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A Family of Strays

The Bull and the Bullheaded (Part 1)

By MichaelPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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There was a loud and repetitive knocking sound in the middle of the night. I wake up and walk to the barn door to peek through the crack. A strange man is pacing back and forth. I can’t see him clearly from a distance, but a quick look in my direction made me nervous as it seemed like he saw me. In his hand, a peculiar package wrapped in brown paper. The strange man then took a few steps toward the barn, but the lights came on in the house. The door opens, and Coop steps outside with a rifle to confront him. The stranger is obviously someone Coop knows, but is he friend or foe?

The two argued in whispers. I couldn’t hear a thing. Finally, coop and the stranger stopped their bickering and went inside the house. Something fell out of the package the stranger held just as he entered the house. It looks like...a marigold flower. Never have I ever been more curious and confused. Instead of trying to investigate, I’ll just leave it alone, mind my business, and go back to sleep.

The following day, I woke up to yelling and crashing noises. Quickly, I rushed outside to see what the commotion was all about. There’s a freakin’ bull going wild around the farm! It’s destroying everything in sight! Coop yells for me to get back inside of the barn. He and the stranger were both trying to immobilize the bull. The bull then had its eyes fixated on Coop. I don’t know what happened, but my body decided to move on its own to reach Coop before the bull did as Coop stood frozen. The next thing I know, I’m waking up on the couch inside of the house with a massive headache and a sore body.

Upon my awakening, everyone was yelling about whatever. Tori stayed by my side, but her attention was set on everyone else. Julius stood by and stared out of the window. Once Tori felt my movement, she immediately turned her attention to me. After her, everyone else came to me to make sure I was okay. It was too much. Being surrounded by everyone began to cause my anxiety to go wild so much that I freaked out and then passed out. This time I awoke in an actual hospital. Between an anxiety attack and a hit from a raging bull, I don’t know how I’m still alive at this point.

This time, Michelle was the one by my side. It’s odd, seeing as she’s been the only one who was unwelcoming since the day I arrived. I watched her sleeping in the chair next to me. Her atrocious snores shook the room. A small laugh from me woke her right up.

“Hey there,” she says as she stands and stretches out.

“You snore really loud, you know that?”

“What?! I don’t snore!”

“Woke up thinking there was an earthquake.”

“Wow. What a lovely way to greet the girl who's been by your side.”

“Thanks for being here. What happened, though?”

“What happened is, you’re a hero. Like an idiot, you jumped straight in front of a raging bull and nearly died. Though, if it wasn’t for you, Coop would have. Doctor said you have a concussion but, miraculously, that’s all you have. Except for that little episode you had at the house.”

“Episode?”

“You don’t remember?”

“Oh. That episode. It’s not the first time. I just don’t like to talk about it.”

“Say no more.”

Coop and Steph walked into the room. Their faces expressed joy, worry, and sadness all in one. Coop asked Michelle to leave the room so they could speak to me. Right off the bat, Coop thanked me for pushing him out of the bull’s way and Steph hugged me gently. Right after, they felt it only fair to tell me who the stranger was and why he was around. The stranger’s name is Toby and he just so happens to be Coop’s younger brother. Toby also seems to be the reason there was a wild bull at the farm.

I wasn’t given all of the details. Best I didn’t for all of our sake. There was something else. After all of the praise and appreciation, I was told by Coop that I could no longer stay at the farm. Apology after apology, Steph says it’s for my own protection, and there’s. I’m a runaway afterall, and seeing as I was in a hospital, my emergency contact had been called. The people I’m trying to stay away from are on their way to come get me. With that knowledge, and a disappointed expression, I understood why I couldn’t stay with Coop and Steph. Still, there is no way in hell I’m ever going back to those people. Ever.

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About the Creator

Michael

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