nanowrimo oct prep bonus 17

         “Christian Rayvon!” Mrs. Tanner slammed her hand on his desk.  “Read the next paragraph.” She demanded knowing that he had once again drifted into a place that defiantly was not the English classroom.

         “Sorry, Mrs. Tanner.” He answered a little shocked. “I was…”

         “I don’t care what you were doing.” She said. “You were reading Shakespeare with the rest of us. I will see you after class.”

         Mrs. Tanner walks past his desk and calls on Terry. Christian still could not help but to think of his pregnant cow at the farm. He remembered that his father had said, “Bessy will have her youngen tomorrow. I’m a betten.”

         Christian’s mother had always kept him from the stable when the animals would give birth. She felt that it wasn’t proper for children to know where babies come from. Now that he was fourteen, and she had to explain why her belly had grown with her next child, she had agreed that he could be there to help with Bessy when the time came. It was hard to think about Romeo when Bessy might sneak a calf out while he was at school.

         The bell rang. The sound was welcomed because it was the last bell of the day. He stood in front of the two story building waiting for the big yellow bus with the number 103 to pull in to load him up for the trip home.

         When he got home, he ran into the house. “Mom! Dad!” he shouted as he searched the house. Then he got to his parents’ bedroom where his dad greeted him exhausted. “Son, I need you to listen to me.” Christian nods, not really knowing what was going on. “Your mother is about to give you a new brother or sister. We explained this to you months ago. I have to help Doc with Momma. I need you to care for Bessy. She is ready, and animals know what to do. You need to rub her and sooth her because she will be in pain.” He then goes back to Christian’s mother.

         Christian runs into the barn. He was excited to be adding two new lives to the family. When seeing Bessy with pain in her eyes, he grabbed the old rags that they used to clean the milking nozzles. He wet them and washed her face. Then after hours it seemed to be all night, Bessy lets out a loud terrifying bellow.  She began to jerk and even jump. Christian could see one of the calf’s legs coming from Bessy.

Not knowing what to do, Christian grabbed the leg, and he prayed. “Father, You are the creator of all living beings, and you can help me know what to do to help Bessy. I know that there something wrong. Please give me the wisdom and ability to help her deliver a healthy baby calf.”

         The even know Christian was scared and unsure of what he was doing, he pushed his arm as far into Bessy as he could. He didn’t notice the wetness or the blood. He felt the other leg and grabbed it. He begins to pull it down to match the position of the other leg. Bessy bellows again in pain. “Please God let me be doing the right thing.” Christian prays. He tries pulling so afriad that he would break something in the baby. The baby still remained stuck. Then he runs to the barn door and get a thin rope. He ties it around both the protruding legs, wraps the rope around one of the supporting beams of the barn, brings the end to where he could also guide the baby, and he pulled until the calf fell out. He caught the head from bouncing on the ground.

         He fell down beside Bessy who was now laying nursing and cleaning her new baby.

         Mr. Wright came into the barn around 8:00 am. He wondered how his son and Bessy was. It should not have been a hard job to watch Bessy give birth. Then he seen Christian with his head laying on a bundle of hay. Bessy looks at Christian’s father as if to tell him of a long night.

         When Christian entered the house, his father guided him to the bed where his mother was sleeping. There in a bassinet was a baby sister. He picked her up. He had tears in his eyes as he told his father the story. Mr. Wright smiled. “I have another surprise for you.” He grinned. “You get to name your sister.”

         Christian named his sister Bessy, and the male calf he named Dallas after his own nick name.