With a low humming sound and with moonlight reflecting off its silvery hull, the orb -shaped object hovered just above the cattle’s` heads. They nervously moved out of the way and hurriedly moved to the far fence line, away from the strange apparition.

With strange beeping sounds and a louder humming, the object settled into the pasture grass on the exact spot where earlier had stood Pack Miller’s small dairy herd of black and white Holsteins.

Over against the right hand fence, huddling against it and each other the cows mooed in alarm waking Zeke, who looking around at the strange sight, decided to wait and see what was up. He had never seen anything like it. It was a new one on him.

The humming and glowing was a lot different than Pack Miller’s old tractor and one thing was for sure, this was no tractor. Zeke eyeballed the silvery sphere waiting to see what would be next, maybe it was a new feeding station. Why else would it be here in their domain?

Zeke edge a little closer and from behind the manure spreader he had a much better view. He could see a slight indentation in the side facing him. Maybe that was the feeding door?

As he and the rest watched, it became lighter and then darker, as two figures appeared, coming from inside the strange object. They flowed over the ground with a fluid, soundless motion. One was tall and thin while the other appeared short and squat. Neither resembled Pack Miller.

Zeke had decided that this was an intrusion that wasn`t known by Pack Miller, who must be sleeping the sleep of oblivion up in the darkened farmhouse. Being the bull around the farm, the way Zeke saw it, in Pack’s absence, that left him responsible for the safety of the ladies in the pasture.

The two figures had stopped in front of the cluster of bovine females still huddled by the fence. Both bowed almost to the ground and began emitting melodious sounds in their direction. The cows, not knowing what to make of it, moved en masse farther down the fence line. 

The creatures followed, still making the strange sounds...Again the Holsteins moved, even farther away.

This was starting to look like harassment to Zeke. Pawing the ground, he let out a loud snort that caused the two strangers to turn to face him. They advanced still making the strangest musical noises. The cows were starting to be inquisitive and edged closer to hear the soothing sounds.

Zeke watched this and something deep inside of his innards didn`t like it...

Enough of this...

Zeke lowered his head, flaring his nostrils and throwing mists of white breath into the cold night air, he charged at a thundering speed...

Some strange sense must have told the two intruders what was about to happen, for they turned at top speed, and headed back from where they had first appeared at the side of the silver sphere. The taller one was in the lead. The shorter shaped visitor was having trouble gliding as it seemed to be mired in a cow pie. Trying to free itself, as Zeke bore down upon them at top speed, with fire in his eye, it bumped into the taller one and sent it sprawling.

Zeke connected about then, horns in the air, propelling them neatly up against the side of their craft, thus, helping them achieve their last twenty-five feet, or so...

In no time, the humming became a roar and the orb lifted off, quickly disappearing back into the night sky. They didn`t think their mission would return anytime soon. These earthlings weren`t very friendly….

Zeke strutted his stuff up and down the fence line and circled the spot where the thing had sat. The tractor and darn manure spreader wasn`t that noisy... He didn`t know what to make of what had happened. It didn`t matter anyway... It was gone now...

Tiring of his pacing, Zeke finally went to sleep, unaware that he alone had repelled an advance guard of aliens and had in his bullishness saved the Earth.

The early morning sun’s first rays found Pack Miller scratching his head as he stared in wonder at the large circle burned into the ground of his cow pasture….

©2006 Faye Sizemore