Chapter 3
552 Words
Langlen woke before the sun had fully risen. A pale morning light rested on the hills, and the air still carried the coolness of the night. From nearby houses came the sound of roosters crowing and dogs barking lazily in the distance.
She wrapped her phanek tighter around her waist and stepped outside. The cow shed stood just in front of their house, built with bamboo posts and a thatched roof. The cows were already awake, shifting their weight and flicking their tails.
Her family had four cows. Arangbi, Angangbi, Amubi, and Thambal. Each of them had been raised since they were calves, and Langlen knew their habits as well as she knew the paths of the hills.
Recently, Thambal and Arangbi had both given birth. Their calves stood close beside them, still wobbly on their legs and softly nudging their mothers.
Langlen tied a rope gently around Arangbi's hind leg and began to milk. The steady sound of milk hitting the metal pot echoed quietly in the morning air. Thin mist still floated above the valley beyond their house.
After finishing the milking, she carried the pot carefully to the veranda.
"Ima, the milk is ready," Langlen said as she sat down on the wooden veranda floor. She began measuring how many liters they had collected that morning.
"Aunty Leibaklei said she wants two liters today."
Sakhi came out of the kitchen carrying a small plate of fried rice. Smoke from the firewood stove followed her out, bringing the warm smell of rice and dried fish.
"Alright, come and eat first," Sakhi said. "I will take care of the rest."
"Today we have only seven liters," Langlen replied while washing her hands with water from a metal basin. "I need to graze them early so they can eat more green grass."
"That is fine. I also need to go to the paddy field early today," Sakhi said while pouring the milk into containers one by one. "After I deliver the milk to the village, I will cook for you. When you come back from grazing, you can serve yourself."
"It is alright, Ima."
Langlen sat quietly and ate the fried rice. It had been prepared from the leftover rice of the previous night, lightly fried with a little salt and chili. It was a simple breakfast, but it was enough to begin the day.
When she finished, she picked up the tumba, a traditional container made from a dried bottle gourd. It had been used in their family for years to carry drinking water while working in the hills.
"Alright, Ima. I will go now."
She walked toward the cow shed again and untied the ropes. The cows began moving toward the narrow path leading to the grazing hills, just as they did every morning. Their hooves pressed softly against the damp earth.
The two calves followed closely behind their mothers, sometimes running a few steps before stopping again.
Langlen walked behind them with a thin bamboo stick resting on her shoulder. The path curved slowly toward the green hills beyond the village.
After Langlen disappeared down the path, Sakhi also stepped out of the house carrying the milk containers. She began walking from house to house in the village to deliver the morning milk.
The village was slowly waking up.
- Writer
