Pretty Cow - The Making of a Hucow (4 page)

"I'll buy the girl for one million," said
the Sheikh as he pointed at Sato.

The woman raised her hand. "One and a half."

The man in the dark business suit joined in. "One
and three quarters."

More voices joined. The price climbed to two million,
two and a half, three. The bidding slowed now, but the number kept rising. Sato
bowed graciously towards the crowd as the Sheikh won the girl for three and
three quarters. It wasn't the highest he had ever made off of a pet, but it was
close.

"And would you like her branded?" Sato asked
as he pointed at Jennifer through the window. "It is free of charges
should you choose."

The Sheikh looked back at his purchase as he stroked
his beard. "I will think on this."

Sato bowed again, and then waved his arms in the air
to get the crowd's attention. "Do not be disappointed if you didn't win.
This is only one of many displays you will see today! Now, come. You have seen
the farm. Let us see what else I have for sale today!" The small Asian
pushed another set of doors open and led the gathered group into the next wing.
Three and a quarter million in his first sale.

But he was just getting warmed up.

*****

W
hen two large men, fully clothed and wearing shoes,
came and attached a leash to my collar, I was confused. The men looked
familiar, like I knew them in my life from before, but my head was hazy. One of
the men leaned down and rubbed my head. His hair was black and curly.

"Such a pretty cow you are. And you have a new
Master. I bet that makes a pretty cow happy."

A Master! I'm desired! I'm a pretty cow!

The man tugged on the lead and I obediently followed
behind him, staring at the back of his knees as I crawled along. He led me to a
new room, clean and white like my old one, but with a fire roaring in the
corner. A long metal rod was resting in the flames, with heat licking across
the tip of the iron.

The curly haired man began to rub something over the side
of one of my ass cheeks. My skin grew cold under his touch while the other man
rubbed my back and continued to tell me what a pretty cow I was. I mooed in
delight.

"Now stay still. A pretty cow doesn't move,"
said the curly haired man as he pulled the iron rod from the fire. A large
circle with strange lines within glowed red. The other man grabbed my hair and
pulled my head so I was facing forward. I cried out in surprise but the man
wouldn't let go.

And then there was pain. Searing pain. I screamed.

"Shhh. A pretty cow doesn't scream. Just
relax," said the curly haired man as he dipped the iron into a bucket of
water. Steam filled the air and the water hissed as the heat died in the cool
bath. But I didn't care about the iron anymore. My ass cheek was throbbing in
pain and tears spilled down my face.

The men held me in place as the curly haired one
covered my pain in gel. A bandage covered the site, hiding my naked skin for
the first time in a long time. The pain hadn't gone away completely, but the burning
ache that threatened to drive me mad had trailed off. Now it was nothing more
than a distant throbbing.

"Let's get her crated up and on the truck."

The leash went taut once more as the men led me away
from the fire. The leash didn't come off until I was in front of a large wooden
box. Straw lined the floor three inches thick but otherwise the crate was
empty. A rough slap on my unburnt ass cheek sent me skittering into the wooden
crate. It was barely big enough for me to turn around. And when I did manage to
flip end for end, I saw the men lifting a wooden cap up to the opening I'd
crawled through.

The sound of hammers echoed through my dark crate as I
shook in fear. My bell rattled and my knees grew wet as my bladder released,
soaking the straw underneath me. I called out for someone to help me, to take
me back to the yard with the other cows, but my urgent moos were ignored. And
once the crate was sealed up tight, the men left too.

I laid down in the wet straw, confused and scared. The
voice was gone. My herd was gone. I was a pretty cow. Why was this happening?

Someone tapped on the wooden crate hours later. I
lifted my head from the straw and saw a pair of eyes staring at me through a
space between the boards. They looked familiar.

"Hello again Jennifer. You have made me very
happy today."

I perked up at his words.

"Yes, you were a very pretty cow today. And now
you'll be going home with your new Master. But don't worry my sweet pet, your
friend Kimberly will be joining you. Though I don't know if you'll see each
other very often." The man's eyes disappeared from view and a moment later
he tapped the top of the crate.

My wooden box shook and I fell to my knees as it
rocked back and forth through the air. I didn't stop swinging until the crane
dropped me into the back of a truck. As soon as it did, the eyes returned.
"Now be good for your new Master. You won't see me again Jennifer. Your
new life begins today."

This time the eyes disappeared for good. An engine
rumbled and the truck lurched forward, dropping me into the straw once more. My
bell jingled and I pressed my face against the wood as my old home shrank in
view before vanishing altogether behind a row of trees. When it was gone I laid
back down on the straw, careful not to lay on my new brand.

I wasn't sure how long I was in the crate. But the
longer I laid in the box, the less it mattered. My brand quit aching but my
udders throbbed in pain and my stomach grumbled. And when the crate was finally
opened again, I pressed my face into the hand of the smiling man with a beard.
He laughed as I ate from his palm. And when he leashed me and led me to my new
home, a brand new barn built just for me, I knew who the man was.

He was my Master.

This was my new life.

And I was his pretty cow.