Fiction logo

Nicole’s Owl

The Struggle to Keep a Farm Alive.

By Iris HarrisPublished 2 years ago 23 min read
Like
Nicole’s Owl
Photo by Keith Lazarus on Unsplash

“Profits are down, again.” Marcy shared, looking over a spread sheet for a third time. It seemed the inevitability of closing the dairy farm was creeping closer and closer each financial quarter. Marcy looked over to her husband and owner, Stephen, who continued to maintain his stern expression.

He sighed heavily. “Of course it’s down. It’s always down. It’s been like that with more and more people opting for alternative sources of calcium. It’s like the whole country all of a sudden woke up and decided dairy was a health criminal.” Sarcasm filled in voice, “let’s forget the fact that there are people who work on dairy farms who also need to make a living.”

When he took over the farm from his father in late 1980s, milk marketers were poised to bring a revival to the industry and were trying all sorts of ad campaigns to keep their cash cows pumping. Luckily for Stephen and Marcy, the “got milk” campaign in the 1990s was a hit and started to bring in profitable income to the farm. Unfortunately, as the country entered into the 2000s, Stephen started to track a steady decline in profits and partners. Additionally, he noticed the rise of alternative milk products in grocery stores. He tried not to let it worry him, healthy competition in a free market, right? It was hard to sustain the effort to be open minded and positive when the risk of losing your business and home becomes imminent. Losing the farm would simply be detrimental to his identity and his family, especially since his family has held ownership of the farm for generations.

“I just don’t know what to do,” Stephen glanced over to his wife. Marcy glided over to Stephen and put her arms gently around him.

“We’ll think of something,” she said in an attempt to assuage him.

High over the barren farmland where cattle had been grazing for years, it flies, seeking its meal for the night. Though it be through a lightless sky, it is still able to hunt for its morsel effortlessly. Once it has located what it desires, it swoops down swiftly and snatches its prize. Returning back to the night sky, it is finally able to enjoy the meal in peace.

By Amy Burgess on Unsplash

Several days later Marcy had and idea. She rushes to the office, where she knew she would find her husband. “Stephen!” Marcy shouted as she entered, but quickly silenced herself after realizing Stephen was locked in a conversation on the phone.

Stephen nodded slightly to Marcy to acknowledge her entrance, “I have been thinking about it,” he returned his attention back to the call and stood listening to his phone. “It is a big step. It’s just, we’re not pulling in the numbers like we used to. I don’t know how much longer we can hold out, especially with other companies going bankrupt.” Stephen stood motionless. There was a heavy cloud of seriousness hovering over his head. “Look, just call me when you know what the market is looking like. For now, I just want to see what you can dig up.” Marcy’s stomach churned with nervousness.

“Alright, I hope to hear from you soon. Ok. Thanks.” Stephen continued to stand, gazing out the office window over his beloved land.

“Who was that?” Marcy interrupted.

“Real estate broker,” Stephen whispered solemnly.

Marcy’s heart crashed to the floor. “Are you seriously thinking of selling the farm?”

Stephen was speechless. He thought about the history the farm had; its resilience to yield to the difficulties it faced from the Great Depression to the Cold War.. However, this new adversary was proving to be formidable beyond any other. “I don’t know,” he finally whispered. “But…”

Marcy continued to be filled with disbelief and confusion. She couldn’t see herself away from the farm. Yet, she needed to know what Stephen was thinking, “but?”

“Marce, maybe it’s time. Maybe we were meant to let it all go. You saw the numbers yourself. We’re not selling as much milk as we used to. With how much money is coming in, it’s only a matter of time before we won’t even be able to feed the cattle in order to have them produce milk. So, maybe we need to be the ones to release the farm from our family and move to something new.”

“Stephen, do you hear yourself? How can you want to let go of all of this? What do we tell our family? The workers?” Marcy was starting to shake at the thought of all the people the decision to leave the farm would affect.

“I don’t want to let it go. I just feel like our backs are against the wall here. Look, I haven’t made any firm decisions yet. I am just inquiring.” He knew that would not be enough to calm her nerves. Secretly, ever since he started watching profits drop, he had been considering a change. After all, he had spent his whole life on the farm and after 4 decades, maybe he was starting to feel the fatigue of maintaining a dying business.

As he turned to Marcy, he knew he couldn’t tell her those thoughts. He knew from the moment they met, she would stay with him regardless of what he decided. If she found out about his possible yearning for change, she would unconditionally agree with him, even if it was against her own wishes. She wasn’t docile; she was genuinely supportive of most of his decisions. If it was an issue she was strongly against, then she would speak up and share her thoughts openly. Her thoughts. Remembering she did enter the office abruptly as he was on the phone, he turned to her, “oh, what did you want to tell me?”

Marcy stood speechless for a moment, as if trying to recall what it was she had to tell him. The news of Stephen’s consideration of selling the farm had distracted her. “Oh, um, you know, it must not have been that important, seeing how I forgot.” She raised her eyes to stare into Stephen’s, the way she always did to show her support for him. “Look, I don’t know what you’re thinking for right now, but we cannot tell the kids until we are absolutely sure we want to sell”

Stephen, keeping his eyes locked with hers, acknowledged her concerns about their children. She was right. The world had become globally smaller, providing opportunities he could never imagined when they were in high school. Even though he was uncertain about what the children wanted their future to be like, currently they had interest in farm life and had been very helpful when it came to the daily maintenance. The younger two obviously were not thinking about their futures, so if he sold the farm only Nicole would end up being the most disappointed. She was a senior in high school, and had shared how she was ruminating over pursuing agricultural engineering in college to continue the family line of farmers. Did he want to burden her with running the farm in a market that could become obsolete? If it went finally belly up, he knew it wouldn’t be fair to her. He agreed with Marcy to hide the news of selling from all three until a final decision was made.

As previous nights before, the flight for food continued in silence. The perfect predator keen eye sight, formidable hearing. It once again spots its prey from its soaring height. Without wasting any seconds it dives. This time, instead of collecting its evening meal, it is pushed of trajectory by a sudden gust of wind. It crashes into an unknown object. The force of the crash, pushes the predator into dismay and it connects with the ground. It attempts to take off, but strength in its wing has diminished upon impact of the object. With every ounce of remaining effort, it seeks shelter for the evening.

By Timothy Eberly on Unsplash

Nicole was the perfect farm hand. Her earlier years of training in the form of chores forced her biological clock to wake her before the sun’s rays could stretch over the horizon. She actually found solace in her morning routine and treated her alone time like a Tiffany’s diamond ring. She fluttered through the kitchen, preparing morning coffee for her parents who would also be waking up within the half hour. Donning her typical overalls and flannel shirt, she was off to complete her rounds. First the chicken coops for egg gathering. Within minutes she finished collecting and headed to the dairy cows’ milking barn. She always enjoyed the laborious chore of milking a cow on her own before the hired help would arrive.

She flicked the light switch to brighten up the barn and was stunned by an eerie screech emitting from one the farthest corner of the area, as if someone were screaming for help.

“Who’s there?” She shouted as a reaction. No one answered her inquiry. The scream returned and Nicole realized the scream did not belong to a human. She identified the sound as a bird, but which species was still unclear. She decided to investigate the source of such unique cries, but grabbed a push broom that was usually left by the door just in case she was wrong. She walked cautiously towards the corner as the screeching began to intensify. It appeared that whatever the creature may be, it was just as frightened as Nicole. As the corner of the barn gradually moved into view, she realized it was an owl. It had a white head with brown and white feathers on it’s body. The head was what stood out the most. Though the eyes were small, the feathers were laid to have the face appear in the form of a heart. Its beak stuck out more like a nose than an ordinary bird’s beak did. There were no evident ears peeking on the top of it’s head, but she was sure the owl had ears. One of the wings looked damaged, or maybe even broken, but it was difficult to determine because of the frighten frantic movements the fowl.

Nicole was an expert animal handler and she knew what she needed to do to help the owl. She decided to wait patiently for the bird to settle down before putting on her farming gloves. Maybe it was fear, or fatigue, but the owl eventually stopped screaming and trying to fly away. Nicole stood up and crept slowly towards the owl. She was doing her best to keep her own movements at a minimal. She knew if the owl were to panic again, then it would take longer to help it. Strangely, the owl turned it’s back towards Nicole as if it were asking her for help. She continued to cautiously move towards the owl, stretched out her arms and to her surprise, she was able to wrap her hands carefully around the owl’s body. Keeping it’s wings in place, she lifted the owl and walked slowly out of the barn.

Luckily, there were cages they had used for chickens nearby. Before placing the owl in the cage, she examined its wing to diagnose what was preventing it from flying. As she predicted, the wing had been damaged. Something had struck the owl hard. How it ended up in barn was still a mystery. Needless to say, she knew she needed to nurse it back to health and it was going to be a few weeks for the wing to heal. After gently placing the owl in the cage, she brought the cage back into the barn to help protect the owl from other animals. She feared leaving the owl out in the open in its weaken state could be traumatic for the owl. She secured an empty stall in the barn and then Nicole retreated back to the house to gather supplies to bandage the owl’s wing. Once she had gathered what she needed, she started to head back to the barn.

Marcy spotted her. “Nicole, what are you doing with those bandages?”

“Oh, mom, there was an owl in the barn. Somehow, it’s wing is badly damaged and I need to wrap it up quickly to help heal it,” Nicole shared as she made her way out of the door.

Once she returned to the barn, she quickly went to work bandaging the broken wing. She had performed the operation numerous times on other fowl, so within a blink of an eye, the owl had it’s wing firmly wrapped close to its body. She set some food and water out for the owl to help it recover. She decided to leave the bird there for the day and vowed to return before turning out for the night.

Stephen later walked in the dairy barn to check on the owl. He was perplexed to see a barn owl in the stall. Barn owls were rarely in the area, but he had seen one before. It was through the starlit night sky when he was younger, so the details of the owl were unclear. Yet, here he could see all the uniqueness he had read about. Stephen left the stall pondering how the owl found its way to the farm.

The owl had become a caged prisoner. It was confused on whether it should try to escape from the wired cage, or remain. The strange creature had come to its aid and there was some food after all. Granted, it was not the right type of food, it would have to do until enough strength returned for its escape.

A week after finding the owl, the phone rang and Stephen answered. It was the realtor, Carl Reeves with news of an interested buyer. Stephen agreed to have the buyer come to a showing of the farm. The date was set for a week later. Stephen knew he had to let Nicole become aware of what he was planning. It was the only way to gauge where her mind was in regards to the farm.

Nicole had been faithfully maintaining the rehabilitation of the owl. She had determined the owl was male and had managed to bring some strength back to its weakened wing. She calculated the bird would be healed within three weeks. As she was wrapping up her care of her new feathered friend, Stephen walked quietly into the stall.

“Hey,” he greeted, just barely above a whisper.

Nicole looked up from her work. “Hey, Dad,” she whispered back.

“How’s the owl doing?”

“So far, so good. I’m really surprised by how fast he’s healing. He might not have to stay the whole month after all.” She shared.

“That’s great to hear,” Stephen shared, while being in awe by the owl’s recovery speed. Shortly after he continued, “listen, I need to talk to you for a sec when you’re done.”

“Sure, Dad,” she responded and returned the owl back into the cage. She followed Stephen out of the barn.

“I don’t know how to say this, but…” he began, looking at Nicole. He paused. The next line seemed lost, as if his voice was stripped from his larynx. Nicole’s face shifted and was suddenly weighed down with concern. What was her father trying to say?

“Oh my God, Dad, are you thinking about getting rid of the owl?” She guessed.

“What? No! That’s not even what I was thinking. What made you come up with that?”

Nicole’s face flashed with relief. “Well, you walked into the stall and tell me we need to talk. Then you take forever to tell me what it is, I could only assume one thing: you wanted to get rid of the owl.”

Stephen laughed. “No, that was not it.” Admittedly, he was grateful for her astute observation and deduction. “Actually, I have been thinking about selling the farm.” He blurted out.

Nicole’s smile quickly dissolved and a dismal look surfaced. “You’re selling the farm?”

Her tattle-tell reaction said more than words. Stephen immediately sensed how much the farm meant to Nicole. He became more ashamed of the shared news now more than ever. “Nicole, you need to know that milk is not selling as much as it did when I took over the farm. With all the alternatives that exist, it has drove our profits down to an all time low. I don’t want you to be burden with trying to keep a farm running in this market.”

“What does mom think about this? Did you tell her? Is she ok with this idea?” Nicole spat in a blind fury of emotions.

“Well, she seems on board with selling it, I think.” Stephen admitted.

“You think? You know mom is not going to tell you what she really thinks. God, Dad, you’re so dense!” Nicole started walking towards the house. She cupped her hands, “Mom!”

Marcy came running out of the house and headed towards the couple. “What is going on between you two now?”

“Did you know?” Nicole shot an eye of accusation towards Marcy.

“About?” Marcy perplexed, had a feeling what Nicole meant.

“Dad’s selling the farm.”

“Well, he mentioned it.”

“And you agree? You know how much I love this farm. I was looking forward to being the next generation of farmers on the farm,” Nicole was becoming heated from the conversation. “I told you, I was going to go to college to study Agricultural Engineering. I was planning on finding a way to keep our farm going. How can you do this to me?”

“Ok, Nicole, I understand how you feel. Look, I haven’t made a final decision on this yet. I just wanted you to be aware. I have someone coming to look at the farm next week. The buyer may not even be interested. It’s not like buying a house and farms take longer to sell.” Stephen rationalized.

Nicole had already heard enough. “I don’t care! The fact that you’re considering says more than I want to hear. If the farm is sold, then there’s no point in me going to college then, is there?” Nicole ran into the house, leaving her parents to deal with the weight of her emotional response.

Marcy glanced over to Stephen who was as motionless as he was speechless. She knew she really needed to set aside some time to discuss the future of the farm and her family with him. Presently, having the discussion would only add to the friction that had already manifested. She quietly walked away and returned to the house.

By Aad van der Klaauw on Unsplash

The wing continued to heal. The owl was able to move around easier than it did two weeks ago. It now had to consider leaving or staying. It didn’t enjoy being in the cage and was happier fluttering around in the warmth of the stable. It was not used to being taken care of. The owl knew he belonged in the sky, being the hunter he was born to be, but having catering service was convenient. Even with a horrible menu.

Carl Reeves came as scheduled with the buyer. They toured all areas of the farm and the buyer was impressed with how the farm had been managed. It was clear that he already had plans for the land after he made the purchase, but kept those plans to himself. The visit concluded with the group of men discussing “numbers” as they say in the real estate game. Stephen learned the buyer was will to pay the full asking amount for the farm. The caveat was, he had to sign the farm over to the buyer by the end of the month. Stephen felt it was enough time for him to make a decision and stated he would call them within the next two weeks.

Life on the farm became more difficult following the showing. Uncertainty infiltrated the atmosphere and it was felt by every employee and family member. Nicole was struck the hardest by it, obviously. She still continued her daily routine and nursing the owl, but chose not to converse with her parents. It seemed clear they had made up their mind about the farm. Meanwhile, Stephen was distraught on which path to take. He needed some guidance on what he should do. Release generations of hard work for a new life, or continue struggling in hopes of a recovery?

The owl’s wing was fully healed. He was gently held by the stranger who had been feeding him the past four weeks. As he was being held, he could sense an air of melancholy coming from his captor. The owl was thrusted in the air and took flight immediately, reconnecting with its old friend the sky. Freedom at last. Euphoria flooded the owl’s heart and it vanished within the clear blue sky, without looking back.

Nicole stood on the ground with tears streaming down her face. The owl was free. The day for her father to decide the fate of the farm was the following morning and it appeared her father was in favor of selling the farm due to economical challenges. She continued to mention her stance to him over and over, but in the end, she understood what he had been trying to tell her about the farm. He was right, of course. If there is no profit coming, then there is no point of continuing with the business. She had an important decision to make herself: pursuing post-secondary education. Since the farm was to be sold, her motivation for agriculture faded. She refused to envision working for another farm. She wanted her farm, the family’s farm. If she was denied that, then she needed a different path to walk.

Marcy watched Nicole release the owl from a distance on the barren field. She was aware of the tomorrow’s events. Similar to Nicole, she understood Stephen’s decision to sell the farm. Though she was strongly against the idea, she saw the profit margin. She had been watching the shrinkage monthly. As the owl flew higher and higher into the sky, she thought of it freedom. She would be like the owl too, free from the farm and free to fly wherever she wanted. It was bittersweet, but she was ready for the new adventure.

As the sun started to kiss the horizon, Stephen took a final stroll around the land. He could hear the soft mooing of the cows in the background. He wondered if he would be able to sleep at night without hearing the cows like he had for so many years. He was proud of Nicole and how she was able to accept his decision to sell the farm after all. Tomorrow morning, he would call the realtor and accept the offer. By the end of the day tomorrow, he would be free as well, flying through the night sky, similar to the owl.

He climbed into the tractor that stood overlooking the field. He admired the abyss of the night sky and the bright moon, reflecting the sun off its surface; providing enough light to clearly see any flying creatures while hiding the stars. Stephen kept his eyes open for unusual animals. Admittedly, he missed having the barn owl in the stall. He still thought about his decision to sell, but after several long minutes, he convinced himself he was making the right choice in letting it all go. He stood up, clambered down the tractor, and began his stroll back to the farm house.

The predator was back! Looking for food and it swam through the night sky. It followed the breezes that flowed through the darkness effortless, while scanning the ground for its next prey. It suddenly recognized the atmosphere it was in. There was a sense of familiarity to it. It screeched loudly, but it was a screech of joy, not fear. The owl dove down through the blackness. It perched on top of a wooden surface and exclaimed joy again.

Stephen paused at a cry resonating from the top of the barn. He looked up and blinked a couple of times to confirm his eyes weren’t playing games with him. There, perched on the roof, was the barn owl Nicole had been nursing for nearly a month. It had returned. Stephen froze. He lowered his head in thought. He smiled abruptly. He lifted his head to the owl, as if it were listening to a secret the owl was sharing with him.

“Thank you, my friend,” he uttered silently, then entered the house.

By Jack Cross on Unsplash

“Yeah, it is a lot of money. I am glad he is willing to pay so much for the farm,” Stephen was on the phone and engaged in negotiations. Marcy was already in the kitchen with the rest of the family. She was beaming from ear to ear. She knew Stephen was making the right choice for her, and for her family. Nicole, still upset about the sale, stayed in her room. She couldn’t bare to hear the words coming from her father’s mouth.

“So, you’re willing to email the papers over and I can sign it digitally?” Stephen continued.

“Yeah, technology is something. And you’re sure the price is ok?” The was silence as Stephen listened to the broker.

“Yeah, that’s great, but…” It was clear the broker had more to add. “Ok, listen, Carl. I think it’s a great idea for him. Only, I’m not selling.” Stephen finally exclaimed. “I know. Crazy, right? Yes, I know no one will ever be willing to pay what I’m asking. I’m not asking any more. You can take it off the market. We’re going to stay.”

Stephen’s smile must have infiltrated the satellite airwaves because it seemed the broker could feel his happiness. “Marcy and I discussed it last night. She has an idea that might work. Tell John, thanks for his time and offer. Yeah, sorry about that. Ok…Ok…Ok, thanks. Bye.” Stephen hung up. He had one last person to share the news with.

He knocked on Nicole’s door to her room. He knew she was still in there sulking over the sale. “Go away,” she announced from inside her room.

“Nicole, you said you understood why we made this decision,” he tried.

“Aristotle once said, ‘it is the mark of an educated mind to entertain a thought without accepting it.’ That’s where I’m at,” she stated.

“Well, ‘Owl hasn’t exactly got Brain, but he knows things.’ From A. A. Milne.” Stephen claimed, hoping for a positive reaction.

“What?” Nicole confused replied.

“Open your door and I’ll tell you.” The door opened and Stephen walked in. “Last night, when I was staring up at the sky, I had a visitor. A very wise visitor. To be honest, I was surprised to see it. Your owl. He returned. I knew there had to be something special about him when he came on the first day. I couldn’t figure it out, but when he returned. And with a message. It was one of the most important messages and I was glad I was there to hear it.” Stephen shared.

Nicole, still streaming tears, looked up at her father. “What was his message?”

Stephen embraced Nicole, his first born, “he has found his home here on the farm and he needs you to stay to help him keep it safe for him and many more of his friends.”

“Dad, what’re saying?” Nicole, confused by the words.

Stephen smiled at Nicole. The type of smile only a parent can give to their child to reassure them during a trifling time. “We’re not selling the farm. Your owl friend came back to save it.”

Nicole hugged her father as she was able to re-envision the future she wanted. She was able to keep her farm and it’s new guardian as well.

Marcy eventually found time to share with Stephen of adding a soy bean farm to the land. Since soy milk and soy beans have gained in popularity, she figured it would keep the farm up with modern times. Additionally, once Nicole finished her studies at college, more modern methods could be applied and secure the future of the farm for another generation or two.

family
Like

About the Creator

Iris Harris

An aspiring novelist. I enjoy writing ghost, horror, and drama. Occassionally, I dabble with some essays. You can find more of my work with the link below:

Learn more about me

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.