Bloody Moos

        I dreamed that I was working at rounding up a bunch of Holstein cattle, young bulls and cows mixed in a herd that was spread out over several large grassy hills. I had helpers, a pair of grey and green striped tigers.

        I had to yell at them to go easy on the cattle, as they were making them bleed when they swatted them to get them moving.

        I then found myself in a large vaulted and pillar filled underground cavern, the light filtered in from somewhere distant in a cool blue stream that splattered wetly against the rhinestones in the broken tiles of the cavern floor.

        “This is so vampire territory,” my companion said. She pulled out her pocket knife and whittled the end of her torch into a sharp point.

        “I have a flashlight and a telescope.”

        I don’t think that is going to help.

        “It has a black-light on it,” I offered hopefully.

        “What good is that?”

        “Isn’t that the part that makes them burst into flame?”

        “No, that’s magic from the sun.”

        “But there’s no….” I turned on the black light part of the flashlight. “Fine.”

        There were little flashes of fire from the small bats all around us. I turned the light back off.

        “Sorry about that.”

        We saw something much larger fly off away from our position.

        “Why didn’t you say you had a magic lantern.”

        “Uh…” I just gave up before trying to explain, and then headed for the source of the bluish light.

        In the pool of light we came across about eight of my cattle, they were very skeletal looking and dehydrated. I assumed they’d been partly drained of blood as well. I offered the thinner ones water from my squeeze bottle.

        My companion turned back into one of the tigers and bounded out of the hole. I hoped she was getting our partner and some rope so I could haul the cattle out of there.

        “I can pay for the cattle.” The voice was like dried leaves rustling in the wind.

        “They’ll die if you don’t let them get food and water. Then they won’t be any good for you.”

        There was an autumnal sigh from the dark of the cave. A pouch clinked against the floor near my feet. I recognized the deep ringing music of gold coins slumped together.

        “I think we can work something out that meets both our needs. Sorry about your kin.”

        “Apology accepted. No harm done, my pets escaped with little damage, and they are just bats. I worry that your friends will not be so understanding.”

        “I think you may be surprised.”

        “I hope so. It has not always been so easy to find people who would talk rather than destroy.”

        “The world is changing, not fast enough, but it is changing.”

        “So slow, and the old world and old ways are not buried so deep.”

        “Remembrance and forgiveness are part of the change, if we so choose.”

        “Interesting. Then I may feed?”

        “Yes, feed from the bulls, the bloodied ones.” I knew that when the vampire fed from the scratched bulls, they would heal faster, part of whatever was involved in the feeding process. In the back of my mind I knew I would have a hard time with my feline partners, but I also knew that I would win them over.

Ad astra per technica,

FF