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“Mama says I can go. It’s my turn.”
“You’re too little. You’re just five!” My seven year old sister taunts back.
“Come on Babe” Mama calls from the back porch. “Let’s go.”
Happily, I run out the back screen door, and follow Mama down the high steps.
She picks up the milk pail. Off we go to milk the cow.
We walk from the back yard, across a little dirt road, up a path to the cow lot. Mama unlatches the barn door, puts feed in a bucket. She tells me, “Babe, you put a handful at a time of this dry feed into Pat Jane’s feeding trough. This will keep her eating while I milk her. She’ll stand still until I’m finished.”
Pat Jane, our light brown jersey cow, is waiting by the fence. Mama puts a little feed in the trough first and then sits on a small stool she has placed beside Pat Jane.
“Now, Babe, you keep putting a handful of feed in to her and Mama will milk.”
I am having a good time. I’m getting to be with Mama and help her, without the other six kids around. I feel “special”.
The milk goes “squish, squish, squish” and hits in the milk pail. I lean over and watch Mama, but don’t think I can do that part.
The pail is almost full.
My stomach starts to hurt. “Mama, I need to go to the bathroom!”
“Well, stay on the path and go back to the house, but watch out for snakes.”
The path is clean, not grassy like other paths we use... I can do it by myself. It’s not that far.
I walk hurriedly down the path when all of a sudden a long black snake appears out of nowhere! Then it starts chasing me! I run and scream at the same time. I run as fast as I can.! I scream louder!
Mama comes running! She yells, “Stop and stomp your foot! It will turn and go another way!”
I always believe what Mama says, but this time my feet don’t. They keep running! The snake gets faster! So do my feet!
I keep running and screaming. The black snake keeps chasing me. And Mama keeps running behind the snake.
But I outrun the snake , and beat it to the back door steps! Up the ten steps I run! Now I’m safely inside , and I slam the back door shut.
Mama comes inside. “The snake left.” she says. “Are you o.k.?”
I nod my head “yes”.
I don’t know who is the most tired and out of breath. Me, that black snake, or my Mama!
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But I do know one thing for sure. I don’t want to go help Mama at milking time anymore.
I’m not getting back on that path! No way...
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.(KJV)
Copyright 2004 Martha J. Currington
word count: 500
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