniums and Carnations

A Ship For A Cow

   Early mornings were quite awful if you were a certain woman of the age of 18. That certain woman being Miss Sydney Vandelore. She had to wake early that day to retrieve the chicken's laid eggs and to milk the two fat cattle her mother and father owned. She would usually feed only the goats, her older brother and sister being in charge of other animals. But since the two had disappeared, being the 'grown adults' that they were, Sydney's mother had insisted that she take up her older sibling's chores.

   Sydney was a short, thin girl with wild brown hair always pulled back into a braid and honey brown eyes. Her cheeks were dark and scarred; littered with freckles one could see for miles. She was content with the way she was perceived by others, but was often jealous of the other ladies whose eyes imitated the ocean.

Her little hands set on the gate that separated herself from the livestock. In her free arm, she held a bucket of feed that the fat little chickens enjoyed very much. Placing her hand inside, she threw the dried up corn and whatever else was in there to the chickens, where they pecked happily at the floor, enjoying their early morning breakfast. Sydney couldn't help but stare at them, her brown eyes occasionally glancing up at her two cattle which, one of them she noticed, was pregnant. Hopefully that mother cow would have her baby soon and the baby would grow up nice and healthy like it's two parents.

Suddenly, a foreign object lay upon her shoulder causing Sydney to flinch. A low, gruff voice began to speak:

"Ah dear, you're doing a man's work. Don't you have servants to help you?" The voice asked.

Sydney spun around quickly removing the hand with such force that the man's flirtatious face turned into that of shock and surprise. She peered at the stranger. He didn't seem much older than she, yet he was very tall. He was the kind of man that women and men alike would swoon over, married or not.

He had a young beard in the making and wonderful sideburns. His hair was dark, and his eyes shone a bright blue, resembling the sky. He had this soft, kind, smile that Sydney thought she could trust, though his eyes told her he was a lying little thief.

"Can I help you, sir?" Sydney asked, pushing him aside so that she stood between him and the gate. She wondered if he was new in the town, for he failed to look familiar. Then again, Sydney rarely ever ventured far from her home.

The male ran his hand through his long hair, obviously disappointed by Sydney's manner of just pushing him aside. He blinked and huffed quietly, "Well, I-" he started out, but it was obvious that this wasn't his plan. He looked behind Sydney at her livestock, "I was just wondering where I could get a cow like that," he said and pointed to the pregnant miss behind Sydney.

Sydney looked behind her and stared at her two beautiful cows, "Well, first of all-" she said whilst turning around, but the male had left. Miss Sydney Vandelore was left alone, feeling stupid for even talking to a strange male who spoke down to her. She looked around to see where he had vanished to, but there was nothing left. Sydney huffed and looked back at her cattle, only to find the previous male next to the Pregnant Miss.

"She's going to have a baby soon, you know," he commented, petting her head gently. Surprisingly, the Pregnant Miss did not move. She looked calm and content. Her partner, however had moved carefully on to a different patch of grass, wary of the strange man.

The strange male looked at the fat cow in such a strange way, Sydney couldn't help but stare at him in a mixture of anger, confusion and awe. She put her hand up to her cheek and glanced back at her little wooden cottage, wondering what her parents might do in this situation. She turned back to the male, her face scrunching up.

"I don't know who you are, Sir, but please leave!" She exclaimed fiercely, pulling the wooden gate open with rage. The chickens beneath her feet scrambled back, but immediately poked their heads at the ground as Sydney had dropped her basket of feed.

The male's blue eyes were fixated on the cow, mischievously flickering in the glaring sun above. He paid Sydney no mind.

"Listen, Little Miss, I'll buy she and her baby off of ya, and in return I'll lend you something," The male said, smirking.

Sydney stared at him, furrowing her dark brows. Picking up her basket, she threw it at him. The only thing he did was flinch just slightly and catch the woven basket. She wasn't interested in selling her cattle, pregnant or not. She only wanted this male out.

"I won't be able to do that, Sir. Exit immediately!" Sydney gritted through her teeth, grabbing a nice wooden stick near her, "I don't care what you give me for her, I will not be getting rid of her." She swung the stick at him, barely missing him. He showed some emotion of being frightened and confused as to why she was acting this way, but did not move from the cow.

The male hid behind the brown cow, laying firm hands on her back. The Pregnant Miss, obviously frightened by Sydney's sudden movements, moseyed on her way to her partner, and the male was left alone with Sydney and her stick.

His hands went up defensively to his chest, and he fought the urge to cower, "Listen, Miss," he spoke, "I mean no sort of trouble, I just have this ship on my hands that I need to get rid of,"

Sydney stood her ground. Is this all he was wanting?

"A cow for a ship? That's ridiculous." Sydney swung her stick at him. The man screamed.

The man, having noticed how ridiculous his offer sounded, backed away from Sydney and her stick. He rounded her and backed himself into the gate.

"Right, you are, miss." He stated, his voice shaking. His brown eyes were wide, but his gaze softened a bit as he attempted to stand ground. He was much taller than Sydney was with broad shoulders. It was a wonder as to why he was cowering and attempting to defend himself against the young woman. At one glance, it seemed an unfair fight with him in the lead; but Sydney seemed to handle it well.

The man smiled as best he could, avoiding Sydney's wandering stick.

"I'll be on my way then, miss. Apologies." The man jumped Sydney's fence, breaking it in the process. Sydney yelled and screamed at him as he ran off into the woods beside her cottage home. Her mother exited, shouted for her father and then her father, a stout man, took a pitch fork in his hand and hobbled over screaming profanities at the man. All the while Sydney's mother joined in on the scream while making her way towards Sydney.

"Dear, are you alright? Did that man bother you?" Her mother asked. She had not seen the encounter between Sydney and the strange man, just that he had fled.

Sydney nodded and gulped, "Yes, he was wanting to sell a ship. Although trade it for the cow."

"How stupid." Her mother replied, "Be careful, Sydney. Perhaps you'd want to stay inside for some time?"

Sydney nodded. Her mother yelled at her father, and he came over, taking over Sydney's chores and mumbling about the fence.

"An offer of a ship for a cow. How ridiculous!" Her mother mumbled as they made their way inside. Sydney's feet hurt.