Visit the Cows

At the Fence

The field sat just off a quiet country road, fenced off by old wood and uneven stone walls.

Three highland cows wandered across the hill beyond it.

Two brown. One black.

Raccoon practically stopped walking the second they saw them.

“No way.”

Centipede glanced over at them.

“See? Told you we’d make it this time.”

The nearest cow was already lying beside the fence, completely unbothered by their presence. Raccoon crouched down almost immediately beside it.

“Oh, you are perfect.”

The cow blinked slowly while Raccoon reached through the fence to pet the side of its face.

Centipede stayed leaning against the fence nearby, arms folded.

Raccoon kept talking to the cow quietly, like it was part of the conversation.

“I’ve waited months for this, you know.”

The cow’s ears twitched.

“I think they understand you,” Centipede said.

The Important Photos

Further up the hill, the other two cows had wandered farther away.

Raccoon pulled their phone out and tried taking a picture.

The result looked awful.

They zoomed in again.

Still awful.

Raccoon frowned at the screen.

“Why do cameras suddenly stop working the second something important appears?”

Centipede didn’t answer right away.

A moment later, Raccoon’s phone buzzed.

Three photos had appeared in their messages.

Clear shots of the cows farther up the hill.

Raccoon looked over slowly.

Centipede shrugged slightly, though there was the faintest hint of satisfaction on their face.

“Good thing I already sent them, ehh.”

Raccoon looked back at the photos again for a second longer than necessary.

“That’s actually really thoughtful.”

“Mhm.”

“You wanting praise for it?”

“Maybe a little bit.”

Raccoon tried not to smile too obviously at that.

It did not work particularly well.

Every Time You Visit

The brown cow shifted closer against the fence again, nudging lightly toward Raccoon’s hand.

Nearby, a low tree branch hung over part of the path. Raccoon reached up absentmindedly and pulled it down slightly while fiddling with the leaves.

The cow immediately pushed the top of its head against the branch.

“Oh.”

Raccoon laughed quietly and started rubbing the branch gently over the cow’s fur.

Centipede watched the whole thing quietly.

Raccoon stayed focused on the cow while speaking.

“You made a mistake with this trip. I will want to see them all the time now.”

“Well, just maybe we can do that every time you visit.”

The cow closed its eyes while Raccoon kept scratching the top of its head with the branch.

For a while, neither of them really said much after that.

They just stayed there beside the fence together while the wind moved through the grass around them.