I climb up and look around. I can see the ute in the distance, slowly chugging along the ridge towards the far paddocks. They obviously haven’t found her yet.
I scan my eyes across the land, starting on one side of the paddock. This is a huge dairy farm. No wonder they can’t find Bella.
Several times my eyes catch sight of something white and my heart skips a beat, but each time it turns out to be an old sack or something else when I look more closely.
Then I see something odd. It’s down near the dam at the bottom of Midgie’s paddock. It couldn’t possibly be Bella, because cows aren’t allowed into the horse paddock, but I’m sure I can see something moving.
I climb down and grab an old bike that is lying next to the shed.
‘Chelsea? Maisy?’ I call. They come running over. ‘Will you follow me down to the dam on the horses?’
‘What is it?’ asks Maisy curiously.
‘Probably nothing, but I just want to check.’
We head off down the dirt track that leads to the dam. As we get closer I know my fears are correct. I can hear something thrashing in the water. We climb the bank and look down. It’s awful. Poor Bella is half in and half out of the water and obviously stuck in the mud. She’s on her side with her huge belly and back legs almost completely covered in water. She is exhausted and stares up at us with terrified eyes.
‘What is it with water and animals today?’ I mumble.
‘Oh dear! Oh dear!’ cries Maisy. ‘What will we do? She’s going to die.’ She starts to cry. I have to get her out of here, and fast. I suddenly feel very calm and know what has to be done.
‘Maisy, look at me.’ I use my firmest voice. ‘You have to stop crying and get help. Ride Midgie and go find your dad and my mum. I saw them heading out to the back paddocks.’
‘But what if Bella dies? She’s Dad’s favourite cow.’
‘Maisy, the only way we can save her is if you can do this. You’re the fastest rider.’
I take hold of Midgie’s reins and wait for Maisy to climb on. She gives Midgie a hard kick and they gallop off. I’ve never seen him run so fast.
Chelsea has hopped off Thunder and is standing holding his reins and looking down at Bella. ‘Oh, this is just so awful,’ she says, her voice just a whisper.
‘We have to get her out of the water. If she has the calf in there it will drown, if it hasn’t already. Will you help me, Chelsea? Can you undo Thunder’s reins but leave his bridle on?’
Chelsea’s glad to have something to concentrate on and has his reins off in no time.
We tie one end to the stirrup strap as tightly as we can and I take the other end and edge into the water towards the terrified cow. Chelsea brings Thunder over as close to the soft muddy edge as she can.
Bella pants heavily. Her enormous eyes stare up at me and blink anxiously.
‘It’s okay,’ I soothe, reaching out to pat her neck gently. She seems to settle a bit. Very slowly, I lift my jumper over my head and pass one of the arms under her neck. Then I tie the sleeves together to make a collar and attach the rein.
‘Now Chelsea,’ I say, trying to keep my voice calm and smooth. ‘Can you walk Thunder very slowly back up the ridge a little?’
At first when the collar tightens on Bella’s neck, she pulls back in fear and I worry she might choke. But then she seems to understand we are trying to help. Thunder strains and pulls and with an enormous burst of energy and a loud sucking noise Bella pulls her legs up under herself and climbs out of the mud, only to collapse again a little way up the bank.
To my relief there is no calf.
‘At least she’s out of the water now,’ I pant. ‘The calf might still have a chance when it’s born.’
Chelsea and I sit with Bella and stroke her gently for what seems like forever. Chelsea is even humming a little song to her. I don’t know if cows like music, but for some reason it calms us all down.
The sound of a ute in the distance is wonderful. Mum is coming. She’ll know what to do.
When it finally arrives, Bella is in full labour and mooing in pain. Mr Brown and Mum jump out of the car and run down the bank towards us. Maisy is right behind them on Midgie. Mum goes straight to work. I open her kit and hand her each instrument as she asks for it. We all hold our breath as she listens for the heartbeat of the calf. The lines of concern on her face slowly disappear as she examines Bella and she looks up at me and smiles.
‘It’s weak, but it’s still alive,’ she says.
Maisy holds her dad’s hand and cries again.
Ten minutes later, Bella is standing, licking a perfect black-and-white calf. Chelsea, Maisy and I all hug each other with joy.
‘You saved her life,’ says Mum, giving me a hug around the shoulders. ‘If the calf had been born under water, it would certainly have died.’
‘I think this calf needs a name,’ says Maisy. ‘What will we call her?’
‘Well, that’s easy,’ says Maisy’s dad. We all look at him. He winks at me. ‘Her name should be Juliet.’
I smile a huge smile. It feels really good to be nearly a vet – even if I am standing in a muddy paddock in my pyjama top.
Quiz! Are You Nearly a Vet?
1. What is a female sheep called?
a. Mrs Sheep
b. A ewe
c. A ram
d. Woolly
2. Why do dairy farmers get up so early?
a. They like to have a really big breakfast
b. The cows need to be milked early in the morning
c. They miss their cows
d. They like to watch the sun rise
3. Pigs roll in mud because:
a. They can’t afford makeup
b. They don’t like being pink
c. It tastes like chocolate
d. It keeps the sun and flies off their backs
4. How did ‘carpet snakes’ get their name?
a. They like to hide under your carpet
b. They have a pattern on them like old carpets
c. They feel rough like carpet
d. People used to make carpets out of them
5. What’s brown and absolutely stinks?
a. Cow poo
b. Horse poo
c. Pig poo
d. All of the above!
6. When you ‘drench’ a cow you:
a. Worm it
b. Hose it until it’s sopping wet
c. Have a shower with it
d. Take it to the local pool for a swim
7. Lambs drink milk, which means they are:
a. Reptiles
b. Mammals
c. Amphibians
d. Insects
8. How old do ducklings need to be before they can swim?
a. Three weeks
b. Four days
c. They can swim as soon as they hatch
d. Old enough to start swim school
9. When chickens lay an egg they:
a. Phone their friends
b. Clap their wings
c. Make loud clucking noises
d. Run around in circles
10. You would put a horse’s bridle :
a. On its back
b. Under its tummy
c. On its head
d. On its tail
Answers : 1b, 2b, 3d, 4c, 5d, 6a, 7b, 8c, 9c, 10c. Well done!
From Rebecca Johnson
A lot of the events in these stories are based on funny things that happened either when I was growing up or when my own kids were growing up. I loved that all my son could think about when he was little was his dinosaur collection, and that our daughter used to push her guinea pigs and Frazzle the rooster around in a pram. I will always smile when I think of the day the kids discovered all three of their guinea pigs had given birth on the same day, and the absolute look of horror on my husband’s face.
From Kyla May
As a little girl, I always wanted to be a vet. I had mice, guinea pigs, dogs, goldfish, sea snails, sea monkeys a
nd tadpoles as pets. I loved looking after my friend’s pets when they went on holidays and every Saturday I helped out at a pet store. Now that I’m all grown up, I have the best job in the world. I get to draw lots of animals for children’s books and for animated TV shows. In my studio I have two dogs, Jed and Evie, and two cats, Bosco and Kobe, who love to watch me draw.
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First published by Penguin Group (Australia), 2013
Text copyright © Rebecca Johnson, 2013
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ISBN: 978-1-74253-547-0
Farm Friends Page 3