"JoAnne Russell!" That was my ma for sure. None of my siblings has such a strong voice as my ma.

"Yes ma?" My ma could be a bit pushy at times, but she worked tirelessly to feed us. That's love, right?

"Go milk the cow, Jo!" This is strange. My job is to collect from the chickens. My older brother Mark was supposed to do it.

"Where's Mark?"

"Your brother is out fixing the tractor. Mary Ellen is out shopping, and Rose Marie is too young."

"Yes ma!" I ran down the stairs, leaped into my boots. I flew out the door... and into my pa.

"Well, cupcake, where are your chariots running to?"

"Pa!" I giggled. Then I grew serious. "Ma needs me to milk the cow. Mark's fixing the tractor."

"Again?"

"Yeah. Miss Bessie's calf threw a fit yesterday when Rosie was chasing her, and, well...."

"Oh no." He sighed. "This calf is giving us more than I bargained for. Poor Mark has tried to fix that plenty of times, but that calf always messes it up." His voice dropped into a low whisper. "Don't tell your ma or Rosie, but I may have to get rid of her soon. Now, you go milk Miss Bessie like your ma told you to." And he walked off to the house.

Now, the way to Miss Bessie's field was no easy walk. You couldn't go through the woods around the house. You had to tromp through the long driveway, then you had to follow a stretched out road through the woods until you get to a field. At the field you crossed it until you arrived at her pen.

On the long way back, with my buckets of milk growing heavy, I pondered how funny the neighbors must think us as. They must see us as hermits.

We rarely leave our house, except to gather grain, or pick vegetables, or milk cows. My pa's getting about forty cows tomorrow, but all we have now is Miss Bessie. Oh well.
Suddenly a bullet of cotton flew at me, knocking me over. I opened my eyes, cold and wet from the milk on the ground surrounding me. It didn't take a detective to figure out who ran into me.

"Rose Marie Anne! Now ma won't have milk for supper tonight!" I know it's wrong to yell, but she made me down right mad.

"No kaava?" Now her sparkling blue eyes filled up with tears, losing their joyful glow.

"It's ok. Ma might have some milk left over from yesterday. Now, come on inside with me."
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"... on earth, as it is in heaven."

"Amen." We all said, as one. Then we dug in. Dinner tonight was hippogriff meat, with larvat fruit. And of course, through Rosie's begging, kaava.

Once we were done, once again I was charged with going to get the milk from the cow. Yet this time, on my way back. There was no one running up to greet me. Halfway down the road, however was a very cross young man in the common uniform for low-ranking officers in our army corps.

"Hello sir?" I said, wondering what he was doing. All I know is he wasn't here for the sights. He gave me one glance and then closed his eyes with a groan.

"You commoners are too nosy." He said with a rough, angry voice with a strong heavy accent from the German Federation, probably meaning he was from the Bulgarian Confederation.