The Yeske Farm

The Yeske Family Farm sat on a beautiful piece of land. Rolling hills, tumbling valleys, running rivers, and tall, strong, and very old trees were but a few of the landscape's numerous attractive qualities. It was as beautiful and picture perfect as an old American painting. Sitting in the squat center of the area's inspiring view was a run down, beat up, barely-holding-on barn and an equally lackluster house with a broken picket fence. The date was October 29, 1929, the day a young girl will never forget.

The rising sun twinkled through the treetops as the young girl carried two empty buckets across their dead yard to the old barn. She set them down with crunch and lifted her shirt over her nose, preparing for the smell that was to come. The double doors flew open with a rusty squeal and hung lopsided from their frame. A foul odor tumbled out of the barn, held back but now washing over the area like a busted dam. It was followed by the endless mooing, bleating, and clucking of the many animals.

The girl had protested the conditions many times before to her father but each time she was disciplined. Despite the bruises, she continued to speak out for the animals she loved. Dozens upon dozens of cows, goats, chickens, and pigs here crammed tight into the small stalls. The cows were bound at the heads unable to move. Goats jumped and butted, climbed and scrambled for a desperate escape over piles of their own feces. Each hen was stuffed into a cage slightly larger than a shoe box and the pigs... They had the worst of it. Above the pig stall was a giant hole in the roof and a thick layer of mold crawled down the wall. The pigs were regularly sick from it, most of the animals were sick. Every square inch of the barn was in use and every animal whipped for maximum production. The girl’s lips curled under her shirt as she stepped inside.

An urse rose in her as she passed each stall and looked in. She wanted to free the animals, let them roam free. She could feel the pain, hear it in those cries, see it in their eyes. That feeling was the same time and time again, every day for years.

"We can't have them roaming," her father said. “The Yeske farm is struggling and we've got to keep it alive. I won't let the family farm go under.”

"But daddy, why can't they roam free?"

He smiled and put a hand on her shoulder.

"We've gotta earn a living, Anna. You'll understand when you're older. But let me give you a warning."

He squeezed her shoulder until it caused pain and she winced.

"Let the animals go and you'll be going with them.'

Her mother stood beside him but said nothing. Anna could see the message in her eyes.

Leave it be.

She set the buckets down and patted each cow's head, greeting them.

"Maybell, Honeysuckle, and..." she smiled, holding out both hands to the most peculiar cow, “Milkshake. How are you my love?"

Her full name was strawberry milkshake, on account of her soft pink color and bright white swirl patterns. She was beautiful and magnificent and was said to have strawberry flavored milk. The girl had tried it once, from the past owner, and it was the most delicious milk she ever tasted. Since that day, the poor cow hadn't produced a single drop. She was there because of Anna, convincing her father to buy her, and that was the exact reason why she was on barn duty and not her older brothers.

She petted the old cow's head and lifted it to meet her eyes. They had lost their glitter and were now glazed over, nearly dead, just like father wanted her. Staring deep into the sad and sick marble eyes of the majestic animal brought her a heavy grief that she could no longer bear. Her eyes looked over the sea of half dead animals. Her ears vibrated with terror and fear. The smell now penetrated her shirt and assaulted her nose.

"No," she said angrily. "No more."

She looked back down into milkshakes eyes once more and spoke to her.

“Would you like to be free? Feel the sun on your fur, taste the fresh grass of the fields and the sweet water of the -“

The cow mooed loudly, not a foot from her face. She wiped the saliva from her forehead and laughed.

“Say it, don't spray it."

The cow mooed again.

“Alright, alright. I’ll take that as a yes.”

She released the latches on all the stall doors and let them hang open. Waves and waves of filthy but beautiful animals poured forth from the barn doors, scattering freely across the hills. Lastly, the girl unlatched Milkshake‘s head cage and led her outside by a rope. She lifted the rope from her neck and ran her hand up the cow's nose, between it's eyebrows, and gave it a scratch. She mooed with delight.

“You’re free, Milky. I'm sad that I couldn’t try your delicious milk again but I want you to know that I’m proud of you. You were never a disappointment. I love you and goodbye.”

She slapped the cow’s rump and Milkshake found an energy in her that had been long dormant. She let out a mighty roar and charged out across the field, stopping only once to look back. It might have been her imagination, but she thought she saw that glitter in the cows eyes return once more and that thought gave her peace.

“I'll never forget you,” the girl called after her and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"What have you done?!" a voice screamed out from behind her. She turned to see her father standing on the porch nearly pulling out his hair.

"You've ruined us!'

Her mother was standing behind him and hung her head low but a smile sat on her face. Her father said only two words but it was more than enough.

“Get... OUT!"

He fell into a chair and began sobbing hysterically.

“We’re ruined!"

He didn't realize how right he was. Later that day, the stock market crashed and

American had a glimpse into a devastating future and the start of the Great Depression.