When the farmhands had finished their work in the fields and began preparing to head home, they found themselves faced with something at the lane that quite took their breath away
The day was already drawing to a close. One by one, the tractors grumbled as they left the wide expanse of land, which had all day smelled of hay and petrol. The lads, weary yet satisfied, chattered over their radios, sharing jokes and already picturing themselves on the porch with a nice cup of tea or perhaps, more likely, a spot of something stronger.
The sun was sinking toward the horizon, bathing the golden fields in a gentle, honey-coloured light. The last to head out was old Walters tractor Walter, a stalwart of the village, whose face was carved with as many lines as the parched ground after a summer drought. He decided to take one final look around simply to make sure nothing had been left behind.
And thats when he saw it.
At the edge of the field, beside an old stone where the cows used to graze, sat something ever so small tiny, really, shivering with chill and exhaustion. Walter squinted and moved closer to get a proper look and his heart tightened: it was a calf, utterly alone, its big, frightened eyes glistening as it whimpered softly. It seemed its mother had gone or wandered off, and the poor little thing had been left behind, almost as if forgotten by the world.
The other farmhands, nearly at the gate by then, caught sight of it too. At first, they stood silent, taken aback by such an unexpected find. Then one of them, a young, freckled fellow named Harry, spoke softly:
We cant just leave it Weve got to take it with us.
Old Walter had already stepped down from his tractor and approached the calf with care. The little one backed away at first, but feeling the warmth in the old mans hand, it slowly edged closer. Its coat was damp with dew, its legs trembling like slender bluebells in a morning breeze.
There now, little friend, Walter murmured, leaning down lets find you a proper home.
With some help from the lads, they lifted the calf up into the trailer. On the slow ride back to the village, the calf lay down at last, peaceful, as though it understood this time it truly belonged. When they arrived, the whole village came to see the unexpected guest. Someone brought an old, woolly blanket; another fetched a bucket of creamy milk.
Walter declared,
Well call her Daisy. She can greet us each morning when the sun comes up.
And so the calf found warmth and care among the folk of the village, and the tired farmhands discovered, quite suddenly, an unusual joy: now and again, a little miracle turns up exactly when you least expect it. Daisy grew into a strong and cheerful young cow, and old Walter would often muse:
Sometimes, rescue arrives on its own, just when youre least on the lookout
And the field became, forever after, the place where a small, beating heart had found its home.
