{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang1033{\fonttbl{\f0\fnil\fcharset0 Gabriola;}}
{\*\generator Msftedit 5.41.21.2510;}\viewkind4\uc1\pard\sl240\slmult1\qc\lang9\f0\fs24 The Question\par
\pard\sl240\slmult1\tab Once upon a time, there lived a young boy who was exceedingly unsatisfied with his life. The drudgery of school led him to dread each morning's screechy alarm. His natural inclination to succeed made his friends jealous of his stellar grades and pompous scholarships. Yet, the boy was unhappy. He loathed school, but constantly surrounded himself with books and homework to push through - at the top of his class, mind you - until graduation. His head swelled with differential calculus, literary dramas, principles of economics, and foreign language. Colleges and universities plagued him with flattering letters of congratulations and not-so-subtle urgings to apply. The military, even, deemed that the boy's academic success displayed a perseverance that would be valuable in the armed foces. Family members applauded his diligence; some boasted that they were the true donors of his "smart genes". Friends scrampled to be his study partner; less acquainted students bent over backward to share group assignments and to snatch answers.\par
\tab The boy lost sleep.\par
\tab The boy lost memories.\par
\tab The boy lost hope.\par
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\pard\sl240\slmult1\tab Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful brown cow who was exceedingly unsatisfied with her life. Though doted on each night by a sweet child, the cow's lonliness  during the day was as sharp and bothersome as nettles. She saw the birds flitting to and fro in cheerful parties; never alone, as she was. Though her grass was plentiful and rich, she found herself envying the neighbor horses, whose grass was sparse and spiny. The drabness of winter made her eyes ache for warmer, fertile weather. When it arrived each year in its splendor, however, the beautiful brown cow realized the bitterness of a delightful gift when there is no one to share it with. She was also dreadfully bored. The highest order of excitement an average day served was the lazy chug-a-lug of the farmer's tractor down the gravel road. Occasionally, the monotany would be broken by the exhilarating whoosh of air and sound caused by a passing airplane, but the occasion was, indeed, rare. Gradually, the brown cow's dreams of excitement and companionship were all but trampled by the daily thrum of bee's in the clover, the predictable passage of lazy farm equipment, the lonesomeness of dining alone and talking to oneself, and the never-ending, never-changin melodies sung by the birds.\par
\tab The cow lost appetite.\par
\tab The cow lost patience.\par
\tab The cow lost hope.\par
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\pard\sl240\slmult1\tab One day, the sun rose in all its red, blooming glory the same way it had for the past 27 days of summer; the birds fluttered out of their nests with the same twinkling tunes rising out of their throats; the bees, ants, and butterflies scavenged the same daisies, clover, Queen Anne's Lace, and daffodils that sprinkled the brown cow's pasture with color; and the humans and their machinery chug-a-lugged to the same, lazy rthym. \par
\tab But then, night fell. \par
\tab And when the child left the freshly curried brown cow in her clean stall to search for a handful of sweet oats, the latch was left ajar. Had the shiny, steel contraption thudded into place as it usually did, sounding its closure with a thump, a clang, and an ear-grating scrape, the brown cow would have carried on scratching her side against the wall without a pause. But the latch did not behave normally at all, and when it pinged against the steel ring and then fell silent, the brown cow's attention was piqued. \par
\tab After gently nosing the latch open and cautiously looking to the left and to the right, the beautiful brown cow snuck out of the cozy barn and into the night. \par
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\pard\sl240\slmult1\tab Surrounded by sprawling textbooks and loose-leaf paper scribbled with notes, the young boy sighed, rubbed his eyes, and stretched. Realizing that he could not remember anything he had read in the past five minutes, he decided to go for a walk. He slipped on a light blazer, tied up his sneakers, and ventured into the night. \par
\tab The thin sliver of the moon shone weakly on the gravel path, but the young boy felt no fear. In fact, the darkness and its accompanying stillness were soothing.Wih his hands stuffed in the pockets of his blazer, the boy aimlessly shuffled through the loose stones, kicking the larger ones with the toe of his sneaker. He allowed his mind to wander. Nevertheless, his thoughts continued to return to pressing due dates and looming tests. Finally, the now frustrated boy gave up and headed home to resume his studies. \tab\par
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\pard\sl240\slmult1\tab Being unaccustomed to freedom, the beautiful brown cow was initially bewildered as to what to do next. Though she often dreamed wistfully of adventure, she had no idea how to begin now that the opportunity had arisen. So, hoping that some sort of answer or sign would eventually offer insight, the cow began to walk down the gravel road. Her tender hooves did not enjoy the loose stones; not in the least. And her soft eyes remained stubbornly unaccustomed to the darkness. \par
\tab As she snuffled angrily at the bothersome path, a wayward stone bopped her in the nose. "Well, I never!" She lowed in surprise. In her pasture, all the rocks she encountered were quite stationary. Suddenly, she was startled by a response to her exclamation.\tab\par
\tab "I'm dreadfully sorry! Is your sniffer alright?"\par
\tab The beautiful brown cow squinted in the dark. A young boy stood in front of her, with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket. He seemed concerned, yet aloof. \i And rather testy\i0  , thought the cow. She delicately examined her nuzzle with the tip of her tongue and responded, "Mmm... quite alright indeed." \par
\tab "Well......" The boy shuffled from foot to foot, unsure of how to politely finish a conversation with a cow. "A good evening to you!" \par
\tab The brown cow, however, was certain that the boy was the sign she was looking for and determined keep him near. As he side-stepped around her to continue on his way, she followed. And as he made no overt sign of objection to her company, she began to talk. And talk. And talk. It had been so long since the lonely cow had anyone to talk to other than herself, that even the slightest nod of the boy's head or glance toward her in interest promted more talking. She told him about her grass, and her girl, and the birds and bees and horses. She complained about the solitude, the boredom, and the quiet. She described the farm equipment and the airplanes. She even recited some of the stories and poems that she had, as of yet, not been able to share with anyone. \par
\tab At a brief break in the cow's monologue, the young boy stopped and made a remark that bewildered the cow. "Wow," he said. "Your life sounds delightful. I wish... I wish we could switch places." And he began to tell the brown cow his story. He spoke of the calculus, the Greek, and the endless assignments. He complained of the drudgery, the stress, and the mounting pressure to succeed. And, to the cow's utter astonishment, he described his longing for solitude and peace. \par
\tab "But," she said, "Isn't it exciting?" To herself she thought, \i It sounds like an adventure.\i0  \par
\tab  A cricket or two chirruped. Cicadas hummed. Tree frogs sang. And in the quiet cacaphony, the young boy and the brown cow faced each other solemnly. They thought of their own lives, and the lives of the other. They wondered... "Is my life really that bad?" \par
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\pard\sl240\slmult1\tab The beautiful brown cow and the young boy unintentionally became the best of friends. The cow returned to her lush pasture, but the boy promised to visit. The boy returned to his studies, but the cow lightened his heart whenever he stopped by. Perhaps the greatest gift the friends received from their comradery, however, was a newfound appreciation for own, starkly different lives. \par
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