Chapter One - Lonesome Dreams

Margaret HATED going to church. She always has. And yet, every Sunday, her family went to attend the 12 o'clock Mass. Her mother was especially eager to keep the tradition. To Margaret, every time was the same. The priest would praise God as if he's done any good to anyone in the village but himself, mom would pray for more food and better crops, and Marge would pray for her six brothers to shut up. " If there really is a god, he must take bribes ", she thought. 

After the Mass, everything would go back to normal. Five of the older brothers would take care of the farm and crops, do some simple repairs, and paint the old house every once in a while. Mom and Johnny, the youngest kid, would take care of dinner, clean the house, and look for potential clients. The farm had cows, chickens, and horses. Horses were mostly used for occasional travel to the nearby city and for rich girls to entertain their precious selves by riding on their backs. Margaret hated rich girls. "City folk think life on a farm is like some fairytale dream", she kept telling Johnny. 

Finally, Margaret's job was to take care of animals. Milk the cows, collect eggs from the chickens, etcetera. Despite working all day or studying in hopes she'd get to go to school one day, she enjoyed her simple life. She liked the everyday routine. Except for Sundays at 12.

This hot summer Sunday started out like any other. After taking their seats at the old wooden church, the family waited for the Mass to start. Margaret impatiently looked at the altar. She just wanted to leave and get back to studying old art books her mom kept in the attic. When the priest had finally entered, Margaret noticed something odd. Beside the priest was standing a young boy who seemed to take the role of an acolyte. Or maybe it was a girl..? Margaret couldn't really tell from the distance. He had long, grey hair, which surprised Margaret. She thought it was strange, judging by the boy's young appearance. He was wearing a black dress typically worn by priests, not acolytes. That was strange, too. The presence of the boy itself was irregular, as the village was small and everyone knew each other. " Not him though... I've never seen him around here. Maybe he's from the city? As if looking for trouble... ", the girl thought. " Hmm... he looks friendly enough, though ". She couldn't stay focused for the rest of the holy ceremony. Not that it was ever her intention.

On the way out of the church, Margaret's mom showed that she had also noticed the strange new figure.

"Have you seen the new acolyte, Maggie?"

"Mhm. I don't recognize him. You?"

"Not at all. Probably new 'round here. Religion camp, maybe? Or perhaps he behaved badly at home and was sent here as punishment", she said, looking at her boys. Johnny visibly shivered.

"Well, maybe he's nice. You can all go and greet him if you'd like. He's probably staying at Father Peter's house", she added.

The next morning, after feeding the chickens, Margaret decided to meet the priest boy. Having barely left the house's doorstep, she saw the young acolyte in front of its old wooden gate. He seemed confused. " It's probably because we don't have a doorbell or something...Yep, he's definitely from the city ", she thought. After noticing the girl, the boy jumped with an almost silent gasp. Margaret laughed in her mind.

"Hi! I'm Maggie. What's your name?", she said, a bit overly optimistic. She noticed the boy was only slightly taller than her, probably a few years older. Might make a good friend. After all, Margaret had only her brothers to talk to, and it can get very annoying.

"Hello? Do you speak English?", she added.

"A-ah! Yes! Of course! I'm N-Nathaniel. I'm... a bit new around here". He sounded rather nervous. Margaret put on a friendly smile.

"I've noticed. So, what brings you here, to the middle of nowhere?"

"I-I'm here for the summer. Father Peter is taking care of me until the end of August. I thought I'd introduce myself to some of the locals and try to fit in..."

"Nice to meet you, Nate. Finally, someone to talk to! Come in, I'll show you around the farm. Y'know, I could use some help around here", Maggie exclaimed. Without warning, she took Nathaniel's hand and ran for the barn. He almost tripped on his dress, begging her to slow down.

"Come on, it'll be fun! You can stay over for dinner, too, if you'd like!", said the girl cheerfully. It was a real chance to make an actual friend for her. All the other kids around go to school, and she gets lonely, forced to be with her brothers all the time. 

"I'll show you the barn first. My favorite cow's name is Windy. She's really fluffy!"

"A-Alright!"

When they arrived, Nathaniel made an audible gasp. The barn was filled with cows big and small. Margaret raised an eyebrow. 

"Is this, like, your FIRST TIME seeing cows?"

"What? Of course not! It's just that... I've never seen so many!"

"Of course not! We have about forty cows. It's the most in the village!", she explained. If there was anything she could talk about for hours, it was cows. As simple as farm life was, Margaret loved it.

"Here, you can help me let them out onto the field. Just open the locks on each one's gates", she said.

Nathaniel carefully approached one of the closest cows. She had short, brown fur and intelligent-looking eyes. 

"Can I pet her?", said the acolyte. Margaret smiled, knowing what to do.

"Of course! Just be careful, alright? She has really good reflexes and strong teeth. We don't want another accident to happen"

"W-WHAT? I didn't know cows bite people! I think I've changed my mind about petting it..."

"Pfft-"

It took every muscle in her body for Margaret not to burst out with laughter.

"God, you're so gullible!"

"Hey, don't bring God into this! You tricked me!"

It was the final straw. The girl started rolling on the floor, laughing. The hay got into her hair and dress, dirtying her clothes. Then, she finally got up and took Nathaniel's hand by the wrist.

"Don't worry, I was just joking! Here, it's completely safe to pet her. Her name's Scarlet", she said, bringing his hand closer to the cow's head. Nathaniel turned away his head and shut his eyes tight, as if still expecting to get bitten, but didn't protest to the girl's touch. When his palm reached Scarlet's soft fur, Nathaniel opened his eyes and looked into the animal's own. The cow moved her head closer, asking to be scratched on its side. Nathaniel complied, Margaret's hand still holding his wrist. He pet the cow with caution, but smiling softly.

"See? Now, that wasn't so scary, was it?", said Margaret. Nathaniel looked at her and sniffed the air.

"You smell"

"And you look like a girl!"

Nathaniel blushed out of either embarrassment or knowledge. " This girl... ", he thought. " Might make... a good friend... ".