Bill never expected to see Daisy again. She had gone missing one quiet morning eight months ago, and after weeks of searching, he had slowly accepted that she was gone.
Then, on an ordinary afternoon walk, Bill spotted something in the distance. As he got closer, he realized it wasn’t just any animal — it was Daisy.
She looked calm and well-fed, standing in a clearing like no time had passed. Bill stopped in his tracks, unsure if his eyes were playing tricks on him. But it was unmistakably her.
As he approached, something unusual caught his attention. Daisy had a mark on her side that he didn’t remember. Bill crouched down, inspecting it quietly. It was a tag — one he hadn’t placed.
The moment was bittersweet. Daisy was safe, but it raised new questions. Where had she been all this time? And who had been caring for her?
For now, Bill was just grateful to have her home.
When he closed his eyes, the memories came flooding back as if they were happening in the present. It was painful to relive, but he couldn’t help himself. This occurred every time he closed his eyes.
The day had started like any other, with Bill out in the fields at dawn, tending to his crops with a level of care born from years of experience. The sun had made its journey across the sky, bathing the farm in warm, golden light. This tranquility was a sharp contrast to the turmoil that would soon unfold.
Bill was looking forward to ending his day with a relaxing read, catching the last rays of sunshine from the comfort of his hammock. With a cheerful tune echoing in his mind, a melody from a song he had heard on the radio earlier that day, Bill was busily tending to his fields. His hands were covered in soil, when a strange sense of unease started to gnaw at him.
He decided to take a quick walk to check on the cows in the south pasture. As he walked on the old dirt road, he took in the sights and sounds of summer – birds chirping merrily in the trees, insects buzzing about, and the soft rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze.
He whistled as he walked towards his cows, eager to see them again. Every morning, the sight of his cows made his eyes light up. It lifted his mood immediately, no matter what mood he was in. But this morning, it did the complete opposite… Because when he neared the pasture, Bill’s cheerful whistling came to an abrupt halt. His eyes widened in disbelief at the scene before him.
“One, two, three, four…” Bill began counting out loud. This couldn’t be happening. He immediately noticed something was off…
He caught on right away because every morning, his first task was to look for his favorite cow, Daisy. They shared an unexplainable bond. Over the years, they had formed a morning ritual. As soon as they spotted each other, they would run towards each other in greeting.
But this morning, there was only silence. The cows were unusually quiet and Daisy… Daisy wasn’t there. His heart began to beat faster in his chest, and a sense of dread started seeping into Bill. He started counting again: “One, two, three,” he continued until he reached the last cow: “fifty-three”. It was true… Daisy, his favorite cow, was missing.
With a knot in his stomach, he hurried to the barn, praying that Daisy would be there, safe and sound. But all he found was an empty spot where Daisy usually rested. Her absence turned the usually cheerful barn into a place filled with worry. The straw was undisturbed; the air, still. There was no sign of Daisy.
Refusing to give up, he made his way to the fields that Daisy loved to wander. He searched every inch, his eyes scanning the landscape for any sign of his beloved cow. But Daisy wasn’t there either. What was happening?!
As the sun began to set, painting the sky with hues of orange and pink, he stood alone in the empty field. A sense of loss washed over him. His beloved Daisy was nowhere to be found, leaving behind only questions and a farm that suddenly felt a lot emptier…
As the day wore on, a feeling of worry began to creep into Bill’s heart. As a small-time farmer, he knew just how crucial his cows were to him. They were his livelihood, his companions, and the backbone of his farm. He loved each and every one of them, but Daisy was special. The thought of anything terrible happening to her was unbearable.
She was the first calf he had raised when he started his farm, and over the years, she had become like a friend to him. To lose his most treasured cow would be heartbreaking. What if a predator had gotten in and spooked the cows? Or maybe he had forgotten to latch the gate properly? He couldn’t imagine it, but still, every possibility raced through his head.
Bill decided to spend the rest of the day looking for Daisy. He let go of all his other duties, all his other chores. His entire focus was on finding Daisy. He trudged through his fields, calling out Daisy’s name. He checked every nook and corner of his farm, hoping to find Daisy hiding somewhere. But as the sun set, there was still no sign of Daisy.
Sitting on his porch as darkness fell, Bill replayed the day’s events in his mind. He racked his brain trying to figure out what could have possibly happened, feelings of grief and frustration washing over him in waves. Exhausted both mentally and physically, he finally retreated into the house. But sleep evaded him that night, his mind troubled with visions of Daisy lost and alone somewhere in the darkness.
His worry didn’t lessen the next day. Or the day after that. He searched for Daisy from dawn till dusk. He visited the spots Daisy liked, the shady tree under which she loved to rest, the small pond where she liked to drink. But Daisy was nowhere to be found.
Refusing to give up, Bill decided to involve the whole town in his search. He made posters with Daisy’s picture and put them up all over the town. He put them up at the grocery store, at the post office, and on trees and lampposts. He asked everyone he met if they had seen Daisy, but no one had.
Days turned into weeks, and there was still no sign of Daisy. The whole town was filled with posters of Daisy, a constant reminder of her absence. But despite the increasing odds, Bill held on to hope. He kept on searching, kept on calling out Daisy’s name, praying each day for her safe return.
But as time wore on, his hopes dimmed. His heart sank lower with each passing day that brought no signs of Daisy’s return.
As the summer days continued, the weather remained indifferent to Bill’s turmoil. Nature carried on with its usual rhythms, oblivious to his grief. It became increasingly difficult for Bill to find motivation to take care of his farm. Every time he caught sight of the empty pasture, it triggered a fresh wave of anguish. During his breaks, he would often find himself lingering in the south pasture, almost expecting Daisy to reappear from behind a hill, as if nothing had ever happened.
But the pasture remained empty…
