Chapter 1

Cows Really Are Out There

   "I don't care" Kim said stubbornly as she closed herself in her room. "I'm NOT going!"  This was exactly why she had insisted that she have her own room.  Which now was her only protection from her brother’s crazy ideas.  At least it was harder to hear what he was explaining rapidly on the other side of the door.  She tossed herself on the bed and quickly wrapped a pillow around her head in an effort to not hear what he was saying.  It wasn't working good enough.  "LAAA LA LA LA LA LA LA" Kim started humming loudly.  "I can't hear you, GO AWAY!”  Finally she heard the retreating footsteps.  "Good" She thought. "At least he'll leave me alone for awhile."  She couldn't help but think of his idea though, now that he wasn't trying to cram it in her ear. 

  Her brother Kyle, two years older and a foot and half taller, wasn't so bad most of the time.  But once in awhile he got these crazy, stupid, insane ideas in his head.  One time he had tried to roll down dead mans hill in a trashcan.  He still insisted it was fun while he tried to walk back up with two gashes on his head and a very dented trashcan dragging behind him.  But he didn't do it again.  Then there was the time he nearly drowned himself trying to build a bridge across the Mellow Creek.  Which at the time wasn't so mellow.  But this present idea wasn't crazy.  It was totally INSANE.  The fool wanted sneak into old man Thornton's barn, 'borrow' a chicken and take it Cow hunting in the Woods.  Whatever a Cow was supposed to be. She didn't believe in them and if they where real, why would they just happen to be in the woods behind Kyle and Kim's house.  Besides if old man Thornton found out they would be in real trouble.  Not just with old man Thornton, but the Old Ones they lived with would upset with them till New Tuesday. Perhaps he would forget about it if she ignored him long enough. That had worked once.  In any case it was getting dark now. Almost time to wind Tock.  She would just close her eyes for a minute.  

  When she woke up it was all the way dark. "OH NO!" she thought "I didn't wind Tock in time."  Now she was going to have to go ask Kyle to help her with Tock.  Tock was a little metal box that really wasn't called a tock, but Kim had named hers Tock and drawn eyes and ears and a nose on him to make him look better.  All it did play a little tune when you opened the lid. Which now looked kinda like a mouth.  But if you didn't wind it then it would loose its tune after awhile.  Kyle had told her it was what kept the Tune alive.  And when she said she didn't believe him.  He had looked at her funny and said "TMC". Which was short for "Truth is More Complicated, but basically means the same thing."  So now she had to go get Kyle to do whatever it was he did to save to tune before she could wind it again.

   Slowly opening her door she peered out into the dark room. Everyone was apparently asleep.  Walking softly out into the darkness, she carefully avoided the hidden furniture in the darkness.  She had done this many times and it was not a problem to make it to Kyle's room without bumping into anything.  In fact Kyle had often said she must be able to see in the dark with her ability to walk around things she could not see.  Kim knew that wasn't the case, she could just remember where everything was if she saw it clearly once, and if she closed her eyes she could walk around like it was daylight.  Kyle had tried to trick her by moving things.  But somehow she could sense them before she bumped into them and make her way around with no problem.

   Now she was at Kyle's door and a little glimmer of light glowed out from where the door didn't quite fit the frame.  "He's still up,” She thought. "I guess that’s good". Before she reached for the doorknob the door opened, and Kyle quickly ushered her in.  He was all smiles.  Kyle's room surprisingly was tidy for some one with such a wandering mind.  His bed was made after a fashion and there were neat stacks of books on his desk, a home drawn map on the wall, and boxes that held his many inventions and treasures scattered about the room.  "He's hasn't given up" Kim thought bleakly as she looked around and her eyes fell on a pack by the bed. Next to it was a drawing of what she supposed was Kyle's imagination of a cow.  "I just need Tock saved Kyle" she blurted out. His smile faded.  "Oh I thought you had changed your mind,” he said. Then a smile crept back onto his face. "You know I could refuse to save tock unless you helped me borrow one of the chickens." 

"You wouldn't!" She said louder than she intended.

"Shhhh" He said gesturing while he glanced around. What he could be glancing at she had no idea.  No one was going to jump out of one of the boxes.  "I wasn't serious Kim, here let me see Tock" He said holding out his hand and she handed tock over. He only shook his head and muttered, while going about doing something on the inside of the lid.  Then he snapped the lid shut and was winding Tock quickly while looking at his notes on the desk.  Kim moved closer.  She hadn't noticed the notes before.  "What all this" she asked

"Oh, just my notes on Cows" Kyle said and handed Tock back to her.  She opened the lid and music started up slowly to that only tune Tock played. Smiling at the tune she gave Kyle a quick hug "You are my favorite brother" She said.

"I'm your only brother" Kyle grunted clearly not impressed.

"It doesn't matter, it's still true" she said clearly pleased at his puzzled look.  "Why, just out of curiosity, do you need me to help you so much, why can't you just go on your own and take"

"Borrow" Kyle said quickly

"Borrow or take one of the chickens and go cow hunting, It's still the same thing! Why do you need me?"

He smiled again "Kim for the same reason I barely knew you came to my room till you where just outside my door."

"You can see in the dark!"

"I CAN'T SEE" She got out before Kyle was hushing her again. "in the dark, Kyle I can't"

"TMC, Kim don't you see. It doesn't matter. You can get in and out without a light." And suddenly she did understand. He wanted her to swipe the cow hunting chicken; he really had lost the last of his mind"

"No."

"But"

"Kyle, No. Why should I?"

"Because I'm your favorite brother."

"That doesn't mean swiping cow hunting chickens."

"Because you would love to prove me wrong and show me there are no cows in the woods."

"I don't have to do that prove that to you, there are no cows out there."

"Ah, but I will hound you all day long everyday until you are so weary of me you will have to go in the woods to prove there are no cows. And how could you do that with out a cow hunting chicken!" He seemed convinced of his logic. Smiling like he had finally convinced her.

"Kyle you don't know anything.  You have the stupidest, dumbest ideas that never work, and someone usually ends up getting hurt!"

Stunned he just looked at her and slowly sat down on the stool. "ok" he said finally, sadly looking at his cow notes.  Then he did something she never expected.  He crumpled up the cow notes and tossed them into Garbage.  Well she was right.  He did have some stupid ideas.  Only he didn't have to look so dejected when it finally sunk in.  Frogs for a footstool!  She shouldn't feel bad for telling him the truth.  Only she did and looking at him staring at his crumpled cow notes, suddenly she felt very bad for saying what she just said.

"Kyle" She started "I...You don't have to give up on your cow hunting.  Just because I won't get the chicken"

He just stared at the desk.

"Kyle you would probably get in trouble if you did it, but if it means that much" She stopped talking when he looked at her. How could he be so hurt over a chicken or a cow or... then suddenly it hit her.

"Kyle I'm sorry I didn't mean it" He didn't look convinced. Hurt covered his face.  "I don't think you're stupid you brainy goat."

"Insults in an apology, interesting" But the hurt started to leave his face.  "Oh I am stupid too,” she thought. Why was she making such a big deal out his little adventure?  How many times had he dazzled her with his instant adventures and stories of wild and crazy places?  And how many times had he saved Tock.  Was it really such a big deal to help him get a chicken?  After all she could get it with no problem.  She had seen old man Thornton's Barn many times.

"Kyle I'll get the chicken"

"No"

"Kyle it's alright I'll do it"

"No Kim, your were right, it's stupid."

"Now See here brain dead Goat Cheese!  I AM getting the Chicken and you and I are going Cow Hunting!"

Suddenly it sunk in what she just said. And Kyle was just smiling at her.  If she didn't know better she would have thought he somehow tricked her into going Cow hunting.  Sighing she shook her head.

"I think you tricked me, Goat Brain" she said

"Not this time Kim, you tricked yourself.  I had nothing to do with it” And he retrieved his cow notes from the Garbage and started smoothing them out on the desk.