Husbandry

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Husbandry

Originally posted on Reddit 

Farmer Del looked out on his livestock with a profound sadness. Yes, being a farmer meant that you accepted what life was for the livestock and life was death. Life was about being alive to feed others. Rarely did he even consider the sombreness of his trade. But today was different. He wondered the fields with his staff and threw down the slop that they would eat. Fattening them up for the slaughter.

Did they know their fate?            

A couple of them looked up upon him with a wistful sadness in their own eyes. Of course, they knew – Del thought.

But Del treated his stock with a kindness and consideration that was rare these days amongst others. He knew other land keepers that simply herded them into cramped cages and force fed them to the point of explosion and then slit their throats and drained the blood out while they were still alive.

Farmer Del had a different approach to husbandry. He let them roam free amongst the fields. He didn’t separate young from their mothers. No, Del had respect for the cattle.

Del wondered across the field and into the slaughter house. There was a fast action high speed killing machine with a nozzle that pumped out gas charged death into the brains of the stock.

He watched them lined up and then heard the FFFFUUUPPPP FFFUUUPPP FFFUUUPPP into their brains. The bodies collapsed on the floor and they were taken into the draining station. Del felt a sadness today. An empty sadness for the ‘cattle’.

Del went back into the house and grabbed himself a coffee. His wife stood there gazing upon him and she could sense the melancholy with which Del found himself drowning in.

“What is it dear?” Deborah asked.

“It’s all this killing. Is it really a necessary way to make a dollar?” Del said to Deborah.

“What has got you in this frame of mind?” Deborah said.

“I had a dream again. I think that started it. One of them escaped and scaled the fence with their youngens’ in tow. We caught it up to it half a mile down the road and I just remember that vivid image of the sad torment in their eyes.” Del said.

“Stupid.” Deborah said.

Del finished his coffee and walked back out to the fields. He knew Deborah meant. These weren’t beings on the same plateau as him. One of the stock ran up to the fence and Del ran towards it. It panted hard and fearfully.

“Sir, my child is very sick. Too sick to run the laps around the field that you asked. He just wants to rest today.” One of the pathetic humans said.

Del raised up his staff and clobbered it around the head.

“Get back to running the fields.” Del said.

Del’s wife approached with a fresh cup of blood.

“Looks like you could do with some dinner because sunrise. I got the coffin nice and warm for us.”  Deborah said.

 

 

 

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