Somehow, even though there were times he and Jazz had been left to their own devices when Mom and Dad had gotten caught up down in the lab, this seemed far more concerning to Danny.

Wide eyed, Danny attempted to pay attention to what was being explained and shown to him. The eldest had calm and sure confidence. Explaining how the pipe had been cleaned in the sink with the milkers, hands twisting knobs halfway to shut them fully or they'd take in too much air when turned on. (Was that bad? Did it do something? Ruin the milk or machines? This was the family's livelihood after all.)

Thankfully, she didn't appear to want or need him doing anything. Just explaining. Nervously, Danny peeked back outside of the milk room. Where the three younger ones were in charge of chasing in the probably 2,000 pound cows.

Those things were big. Most taller than him. And taller than the in-charge eldest.

Moments of watching rodeos stuck a little too firmly in Danny's head to deal with their nonchalance in dealing with these creatures.

Licking his lips, he tried to pay attention to what the eldest was showing him with switching the system from clean to milk.

"Don't worry about it. Here. Take the milkers and bring them out into the barn."

Carry things? Okay. Cool. He could do that.

"Where do I put them?"

He lifted one of the milkers off the pipe she'd hung it onto in setting them up. Heavier than expected. He used both hands, awkwardly holding it outward from himself.

"Between the stalls. They'll show you where. Or wait, just hang them up on the pipe going across the alleyway. Then have them show you."

Danny nodded, making the trips out of the milk room to carry the milkers one by one. Finished with getting the huge animals in and hooked up, the younger ones noticed what he was doing and scampered over from playing with Arly and the barn cats to lift the milkers themselves, pointing and showing Danny where they went.

Between the stalls.

Danny watched, horrified, as a pair of kids smaller than him squeezed between the cows lined up in the stalls and along their whole length to hang the milkers up by their heads.

They'd been doing this their whole lives. Trusted to milk all the cows while the adults were out harvesting in the fields. It was fine.

It was still completely nerve-wracking to watch their tiny bodies disappear within those huge bodies that could easily crush a person between them.

"You want to do the last one?" Offered the youngest, whom Danny swore was only six, lifting the milker she'd somehow plucked off the pipe in his direction. The pipe over the alleyway that went down either side of the barn was a couple inches taller than Danny's head. Danny's head swiveled between the kid and the height of the pipe. How'd she get that?

Her eyes lit up. "Want to watch me do it?"

"What?"

"Yeah! I'm finally tall enough to reach this year! Watch me, Danny!"

And the kid sprinted off with her milker, disappearing between a couple cows. Panicked, Danny dashed after, getting as close as he dared to the cows' back ends. Fitting through easily, the tiny girl stepped up on the cement divide on the ground by the cow's head where some food mixture sat, her feet going up on high tiptoe as her arms stretched upwards with the heavy milker.

"Careful!"

With a little bounce of her feet, she got the hook of the milker over the pipe and landed on the ground. And grinned at him. While still right next to the huge animal.

"Okay, good job, get back out here."

Rolling her eyes, she came back out from between the cows that were easily twice her height and like, 30 times her own weight.

Simple life.

Ha. Yeah right. Try terrifying.

Danny eyeballed the creatures lined up in stalls on either side of the barn. Did they know or sense it about him? Would they be more likely to kick with those legs with him? He certainly didn't want to witness that kid doing-

Yanked roughly by a tiny hand, Danny looked down to her. She pointed. "Don't stand behind a tail going up. Unless you want to get hit. They can splatter all the way across the alleyway sometimes."

Wide eyed, Danny stared at where he once stood.

"Don't worry," the youngest assured him. "I'll help you. Here! Let me show you how to get the cows ready! Elizabeth showed me how and she's the best at getting them ready!"

Despite not really allowed to do much from his apparently obvious and very logical caution around a huge animal, Danny felt a growing new appreciation starting up for farmers and farming life by the end of his two hours spent in the barn.

And he for sure had a huge appreciation and larger fear of the animal's rear end by the end of the night.

Intangiblity was a godsend.

That he couldn't freaking use in front of them.

The four kids granted him first go in the single bathroom in the house.

A shower! Yes!

Danny swore Arly's snuffles as he waddled stiffly, limbs out, was the farm dog laughing at him.