Morning at the Farm

The kids whined as they walked down the pavement. Little Charlie was the loudest, trying to climb away from the heat. Finally, Mommy picked him up to keep from losing her skirt. At the top of the hill, they could see the old homestead spread out before them.

“Mommy, what’s that?” Emily asked

Charlie wiggled in Mommy’s arms. Shifting the toddler to her other hip, she looked up. The worn structure stood like a sentinel next to the driveway, the wood still firm. Emily had never seen anything quite like it.

“It’s a well house.”

“Like a wishing well?” The little girl was excited.

“No. This is a real one you get water out of. See the bucket? ” Mommy then saw the dress hanging on the nail with the camera next to it, a photo shoot. “Although it does look like someone was wishing for something.”

“Like a cowboy?”

Mommy laughed, but before she could say anything two women in t-shrts and shorts ran up the driveway.

“Oh, excuse us.” The taller one said as she grabbed the dress. “We didn’t think anyone else was here.”

“No problem,” Mommy replied. “We’re just looking around.”

“I’m Jane.” said the woman with camera and, “And that’s Jenny.” The other girl nodded.

Emily piped up. “Are you playing dress-up?”

“Sort of,” Jenny said as she gathered her long blond hair into a ponytail. “I’m having a model shoot to build my portfolio.”

“What’s a ‘folio?” The little girl asked.

“It’s like a book where you show people what you’ve done to get jobs.” She slipped the dress over her head and tugged the tail so it laid square along her spine.

“Ooh. You look like Elsa.” Emily squealed.

The woman with the camera laughed. “I hadn’t thought of that, had you, Jenny?”

“No, but, thank you.” The taller girl checked her hair in a compact. “I’m just playing a farm girl today. Is Frozen your favorite movie?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you kind and rewind it when you’re finished?” Jenny asked with a twinkle in her eye.

“Huh?” Confusion flooded across Emily’s face. “Rewind? What’s that?”

“I’m old enough to know about that.” Mommy giggled. “These days, it’s point and click.”

The two women nodded but the little girl was still lost.

“So, what is it?”

Mommy put her hand under her daughter’s chin.

“When I was a little girl, we watched movies on VHS tapes we’d get at the store. You had to rewind them when you got finished. We had a little machine that would do it fo us.”

A rooster crowed out beyond the barn and everyone took it as a cue to leave. The women strolled out into the pasture where they had a picnic blanket laid out. Mommy and the kids walked toward the farmhouse and and sat on the stairs to watch them work.

“This is better than the movies.” Emily

Mommy agreed.