The Farm Graham pressed the play button on his portable Dictaphone, I heard the sound of cattle. Not the pleasant bucolic mooing one might hear on a stroll down a country lane on a Wednesday, but a frantic, rapid mooing. My mind raced back, it was the kind of sound I heard during a weekend stay at my uncle's dairy farm. One of the cows, Sally, was attacked by stray dogs, at least, that was my uncle’s story. She was in an awful state when I found her, sadly the release of adrenaline had made the cow drool, and caused her nose to gush so lavishly that she’d trouble breathing. Graham pooched his stupid face at me, watching my reaction. It was true, I sensed a discomfort in the cows’ frightful dissonance. I was sure that there was more to it than mere distress. “Well?” He finally blurted, “What do you think?” “I think that you should stop being so inquisitive, it might get you into trouble..” “Ok, fine, if you’re not interested then I’m going to Logenhickory Farm by myself I suppose” he announced sharply. I seethed quietly with my head turned away from him and smoothed down my petticoat. “Do you think I look pretty today?” I inquired demurely “Oh gracious heavens Stanley, boys aren’t supposed to wear girls clothes, if mother catches you weari…” “She won’t catch me!” I interrupted, “Anyway, what does she know about boys things…” “Father calls you the May Queen, you know?” “Shut up! Shut up, shut up!!” I screamed, he’s just as bad, what do any of you know, you’re…y..you’re all muttonheads!! I hid my face in my bonnet and whimpered “Don’t swear Stanley…” Graham appended quietly “Shut up isn’t a swear word Graham…” I groaned, swallowing hard, flicking strings of snotty dribble with my breath. I dried my red face, and looked at him. “Please come to the Farm with me Stan, you know I won’t be able to convince nanny by myself” “Alright” I conceded, “But you have to do something for me?” I said, sniffing. He looked at me cautiously, stuck out his bottom lip and blinked rapidly a number of times “You mean…?” “Yes..” “But Stanley mother said..” “Forget mother…” “Kissing spreads germs!” he cried I turned on my heels with my eyebrows raised high and lips tightly pursed, I walked out of his room patting my thighs, and across the landing to my own. I’d thumbed through five or six pages of Bunty and was thinking to myself how good the crinoline from the petticoat felt against my groin when I heard his soft padding at the door. “Ok Stanley, but not for long, and no lording me up either..” “Ah bisto…” I mumbled quietly to myself and told him to come in The door swung lightly open and there he stood, gray tweed shorts and Seville orange hair, he moved woefully towards the bed. “And don’t cry this time, unless you’ve got the corn starch for any bloodstains” He shook his head dumbly and clambered on the bed, and held his hand and smiled at him “Don’t worry,” I assured him “I’ll be quick” Graham and I bounded across the garden and past the servant’s quarters, it must have been about eleven ‘o’ clock and I began to wish I’d packed some sandwiches. “Come on you fat old goose!” I jeered at my younger brother, “We haven’t all day to…” I screamed and dropped to the floor like a street girl, clutching my ankle “What is it? Are you ok?” I gritted my teeth together and squinched, “That blasted jigaboo, what’s his name, look!” I pointed to the rockery, our mother had asked our gardener, Winston, to arrange a rockery in full view of her tea garden as something a landscaping pleasantry. “Stupid coon” I gnarled whilst rubbing my ankle Graham huffed, “Come along, quick, Nanny might see us!” I limped along after him though I must admit my the time we reached Logenhickory farm I was putting it on a bit. I knelt down next to a Blackthorn bush and continued tutting whilst my brother looked around for signs of life. The packing plant was all breezeblocks and corrugated iron. Grinding wheels and diffusion pumps rattled the roof. We both edged closer to the building. I heard the strange muffled whine, I smiled to myself and pictured a circular saw cutting bone still encased in flesh. “What’s that do you think?” Graham stammered I imagined the flesh so warm, from the life so recently removed, that steam rose from it. The delicate low smack of the sausage and hot dog meat boilers. “I’m sure I don’t know” I smiled to myself, “Lets get a closer look….” We stalked over the grass and onto the gravel which surrounded the building. Graham assumed a somewhat exaggerated position flush with the wall. He stared, with a skewed jaw, at nothing and listened keenly. I picked at my nails, a bad habit, and declared, “You know Graham, perhaps they’re just cleaning the cows or massa… He hushed me so violently that a silver ball of spit landed in the corner of my right eye. I took a breath to reproof him but expelled it with a sigh of curiosity when I too heard the voices. There were two men around the corner a short way down from us. They were heading our way yet walking very slowly, there shoes crunching softly on the gravel. Grahams eyes danced about following the faint dialogue with the invigoration of a bandmasters arm. I brailed my lips in frustration trying to interpret him. I turned away and looked out over the horizon, a flock of birds were lifting through the sky, I tried to will them into the shape of a perfect arrowhead, they got close but came apart again forming another asymmetrical shape. I rested my eyes from the smarting light of the day and my ears started to ring. Before I could react he was pushing me away and round the corner with blustering arms and puffed out cheeks. We both calmed and peered round, the two men into view but walked off to the car park where we’d walked through. “Well?” I posed “Something fishy, I’m sure” he mumbled watching them slip into the comfort of their Fleetmaster Club Coupe. “Oh sugar!” I exclaimed looking at my wristwatch, “We’ve got Aunt Wilberfitch and that little beast Bertrand coming round for cream tea, mother will be back soon!” “Shoot! You’re right, lets run..” he agreed hastily