Mrs. Hansen's Arc

Chapter 3 of 14

The next morning, their neighbor knocked on the door before breakfast. His cattle were dying in the cold. The shelter on his property had failed completely. He needed space in their barn, just until the worst passed. Mrs. Hansen stood in the doorway and felt the weight of it settle on her shoulders. She walked out to their small red barn and counted what they had. Twelve bags of feed stacked against the wall. Enough for their own herd through February, maybe into March if she rationed carefully. She did the math in her head. Two herds would burn through it in half that time. The neighbor stood behind her with his broken wagon, hay spilling from the sides. He'd brought what little he could salvage. It wasn't nearly enough. Mr. Hansen joined them in the barn. He looked at the feed bags, then at their neighbor's face, then at her. She knew what he was thinking. They couldn't afford to run short themselves. But she'd already made her decision. She had money put away in the house. Not much, but enough to buy what they'd need to keep both herds fed until spring. She told them both. The neighbor's shoulders dropped with relief. Mr. Hansen nodded slowly, understanding what it would cost them. She drove into town that afternoon and bought every bag of feed the supply store had in stock. The money she'd saved over two years disappeared in twenty minutes. When she got back, both men helped her unload. The bags filled one whole side of the barn. She stood looking at them, feeling the particular kind of empty that comes after spending something you'd protected for a long time. But the animals would make it now. Both herds. That was what the farm demanded of her, and she'd answered.