► I've heard that Daryl is oddly into cows, why don't you take him- by force if you have to, dress him in a cow suit, and have him spend the day as a cow. Don't respond to any words he says, act as if you've heard a moo, and I'm sure enjoying the finest fodder will give him plenty of insight on cow life.
✿ Daryl was a scientist. His life was lived by the scientific method and principals- observations, experiments, analyses, and data. He ran many man experiments in his years to gain all the knowledge and experience he has under his withered boots now, and Jill decided to take a cue from her friend and run an experiment of her own.
Daryl was in Forget-Me-Not-Valley to run experiments on energy. Creating, maintaining, using energy for the Valley. And Daryl had taken quite a shine to Jill’s cows when she started running her farm in the Valley (something about ‘global warming’ and a ‘persona vendetta’). He was at her farm every afternoon at 5:00pm, observing, hypothesizing about her cows. How long would it be before he moved to the next step of running experiments on them? That could not happen. It had to stop before it got that far. It was time for him to learn a new lesson.
She waited for him. Admittedly, she baited him in a bit- with making him dinner and promising to tell him anything he wanted to know about her farm, but once she had him where she wanted him, she wrangled him in- like a cow.
She was there when he woke from his sleep, his cow suit slightly wrinkled from his sleep and freshly filled feedbox placed out in front of him. Sure, he was shocked and tried to fight it and screamed at her till veins popped from his head, but Jill didn’t listen. Cows couldn’t talk anyway. She went about her chores around the farm, hearing his cries from inside the barn. When would he learn? What scientist wouldn’t be reveling in the experience she was giving him? She was really doing this for his own good. After all, animals were friends, too.
She went out into town to do some shopping that afternoon. No one even mentioned the scientist, no one even noticed he was gone. That saddened Jill’s heart a little. But she knew where he was- safe and sound- so that put a sweet smile on her lips.
When she arrived back at the barn, Daryl was on the ground, the other cattle sitting around him. They have accepted him into their own, but would he be ready to accept them? She approached slowly, his horse voice pleading softly as she stood before him. Her poor little calf. She knew what to do to make him cheer up. After all, all cows loved to be washed.
She got the water bucket and soap over, lathering the brush with the sudsy liquid and gently running it over the little cow. Oh sure, he struggled at first, but no one could resist the loving touches and pampering a farmer giver to her livestock. She hummed him a little melody as she worked, and soon he was leaning into her touch. Good. Looks like she will be feeding him some good fodder tonight as a treat.
The skies grew dark, and she told all of her animals to get some rest and to go to their respected places. She saw the hesitation on Daryl’s face before he sheepishly moved into his spot and curled up to go to sleep. That was mama’s good little cow.
