Four

Are Cows Animals?

    The children ran along the last part of the trail until they reached the county road. There they took their bicycles out of the bushes, where they had hidden them before they went into the forest.

    “I am full of stones,” said Mo, and leaned against a tree. She panted like a puppy that had run too hard.

    “Are you feeling sick?” asked Lottie.

    “Your air is much thicker than ours,” said Mo. “At home I can run faster.”

    “Do you want to rest?” asked Walter.

    “Oh, no, I am quite fine,” said Mo. She looked at the bicycles in amazement. “What do you do with those?” she asked.

    “What do you mean?” answered Walter. “Those are our bikes.”

    “Our teacher told us that we had bikes in ancient days,” said Mo. “I saw one in a museum.”

    “Museum!” protested Otto, quite hurt. “My bike is the latest model, with freewheeling and gearshift.”

    “At home all children have little airplanes,” said Mo.

    “How I’d love to have one,” exclaimed Lottie.

    The children pushed their bikes out on the road. Lottie did not own one and had to sit on the crossbar of Gretel’s.

    Walter’s bicycle really belonged to his father, and Gretel’s was an old girl’s bicycle that an aunt had given her.

    Again Walter anxiously eyed the thunderclouds that were looming above the treetops. “Let’s go,” he ordered.

    “Must I run by your side?” asked Mo, worried.

    “You’ll sit on my crossbar,” said Walter. Mo quickly ran up to him, and he helped her on. Then he pushed off and started to pedal. The wind blew in short heavy gusts, and he had to pump with all his might. “Are you comfortable?” he asked, panting.

    “It is just a bit hard,” said Mo.

    “Lean against me!” said Walter.

    Mo leaned against him. “That is better,” she said happily.

    “Some day when I earn money, I’ll buy myself a motor bike,” said Walter.

    The golden strands of Mo’s hair blew against his face, but it did not seem to bother him. “It’s a long way to Asra, isn’t it?” he asked.

    “Oh, yes, it took a long time to come,” said Mo.

    “Then you won’t come back?” asked Walter.

    “Perhaps, yes,” said Mo. “But then you will be very old, won’t you? My father said that humans get old fast.”

    “I won’t be old for a long while,” protested Walter. “After all, I’m only twelve now.”

    “At that age I was very small,” said Mo.

    They left the forest behind and reached the open meadow. By the side of the road ran the Hollebrook, gurgling gaily. To their left were giant boulders, and to their right were broad meadows extending to the distant mountains. Cows were grazing in the fields.

    Mo called out laughingly, “What kind of funny humans are they? They have four legs!”

    “Those aren’t humans,” said Walter. “They are cows.”

    “Are cows animals?” asked Mo.

    “Cows are domestic animals,” replied Walter.

    “Do they live in a real house?” asked Mo.

    “In the winter they live in a barn,” answered Walter.

    By now he was puffing hard, as the wind was blowing half a gale. He looked around to see whether the others were following. Gretel and Otto were close behind. Gretel’s brown curls were whipping around her ears, and Otto was hunching over his handlebars like a racer.

    “What for are cows?” demanded Mo.

    “For milking,” explained Walter. “Milk is something very good.”

    All that, apparently, was Greek to Mo. She looked around with mounting astonishment and said finally: “The Earth is peculiar.” Gretel and Otto had finally caught up with Walter and were pedaling beside him.

    “How are you doing?” Gretel called to Mo.

    “Fine!”

    “Do you like it?” shouted Lottie.

    “I like it,” answered Mo. She was feeling happy. The earth seemed to please her a lot. But suddenly she looked startled and called, “Who is that?” Three children, two boys and a girl, were running toward the wall from the side of the Hollebrook. They jumped up the embankment and blocked the middle of the road.

    One of the boys waved his arms excitedly and called merrily: “Yoohoo, yoohoo.”

    “Are those children too?” Mo asked timidly.

    “Yes,” said Walter. “They are good kids and friends of ours.” He put on his brake and came to a halt. Gretel and Otto stopped too. Willy and Erna were twins. Both had red hair and lots of freckles. Konrad was fat and had tight brown curls. All three were barefoot.

    “Come and help us catch trout,” Willy suggested.

    “We have no time,” said Walter. “We have to get home in a hurry.”

    “It’s still a long while until lunch,” said Konrad. He was hard to understand as he was busy sucking a caramel.

    “We have more important business than lunch,” hinted Otto mysteriously. Willy at once was all ears. “What?” he called expectantly.

    “We’ve had a terrific experience,” said Walter.

    “Yippee!” cried Willy, fidgeting excitedly. “Shoot; let’s hear, let’s hear!”

    Erna eyed Mo from head to toe. “Who’s she?” she asked, and frowned.

    Mo was equally perplexed. It so happened that Erna was wearing shorts, just as boys do, a striped sweater, and a Tyrolean hat with a feather cocked at an angle. Her two thick red braids stuck out saucily beneath the hat, which really belonged to her brother.

    “That is Mo,” said Gretel excitedly. “We found her in the Hollewood—can you imagine?”

    “In the Hollewood?” growled Konrad unbelievingly.

    “She looks like a city slicker to me!”

    “Don’t be fresh,” flashed Lottie indignantly. “She is from Asra!”

    “Never heard of it,” mumbled Konrad.

    “She is from another planet,” said Otto proudly.

    Willy and Erna gaped and Konrad almost swallowed his caramel. Dumbfounded, they stared at Mo.

    Suddenly Willy came to life. He jumped high into the air and shouted, “Boy, oh boy! At last something really exciting has happened. Did you see her land in a flying saucer?”

    “Unfortunately, no,” said Walter. He told them what had happened. “Mo is flying off tonight, and we are going to take her to the spot,” he added.

    “We’ll come too,” shouted Willy, tugging at his pants, which had slipped down when he jumped.

    “I don’t know …” said Walter reluctantly. “May they come along?” he asked Mo.

    Mo nodded her consent.

    “Yippee!” yelled Willy.

    “May I touch her?” asked Erna tensely.

    “You may shake her hand,” Walter said generously.

    Erna offered her hand, but Mo merely looked confused.

    “You, too, must give her your hand!” said Walter. “That is what people do here on earth. It means that one is friendly.”

    Obediently Mo took Erna’s hand and pressed it timidly.

    “What a delicate hand she has,” said Erna admiringly.

    “I want to shake her hand too,” begged Konrad.

    “Not you,” said Walter. “Your hands are dirty.” Konrad looked at his hands with a puzzled expression. “They’re always like that,” he murmured.

    “Why are you taking her home with you?” Erna wanted to know.

    “Because we can’t leave her alone in the woods,” Gretel replied.

    “Our parents will be surprised,” chirped Lottie in ecstasy.

    “Take us along,” called Willy. “We left our bikes at home.”

    “Nothing doing,” said Walter. But then the storm broke, and it started to rain.