The Challenge

By Rebekah Hanson

Chapter 1

           

“Cory! Come over here! I want to take you my favorite place in the woods!” Andrea Carter’s voice echoed in the pasture of Circle C Ranch.

Cory immediately dropped the rope he was holding and trotted over to where Andi was sitting on her horse, Taffy. Cory had been staying at Circle C Ranch for the summer while his parents visited their sick relatives.

“I could use a break for a few minutes,” Cory said, wiping the sweat off of his face He quickly saddled his horse and jumped up.

“C’mon, I’ll show you the way!” Andi pointed her finger towards the direction of the woods.

“Are you sure that Chad won’t miss me?” Cory asked, throwing a questioning glance toward the barn’s direction.

Chad was Andi’s older brother, who also ran the ranch. Even though he was the second oldest, Chad was like the boss on the ranch since Justin was at college She also had another brother, Mitchell, plus one older sister.

“Of course not, silly! And besides, you have been working all day! You need a break once and a while!” Andi said.

They trotted down the path into the woods for about three minutes and took a right onto a barely seen path, but big enough for their horses. After a while, they entered an open spot, covered in light green grass.

Tiny wild flowers danced in the wind, their colorful heads bobbed like they agreed with the wind blowing at them, begging for more. One big tree stood tall in the middle of the small, open, hidden, pasture, resting and watching the secret place like a strong soft guardian. A creek gurgled nearby, making a comforting sound.  

I’ve always loved it here, Andi thought, when the world around me is crazy and out of control, I go here for-

Her thoughts were interrupted as Cory slowly slid from his horse. Andi could tell by his face that he, too, loved her secret spot as much as she did.
            “Wow! It looks even better from the last time I was here!” Cory said.

“Yeah, I know it is such a beautiful place, huh! Well, I have always kept this to myself- I didn’t really want to tell anybody in case it no longer became just my spot!” Andi responded.

“I don’t blame ya’,” Cory agreed.

They stood in silence just staring at the beauty of the small pasture. Then, a piercing cry came from somewhere around them.

“Mwaaaaaaaaaa!”

Andi froze in surprise.

“W-what was that?” Andi asked, glancing around her.

“Mwaaaaaaaaa!”

Whatever it was, it sounded like an animal or child in pain or calling for help.

“Don’t be a silly head, it’s probably just some kids goofing around and trying to act like a weird monster or something,” Cory suggested, “It’s probably just the Hollisters,” He patted his horse affectionately on his nose.

“No, there are not here, and I don’t think that sound was made by any children- it sounded like an animal in distress,” Andi said, getting off of her horse.

“Mwoooooooooooo!”

This time it was obvious that it was not a child. It had to be some sort of animal.

“C’mon, let’s go try to find it!” Cory said running towards where the sound was. Andi followed right on his heels.

They followed the sound and soon found a small calf, covered in mud, calling for its mother.

“Aww, it’s so cute!” Andi exclaimed, patting his brown nose. Though it was covered in mud, he had a golden brown coat. His legs were cut in several places, but other than that he was fine. 

Cory glanced around, looking for any sign for its mother. “I don’t think his mother is anywhere around here,” Cory said, “but we should probably leave it here just in case she comes back,”

Andi nodded. “Of course. I will come back in the morning to see if it is still here,”

“Cory!!!” Chad’s voice echoed through the woods. “Cory Blake!!”

Cory glanced back from where they were standing in the woods.

“I better get back to work, it looks like Chad realized that I took a break. Thanks for bringing me here, Andi,” Cory replied.

“No problem, come back anytime,” Andi replied.

Andi took one last look at the calf before patting it on the head and leaving. She knew that its mother would probably come back, but……. Andi kind of wanted its mother to not return because then she could keep the baby calf.

And I could bottle feed it, and train it and it would only be mine! But the problem is, that it still has a mother. Well, I will just have to see if she comes back, she thought as she mounted up and distractedly rode home.

She soon found her answer.

Chapter 2

It was later that day and all the family was sitting at the dining room table enjoying the meal of pork, grits, rolls, beans, and corn. Chad and Mitch were talking about their day, when Chad mentioned that they had spotted a mother cow lying dead on the side of a trail.

Andi looked up from her beans and looked at Chad. “Do you think that she had any calves? ‘Cause me and Cory found a calf in the woods when we were going to my favorit-- well, we were just in the woods for a break,” her words came out in a rush, “and we saw a calf and I was wondering if I-,”.

“Andrea!” Her mother gently reminded, “Don’t speak in a rush, we can’t understand a word you are saying. Go on!”

Red-faced Andi looked down at her half-eaten plate shamefully. In all her 11 years, she could never remember to slow down when she was excited. “Well, me and Cory--” she started.

“Cory and I,” her mother corrected.

“Cory and I were in the woods because he needed a break from working all day,” she shot a glare towards Chad’s direction.

“Andrea! Please!” mother pleaded.

Andi continued, “We were in the wood when we heard a calf calling for his mother. At first, we didn’t know what it was, so we didn’t do anything. Cory thought it was the Hollisters, but I said that they weren’t here. I was glad because they are such pests!”

“Andrea,” her mother warned.

“Well, anyway, we found the calf and he looked all cute and small--”

 Chad threw Mitch a look and rolled his eyes,

“--but then Chad called Cory back to work-again,” she said.

Mother looked at Chad and said, “You shouldn’t work that child so much, Chad, you know better!”

Chad answered, “Yes, Mother,”

Andi’s words suddenly got quicker, “And I was wondering if the dead cow lying on the trail was its mother, that I could take care of it, bottle feed it, raise it, and train it, and-and-milk it, it would teach me good responsibility! Please, Mother?”

Melinda, who had not said a word all throughout dinner, leaned over the table to Mitch, and whispered, “She does need to work on her responsibility, and she even knows it!”

Mother looked at Melinda and gave her a firm but kind look. Melinda immediately sat back in her chair.

Mother looked at Andi. “Taking care of a little calf may not be what you have in mind,” her mother said.

“I know! Just let me please try it for the week, and if you don’t think I can handle it, which I can, you can give it to Chad or Mitch! It’s not like I have any schoolwork, for it is the summer, and my chores I promise that I will do them all!” she promised.

Mother gave a worried look to Andi as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. “What do you think, Chad?”

“Remember when you got the black lamb from the fair?” He asked, “You couldn’t even keep track of that, let alone a calf!”

Andi’s face turned bright red. “I was, like, six then, Chad! I’m eleven years old now! I can do it!”

“Mitch?”

“I think that Andi can do it if she has a little help from me,” he said, “not a lot, just about how to train it, you can really mess up the cow’s way it obeys if you train it wrong,”

Andi looked at him, debating whether or not she could trust him. He looked pretty serious.

“Ok. Fine, deal!” Andi announced, putting out her hand.

“Deal,” Mitch said, giving a firm handshake.

Andi tried not to wince. “May I be excused?”

“Are you full?” Her mother asked.

Andi nodded. Then a thought struck her. “Since you said that I could have the calf, can I go get it settled in the barn?” she asked.

Mother gave Mitch a questioning look, but when he nodded she said, “I don’t see why not,”

Screeeee! Andi scooted back her chair so fast that it made a scratching noise on the floor. Giving an apologetic look towards her family she hurried out of the dining room and out to the hallway.

“Don’t forget your coat!” her mother quietly shouted after her.  

Andi grabbed her coat from the hall closet and quickly pulled it on as she ran towards the barn. It was dark out, the moon shining like a huge light bulb. She swiftly tacked up Taffy and led her to her favorite place.

Hoooo! Hooooo!

An owl sounded in the distance. Andi shivered. She urged Taffy along the path and assured herself that the sound was only an owl. It is creepier than hearing the mysterious chirping of the crickets when I last went camping, Andi thought, at least it is hot enough that they don’t sing!

“Mooooooooo!”

Andi’s heart jumped. Taffy’s ears perked up and she snorted nervously.

“It’s ok, Taffy,” Andi whispered, “it’s only….. Carmen”

Carmen, Carmen, I like the sound of that. Thought Andi. She silently slid from her horse and reached in the saddle bag for a flash light. There was none. Oh, bother. Why didn’t I remember a light? This just got a whole lot harder……… and creepier.

“Here, Carmen…..calf!” Andi said softly.

There was an eerie silence after she spoke. Andi tiptoed softly towards the direction the calf had been that morning. She stopped for a second to listen for the calf’s call.

The silence weighed on her chest like a heavy blanket as she waited in the dark, only the moon to guide her. Then, she heard the calf’s call. She rushed towards the sound and found it standing in the bushes. She tied a rope loosely around his neck and led it back towards her horse. Then she heard a snap. She turned towards the sound as her heart raced.

“BOOO!!” the figure yelled. At the same time, a stick flew through the air.

As the stick hit her square on her forehead, she screamed and fainted.

The figure doubled over in laughter.

Chapter 3

Two days later, Andi plopped herself down to Carmen’s height to feed him a bottle of milk. She sighed as the little calf slurped noisily on the bottle. She still didn’t get why Chad had scared her so badly two nights ago.

She hadn’t done anything to hurt him. She sighed again as she felt the scar on her forehead. Not only had Chad made her scream, he had hit her on the head too.

For Chad’s punishment, Andi had insisted on a challenge instead of Chad being grounded: in one-and-a-half weeks, Andi would show how much Carmen had learned to obey. If Chad didn’t think that he behaved well, Andi would have to clean stalls for a week, and give Carmen away. If Carmen obeyed really well, then Chad would have to clean all the stalls for two weeks and Andi could keep Carmen.

The bet was on.

Throughout the one-and-a-half weeks, Andi worked with Carmen every chance she got. Finally, the big day was here. Andi was nervous because Carmen usually behaved, but he had his days. Andi hoped that today was one of his good days.

****

Andi smiled as she walked past the barn where Chad was whining about how bad the bet was as he mucked out stalls. Andi had won the bet and got to keep Carmen. She finally felt like her big brother had started to respect her and the responsibility she had.

Thanks to me, Chad has to do my chores, too! Then she stopped herself. No, it was thanks to mother.

 Mother still wanted Chad to get a punishment for hurling the stick at Andi and scaring her. Now, he had to do all of Andi’s chores- for a week. Andi somehow felt very happy-not just smug that Chad lost, happy because she had proven that she was capable of training a calf.