"Look, Mr...uh..."
"Y'all can call me Mr. Fields."
"Mr. Fields, you seem to have a nice place here, but I already have a job and a home. You're just going to have to make do without me."
"What ya've got is a human job and a human home," the farmer gently encouraged. "Y'all don't realize it yet, but ya can't go back to that boring life if you wanna keep that body o' yers. 'Sides, that brand more'n anything is a sign of your future. Ya belong here, Mary."
The cow woman was startled. "How did you know my name?"
"The brand is magic. It's what drew ya here. It's what'll keep ya comin' back here til you've made up yer mind." He tapped his head with a finger. "I always know everywhere each one o' my animals is thanks to those brands. Ya could go hide on some farm in China and I'd know it."
"You drive a hard bargain," Mary said, rather suspicious now. She entirely believed the brand was magical. After all, she believed in the transformation vials. However, she just wasn't ready for this life yet. "Maybe I'll see you around," she dismissed.
"That ya will, ma'am," the farmer nodded.
On the drive home, Mary kept thinking about the farm. Once she had gotten home, it was dark. She pulled off her shirt and plopped down in bed, trying to put her mind on something else. No matter what train of thought she had, everything led her mind back to that farm. The city was so crowded, and she had to drive to work in awful traffic. Not to mention it was lonely living in her own house with no one else. Yeah, there were neighbors but that was different. She needed close friends. A family. Open air and nature.
She found it odd, wanting these things. All her life she dreamed of making it as a top-level executive, not particularly caring about romance or a peaceful life. Don't get her wrong; she dated often, but she hadn't found anyone that met her tastes.
Dawn came and she hadn't even closed her eyes. As the poor cowgirl watched a square of sunlight creep across her spotted body, she knew there was only one thing to do.