Rex Draco Farm

Rex Draco Farm

Chapter one. New Life

Moving to the old family farm was not exactly the grand future I saw for myself. However, after losing my job and being kicked out of my apartment, I had to do something. I asked my parents what I should do, and they made me an offer. My mother told me “Arthur if you wish to, your father and I will let you move onto your grandfather's old farm.” I accepted on the spot. They had only one real request. While I would be allowed to renovate the old place up to walkable and livable standards, I just could not tear down any buildings.

Looking out of the window of the passenger seat of the moving van I rented, I watched the familiar landscape pass by. As a child, I spent many summers at that old farmhouse with my grandparents. My thoughts drifted to the friends I had back then, and I wondered if they still lived nearby. We pulled up to the gate of what used to be the farm entrance. It was now tangled with weeds and the hinges were stiff from rust and dirt.

It had been years since anyone had lived here as my grandparents had passed ten years ago. My family kept the farm on hand for tax reasons, as my mother had told me. The sign above the gate holding the words Rex Draco hung sadly from a single rusted chain. Seeing the entrance in such a state of disrepair left me with a sense of dread over what I was getting into. As the truck pulled down the long drive to the derelict farmhouse, I first noticed all the ivy that clung to the sides. It covered an entire wall in a mass of green leaves and vines. Reaching the front of the house, I saw the door was open and a pile of ivy tossed into the yard. As the truck came to a stop and I opened my door to look upon my new abode, a scream and crash, followed by a plume of dust, came pouring out the front door. Knowing someone was in distress, I rushed forward to the open doorway. As I reached the porch, a young woman strode out of the house, waving dust away from her face and coughing.

Once I stepped from the dust cloud, I could see she was about my age. She raised a hand to shake mine that was raised. “Good evening Arthur, my name is Mia Campbell. Your parents told me you would be arriving soon. I was trying to get the old place ready for your arrival.”

Looking towards the house and seeing the thin curling spiral of dust still rising in the air behind her, I laughed. “What exactly happened in there to cause such a mess?”

Looking back into the house, Mia scratched the back of her head. “Well, you see, I was trying to clean the chandelier and when I heard the sound of the truck, I kind of panicked...and fell off the ladder and landed on an old couch.”

As the dust finally settled, the two of us ventured into the house. A ladder lay on its side in the middle of the dim room. I reached along the wall for a light switch and flicked it a few times. “What's wrong with the electricity?”

She shook her head. “Sorry Arthur, the power won't be on until the day after tomorrow. You're welcome to come to town with me if you want, but I plan on being out here for a few more days to make this old house livable again.”

“Thanks, Mia, but what about the truck with all my stuff? I don't think the driver will be too interested in staying any longer than he has to.” A look of shame crossed my face as I thought of the excuse.

Laughing, Mia slapped me on the arm. “Arthur, where do you think you are that you can just put everything in the barn for the night and that everything will be fine?"

As she walked over to the driver's side door, I got my first good look at her. Dark brown almost black hair drawn into a ponytail hung just below her shoulder. A blue and green checkered shirt tucked into blue jeans comprised her outfit and her eyes were a light brown. I followed behind her as she talked with the driver, and he agreed to drop everything off in the old barn across from the house.

As we opened the barn doors, a flash of memory raced through my mind: the smell of the stalls and sounds of different animals from when I was younger. I closed my eyes and saw a flash of memory of a child with long dark hair climbing a ladder to where a young boy sat carving into a beam. The doors opened without a sound or too much struggle. “Mia, I have to ask, have we met before?”

She turned around; an eyebrow raised. “I guess you forgot me then. I used to come out here most days during the summer when you would come to visit. We would run through the fields and climb all over this old barn.” She rubbed a hand over the frame of a horse stall. “When your grandparents passed, and you stopped coming, the old farm fell into disrepair.” Looking around and finding a ladder she started to climb to the upper level.

“Mia, going by your current record with ladders today, should you be climbing up there?” I half glanced at the truck as the driver began to unload into the large open space inside the barn. With a shrug of my shoulders, I grab the sides of the wooden ladder and begin to climb up to the upper level.

Throwing open two rectangular doors, Mia let the light shine in as my head popped into view at the top of the ladder. “Arthur, you need to see this view.” A low whistle passed her lips as she sat down on the edge of the open barn window. “You can see just about everything from up here.”

As I climbed the rest of the wooden ladder, my hand brushed the beam beside the opening. My hand felt deep grooves in the wood. Brushing aside the dust, I see the names Mia and Arthur carved into the wood. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words escaped. Slowly, I walked to the open window where Mia sat, and joined her. Eyes following hers, I see the house and an old pond in the back. Fields that used to grow wheat were all overgrown with weeds. I closed my eyes and thought back to how this place used to look. “Ten years of neglect really took its toll on this place.” Shaking my head with a frown on my face.

Mia placed a hand on my shoulder and got to her feet, a slight smile tugging at the edges of her mouth. “Well, you sure are the life of the party. Come on, how about we close up the barn and get into town before dark?” Rushing for the ladder Mia spotted the section of wood that I brushed the dust away from and her cheeks warmed. She turned her head, glancing at me, before darting down the ladder as quick as lightning.

The ride back into town was spent in comfortable conversation about our lives over the last ten years. When we arrived at a nice little apartment, Mia went upstairs to pick up a few things before we got a bite to eat and found me a room for the night. The next morning, Mia picked me up from the motel I stayed at. Each with a cup of not-quite-warm coffee, we made our way back to the farm for a day of cleaning the house, pulling Ivy and seeing what else needed to be worked on.

Cleaning up the old house took no time at all and once we turned on the power, I started staying the night in the room I called mine as a child. With the bed and desk set up, a laptop was used for late night entertainment. The only issue was the house was just too big for just me. It felt too quiet and lonely.

Over the next few weeks, life was pleasant on the old farm. Mia and I got the side garden cleared of trash and weeds. I noticed the more time I spent with her the more I wanted her to keep coming over. The old chicken coop was an adventure as we had to chase away an incredibly angry racoon that had made itself a home inside. Well, it did most of the chasing while I ran with a broom waving over my head. Mia laughed at me and set a catch-and-release trap inside the coop. It wasn’t long before we caught the racoon and the little ones with it.

Time passed and the last freeze of the winter was behind us, and an early spring had started. The garden was growing well, and I stepped out to water the strawberries and tomatoes each morning. Today was different. Today was special. “Mia, come here, look at the first blossom on the strawberries.”

As she rushed over to my beckoning, joy and excitement spread across her face. “See Arthur, I told you with a little bit of time and care and even you can make life grow.” She hesitated, looking at me intently. “So, what are your plans for the farm? Are you going to get it back up and running and make a life here?”

I looked her in the eyes and shrugged my shoulders. “I do not know, Mia, running a farm would be an amazing goal and responsibility. In all fairness, this place is just too big for just one person.” I trailed off, turning away from her and walking over to the tomato cages. I move one of the plants higher along the cage thanks to the fresh growth. “I would feel more likely to stay if someone were here with me more often. Someone I know and can trust to help care for the land, buildings and the animals I intend to buy soon.” Turning back around and walking closer to Mia, I looked into her light brown eyes and felt a jump in the pit of my stomach. “Mia, would you consider moving here to the farm living here with me?” Her eyes widened in surprise. “As you can see, the house has plenty of rooms and I know you share just as many fond memories of this old farm as I do.”

Looking back at me, a smile spread across her face. “Arthur, you know I would gladly move in and help you run this place.” She hesitated and dread filled me. “Problem is that my parents are kind of old fashioned and might object to me just moving in with a friend.”

Well, that was easy enough to resolve. Taking her hand in mine, I blurted out the one thing that had been weighing heavily on my mind for weeks now. “Mia, would you be willing to date me?” Blushing, I turned my head, averting my gaze. “Well, that did not come out as smooth as I was wanting.” I muttered more to myself.

Smiling, Mia leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Oh Arthur, I’ve been wondering if you would ever ask me that. Actually, I’d begun to get quite worried.”

With a soft kiss on the cheek, we headed to town to tell her family about our plans. Her parents agreed and gave her a gift of a few chickens for her new home. Our first animals. Afterwards I am spoken to by her father, we move on to our new life together on the Rex Draco farm.