Laurel was a small, happy seven-year-old. She was an extremely beautiful child, long honey coloured hair that fell in lose ringlets, bright blue-silver eyes and a smile that seemed to shed sunshine. Laurel was also a selfless and considerate child, although she was so young she seemed to have the presence of mind of a much older person.
Laurel had never known her mother or father; they had both died before her second birthday. So since then she had been living with her grandparents who owned a little farm. Laurel loved living with her grandparents, she loved the farm and she epically loved her pet cow, named Starla.
Laurel woke up in her little bed with a cosy patchwork quilt covering her. The bright blues, reds, purples and yellows of her quilt contrasted with the cream of her walls, and the dark brown beams running across the ceiling. Laurel sat up looking around her room that was full of small stuffed animals, a desk and chair, a wardrobe and chest of draws. She flung the quilt back and got out stepping onto the sheepskin rug. Grabbing a soft brush from the desk she began to groom her golden locks, the movement of the brush through her hair was very soothing.
Then putting it down she exited her room and walked down the stairs from her small attic bedroom. Emerging in the kitchen she found her grandmother, Gladys preparing breakfast and her grandfather Samuel reading the paper at the highly scrubbed pine table. Laurel sat down next to her grandfather at the table, Gladys turned away from the stove holding a small bowl of porridge. Spotting her granddaughter at the table and her face broke into a smile that she reserved for Laurel, "Good morning m'dear." She put the bowl of porridge down in front of Laurel and Laurel noted with happiness that her grandmother had stirred a spoonful of honey into her porridge.
Eating quickly and talking to her grandmother and grandfather Laurel finished her breakfast, put her bowl in the sink and walked out the back door.
Laurel's morning chores included milking the cows and taking them out to the pasture, there with a large stave she sat watch over her charges. She walked into the well lit barn that had seven stalls along each wall, everyone occupied by a cow, each was a milky brown except one that was creamy white, this was Starla. Laurel breathed in the light smell of hay and clean animals, it brought a slight smile to her face. Then grabbing a small three-legged stool and a pail, Laurel walked over to the first cow, whose name above her stall read "Pudding."
So she made her way around every stall filling the pail, and then emptied it in the large metal container. Eventually she came to Starla who was waiting for her at the half door of her stall. Mooing gently Starla's eyes twinkled as Laurel opened her door, set down the stool and pail next to her udder. Sitting down Laurel scratched Starla behind the ears. Then her hands moved in a blur until the pail was full, picking it up she patted Starla and poured the milk into the mettle container. Turning to the corner she washed the pail, put the stopper in the milk container and grabbed her stave.
Laurel walked along the rows and opened all the doors, the cows filed out in an orderly fashion. Starla walked behind the rest of the herd helping keep order, not that she really needed to; the cows knew the routine so well that it was second nature to them. When they reached the pasture, Laurel took her usual seat in the meadow; the forest to the left was full of silver birch and large oak trees. The meadow was an extremely large area of juicy grazing for the cows, then miles off to the right it became scrubland with course grass and heather growing between the rocks. This was were the cows had to be grazed one year when all the other grass had shrivelled up, only the tough hardy grass between the rocks had survived.
Sitting with her back against the small moss covered boulder Laurel retrieved her books from her bag and began working on her English homework. So she worked until lunchtime, when Starla walked over to her. Gently nuzzling the top of her head and mooing, trying to remind her that it was time for her to eat. Laurel put her books away and from her bag she produced a lunch box, out of which she produced homemade cheese sandwiches. Starting to eat Starla sat down heavily next to her, looking dolefully at Laurel, until she handed over a bit of bread, which Starla munched happily.
After lunch she got out her books again and Starla continued to sit next to her looking out at the herd. Slowly it began to get dark, however it was not nearly sunset, fierce dark clouds where rolling in from the north, accompanied by a chill wind.
Laurel looked up; she was shivering slightly against the wind. Looking to Starla, the cow was looking to the north and sniffing the air. "Is there a storm coming Starla." The cow mooed slightly but continued to look towards the oncoming storm, Laurel decided that she would pack up and head home after she had finished her essay, which was only a few paragraphs away.
On the last sentence Starla gave an alarmed moo, quickly getting to her feet and Laurel was close behind her. Suddenly the wind swept through the meadow cutting through her like ice, the sky was a swirling mass of black cloud. Lighting forked across the sky and thunder boomed in their ears. The cows started mooing alarmingly, shifting from side to side nervously. Then the rain fell, so thickly that visibility was reduced to less than two meters.
There was panic among the animals and Laurel herself began to panic, then she felt a nudge at the back of her shoulder. Starla looked like a ghost in the gloom, but it gave her courage. As quickly as possible Laurel and Starla rounded up the startled cows and drove them back through the rain and mud. If one of the herd started to wander away Starla would let out a moo that commanded obedience and the offending cow went back in line.
They walked slowly through the pounding rain as the thunder and lighting streaked directly overhead. Laurel was soaked to the skin and colder than she'd ever been due to the wind. Finally she reached the farmyard, Starla was still at her side, helping steer the herd into the barn. Each cow went to her respective stall and began to moo discontentedly at being wet and cold. It was then that Laurel realised that a cow was missing; "Io" was a small cow that was quite nervous. Laurel was sure she'd be wandering around the pasture scared to death in the rain.
Starla was still beside her "Go on I need to get Io. I'll see you later." Then before the cow could follow her Laurel had run out into the rain again. She pounded along the muddy track, rain blinding her, the wind blowing so fiercely she had to struggle with every step. Finally after what seem hours she arrived back in the pasture, the storm had increased in ferocity, inside Laurel was terrified but she knew she had a duty to her charges, she had to find her lost cow.
So she run forward calling "Io" all the way, it made no difference though, she could see no more in front of her than arms length and her voice was lost to the winds roar. She ran to the left in the forest calling in between the trees, but Io was not there Laurel's heart fell, Io must have wandered to the right. Heaving a sigh and shaking with cold Laurel ran from the trees heading to the scrubland.
Suddenly half way across the pasture a great gust of wind actually knocked her off her feet and she tumbled backwards. Laurel lay on her front, dazed and winded smelling the wet grass beneath her. Suddenly she realised that the wind had stopped, the rain had stopped and although it was still dark, it was like night rather than a storm. Her head was spinning and looking up she saw a rock with blood on it, she must have hit her head she dimly realised. Slowly her eyes darkened and her head span faster, so she put it on the spongy grass then she lapsed into unconsciousness.