LJ Idol S11: Week 3. Everything Looks Like a Nail
James had awoken not long after his Papa. He pulled a stool over to the counter, and climbed gingerly up to the counter. He put the coffee beans in the grinder, then the grounds in the pour-over above the mug.
He inhaled the scent of the coffee as he wandered out past the barn, and blearily rubbed his eyes as the first rays lit the sky in streaks of gold. His breath and the hot coffee formed clouds in front of him as he walked. He could hear his Papa's hammering already.
"Mornin', Pop," he said as he came around the back of the barn to his Papa's workspace.
"Hey there, bud," his Papa said, and set down his tool. He held out his hand for the warm mug. "Thanks."
"Sure thing."
"Can you go milk Lulu, and collect the eggs?"
"Yep!" James said and scampered around and inside the barn. The scent of sweet hay and manure filled the air. James grabbed the bucket and tiny stool and set them up under and next to Lulu, respectively. "Hey Lu!" he said and gave her a friendly rub. She mooed. He laughed. "My hands are still warm, so no worries, ok?" he said. He sat on the stool, took the teats in each hand, and milked. The sound of sprays against metal one after the other felt so satisfying.
When he scootched the stool back, he heard a squeak. He stopped and listened.
Lulu mooed again.
"Hush, girl," he said.
More squeaks. He picked up the bucket and set it by the door, then listened intently for the source of the tiny sounds. He found them under the willow tree, a huddle of three stark white pups. James gasped in awe. "Hi doggies," he said softly. He reached out and touched them, two still, stiff, and cold. But one, the one underneath the other two, mostly hidden, was warm and wriggly and squeaking. He scooped up the warm one, and tucked it into his shirt against his chest. "I'm sorry about your brothers or sisters," he said softly, and pulled some dried grasses and branches over their bodies. "But don't worry, I got you." He ran over to the bucket of Lulu's milk and dipped a finger in, then offered it to the puppy, who suckled his finger eagerly. James laughed.
"James?" called his Papa.
"Comin'!" he called.
As he rounded the bend, his Papa saw him and set down the hammer again. "James, what are you doing? Where's the milk?"
"I milked her, I got it. I just gotta go back and get-"
"What is in your shirt?"
"Look, Papa!" he said, and untucked the puppy and showed his father. The puppy, eyes still closed, squeaked in confusion being away from the security of James's warm chest. James put her back inside his shirt.
His Papa sighed.
"What? What's wrong?" James asked.
"Those are the all-white pups," he said. "The Brenner Family? Two houses down? They let their dogs wander, one of them always gets with the Thomsons' dogs, and whenever the white pups are born, they're... well they never turn out right."
"What's wrong with 'em? This one seems fine," James said defensively.
"They're blind, usually. Or deaf. Or both? What are you gonna do with a blind or deaf dog? You can't train 'em. They could bite folks. Best just to let 'em go."
"But... I saved this one. It's the only one that made it."
"Just put him back, James, that's how it's done with these things."
"What, what do you mean?"
"It's what we always do: You scare the mom off if you see her, and bury the pups."
James jaw fell in shocked horror. He scowled, and held his hands protectively over the bulge in his shirt, the tiny body breathing tiny soft breaths against his skin. "But WHY? Why's that 'always' what we do? I saved her, I oughta get to keep her! PLEASE, Pop!"
His Papa looked at him with a sad, knowing expression. "All right," he said softly. "You can see how it goes. That dog ever bites you though, that's it. I won't have a dog bitin' up my kid."
"She's not gonna bite me! Thanks, Pop!" James said excitedly, and hurried away.
"Hey! You remember that milk, and don't forget your chores!"
"I won't! I mean, I will, and I won't! I'll get the milk!" James shouted awkwardly as he ran towards the barn door where he'd left the bucket.
* * *
James woke up to the sound of the roosters crowing, and Lulu bellowing from the barn. Those roosters had only hatched a few weeks ago, and were already used to making a ruckus each morning. James sat up and glanced out the window. The apple tree blossoms looked like they'd be growing fruit any day now. He smiled at the foot of his bed. What had been such a teensy bundle the day he found her was now taking up most of the bottom third of his twin bed. "Hey girl," he said softly, even knowing she couldn't hear him. He talked to her all the time, though some said it was useless. Sure, she was different, but he still felt like it'd be wrong not to talk to her, just as he would any animal. He blew a soft breath towards her face and said, "Wake up, now, Belle. Time to get started." She slowly blinked open her eyes, then, as always, recognition dawned and she hopped up, and spun in circles. He laughed and pet her super soft head and ears. "C'mon!" he said and waved his arm in invitation on his way to the kitchen. Belle stayed close by his side. He showed her his hand quite close to her face, and then pointed down. She sat dutifully, and he gave her a thumbs up. She continued sitting, and waited patiently as he prepared the coffee. Then when he waved to her again, she hopped up and followed right next to him as he delivered the coffee to his Pop.
Papa smiled at them both. "Morning, you two," he said.
"Morning, Pops!"
"Gonna go milk Lulu?"
"Yep, we're heading there now."
"All right, sounds good. Thanks, son," he said.
"Thanks, Pop," James said.
Belle laid down next to James and rested her chin on the top of his boot while he milked Lulu. Maybe later, they'd go for a walk along the creek. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day.
* * *
This has been an entry for therealljidol. Prompt: Everything Looks Like a Nail.
He inhaled the scent of the coffee as he wandered out past the barn, and blearily rubbed his eyes as the first rays lit the sky in streaks of gold. His breath and the hot coffee formed clouds in front of him as he walked. He could hear his Papa's hammering already.
"Mornin', Pop," he said as he came around the back of the barn to his Papa's workspace.
"Hey there, bud," his Papa said, and set down his tool. He held out his hand for the warm mug. "Thanks."
"Sure thing."
"Can you go milk Lulu, and collect the eggs?"
"Yep!" James said and scampered around and inside the barn. The scent of sweet hay and manure filled the air. James grabbed the bucket and tiny stool and set them up under and next to Lulu, respectively. "Hey Lu!" he said and gave her a friendly rub. She mooed. He laughed. "My hands are still warm, so no worries, ok?" he said. He sat on the stool, took the teats in each hand, and milked. The sound of sprays against metal one after the other felt so satisfying.
When he scootched the stool back, he heard a squeak. He stopped and listened.
Lulu mooed again.
"Hush, girl," he said.
More squeaks. He picked up the bucket and set it by the door, then listened intently for the source of the tiny sounds. He found them under the willow tree, a huddle of three stark white pups. James gasped in awe. "Hi doggies," he said softly. He reached out and touched them, two still, stiff, and cold. But one, the one underneath the other two, mostly hidden, was warm and wriggly and squeaking. He scooped up the warm one, and tucked it into his shirt against his chest. "I'm sorry about your brothers or sisters," he said softly, and pulled some dried grasses and branches over their bodies. "But don't worry, I got you." He ran over to the bucket of Lulu's milk and dipped a finger in, then offered it to the puppy, who suckled his finger eagerly. James laughed.
"James?" called his Papa.
"Comin'!" he called.
As he rounded the bend, his Papa saw him and set down the hammer again. "James, what are you doing? Where's the milk?"
"I milked her, I got it. I just gotta go back and get-"
"What is in your shirt?"
"Look, Papa!" he said, and untucked the puppy and showed his father. The puppy, eyes still closed, squeaked in confusion being away from the security of James's warm chest. James put her back inside his shirt.
His Papa sighed.
"What? What's wrong?" James asked.
"Those are the all-white pups," he said. "The Brenner Family? Two houses down? They let their dogs wander, one of them always gets with the Thomsons' dogs, and whenever the white pups are born, they're... well they never turn out right."
"What's wrong with 'em? This one seems fine," James said defensively.
"They're blind, usually. Or deaf. Or both? What are you gonna do with a blind or deaf dog? You can't train 'em. They could bite folks. Best just to let 'em go."
"But... I saved this one. It's the only one that made it."
"Just put him back, James, that's how it's done with these things."
"What, what do you mean?"
"It's what we always do: You scare the mom off if you see her, and bury the pups."
James jaw fell in shocked horror. He scowled, and held his hands protectively over the bulge in his shirt, the tiny body breathing tiny soft breaths against his skin. "But WHY? Why's that 'always' what we do? I saved her, I oughta get to keep her! PLEASE, Pop!"
His Papa looked at him with a sad, knowing expression. "All right," he said softly. "You can see how it goes. That dog ever bites you though, that's it. I won't have a dog bitin' up my kid."
"She's not gonna bite me! Thanks, Pop!" James said excitedly, and hurried away.
"Hey! You remember that milk, and don't forget your chores!"
"I won't! I mean, I will, and I won't! I'll get the milk!" James shouted awkwardly as he ran towards the barn door where he'd left the bucket.
* * *
James woke up to the sound of the roosters crowing, and Lulu bellowing from the barn. Those roosters had only hatched a few weeks ago, and were already used to making a ruckus each morning. James sat up and glanced out the window. The apple tree blossoms looked like they'd be growing fruit any day now. He smiled at the foot of his bed. What had been such a teensy bundle the day he found her was now taking up most of the bottom third of his twin bed. "Hey girl," he said softly, even knowing she couldn't hear him. He talked to her all the time, though some said it was useless. Sure, she was different, but he still felt like it'd be wrong not to talk to her, just as he would any animal. He blew a soft breath towards her face and said, "Wake up, now, Belle. Time to get started." She slowly blinked open her eyes, then, as always, recognition dawned and she hopped up, and spun in circles. He laughed and pet her super soft head and ears. "C'mon!" he said and waved his arm in invitation on his way to the kitchen. Belle stayed close by his side. He showed her his hand quite close to her face, and then pointed down. She sat dutifully, and he gave her a thumbs up. She continued sitting, and waited patiently as he prepared the coffee. Then when he waved to her again, she hopped up and followed right next to him as he delivered the coffee to his Pop.
Papa smiled at them both. "Morning, you two," he said.
"Morning, Pops!"
"Gonna go milk Lulu?"
"Yep, we're heading there now."
"All right, sounds good. Thanks, son," he said.
"Thanks, Pop," James said.
Belle laid down next to James and rested her chin on the top of his boot while he milked Lulu. Maybe later, they'd go for a walk along the creek. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day.
* * *
This has been an entry for therealljidol. Prompt: Everything Looks Like a Nail.