Carmel Corn the Calf and the County Fair

This is an excerpt from the first book in "The Faith Series,"  Innocence: Simplicity of Spirit:

"Carmel Corn, you're getting a lot better at this leading stuff," said thirteen-year-old Lilia. "Now it's time for us to load you in the truck. Please don't make us force you. You can't possible walk all the way to the County Fair." The cattle ramp sat next to the barn near the paddock. Lilia's grandpa, Apelehama, had built it himself. He had purposely nailed two-inch boards perpendicular across the entire length of the ramp to help the animals keep their footing.

"Let's put Carmen in first Lilia. She's a little more amenable," Apelehama suggested, as he led Carmen up the ramp to the front of the truck, and tied her to a ring with a bull knot.

"Gramps, I love Carmel Corn, but I think she is the most strong-headed animal that we have on our farm! She was really difficult to train!"

"You may need to walk her around a little bit when we get to the fairgrounds, just to help her settle in," her grandpa wisely advised.

"Okay, you knot-head, it's your turn to go up into the truck. I better not let Mele hear me use that word. She might pick up on it and call me a 'knot-head' for the rest of my life! That would be payback, advanced from 'snot' to 'knot-head!'"

"Mele has such a square head on her shoulders, chances are, if she uses that word, you probably deserve it," said her grandpa with a chuckle.

"Gramps, the truth hurts enough as it is!" Lilia crowed with gusto. Carmel Corn finally acceded. If her mother could go in the truck, so could she.

"Lilia! Lilia! Bill is on the phone!" Francine called. "Are you able to take it?"

"I'll be right there! I'll be right back to help you load the truck, Gramps." All these years, he still hadn't figured out why Lilia called him "gramps" instead of "grandpa" or "grandfather." He sure didn't know where she had come up with it.

"Hi Bill, what are ya' doin'?" Lilia had been very patient with him since his mother and brother died.

"I'm good, how about you?"

"I'm good. Okay Bill, give me a clue! Where is this conversation going?" Lilia didn't want to be trapped in a circular conversation with anyone else, since that was her personal masterpiece.

"A bunch of us thugs are going to the fair to hangout. Do you want to go? It wouldn't be a date or anything like that." Bill felt hopeful. He hadn't know it before, but he had a crush on Lilia.

"I'll already be at the fair. We're loading the cattle right now."

"No, you're talking on the phone right now."

"You know what I mean Bill."

"Okay, we'll come see you in the cattle barn."

"I'll be there." There was no point in asking her parents if she could go with a bunch of 'thugs." Her parents had already told her that she couldn't date until she was sixteen years old. That was a hard and firm rule, and Lilia knew it.

"Okay, see ya." Bill liked to keep it short and sweet.

Lilia was really excited. All the hustle and bustle of setting up for the fair got her blood rolling. She didn't think there was anything else she loved so much as being in the cattle barns with the other exhibitors. Over the next ten years, she would make many lifetime friends.

Each barn had its own cattle loading dock, with sides, to help the animals feel secure. Apelehama waited his turn to unload, and then backed up their tandem straight truck to the dock. Lilia heard frantic banging inside the back of the truck. One of the animals was kicking the gate. How can that be? Lilia wondered. She had personally tied Carmel Corn with a bull knot, just like her grandpa had shown her. She opened the tail gate. Carmel Corn came blasting down the ramp. Lilia had the wherewithal to grab the rope halter. It was too late - Carmel Corn was traveling downhill, and at a full gallop. Carmel Corn wanted to go home now! Lilia dug her heels into the ground and found that she was being dragged for a hundred yards.

Lilia heard a male voice cry, "Let her go!"Lilia didn't know why, but she obeyed the voice. Lying on the ground, she looked up at a very handsome, sandy-haired, freckle-faced older boy, around sitting years old, sitting on a beautiful paint horse. He untied his rope, chased Carmel Corn down, and lassoed her. He roped her around the neck and slowly pulled her to a stop, so as not to hurt her.

"Thank you so much. She'd be on the next island by now if it wasn't for you," declared Lilia assuredly.

"My name is Bob. What's yours?"

"Lilia."

"See ya' around Lilia," Bob said and rode off as fast as he had rode up. Lilia felt genuinely surprised at his disappearance.

"Hey you! Little Girl! I'm talking to you!" a voice squalled at her.

Lilia, startled, jumped up off the ground and jerked around to see yet another good-looking farm boy around her age.

"You need to learn how to hold onto your cattle! You know what they say about the water if you can't cut it," the young man said, as he smirked at her with a twinkle in his eyes.

My goodness that young man is impertinent, thought Lilia. Why did his statement feel like such a challenge to her? "Well, I'd like to see you hold onto a knot-headed calf that weighs three times more than yourself, and is traveling as fast as a race car!" Lilia wailed back at him.