Copyright © 2013 Marian Hailey Moss
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 9781311017482
First Electronic Edition
ISBN 13: 9781492201564
ISBN 10: 1492201561
First Print Edition
Milky Whey’s Dream
by
marian hailey-moss
Edited by
Chris Stover, Terese Loeb Kreuzer, Stella Moss, and Julia Fatou
Drawing by Marc Chalvin
for
Aine O’Connor
1.
Mia was walking her dog, Bubbles, on Amsterdam Avenue in New York City. It was a mild sunny day in June and she felt happy. She looked forward to being in the fifth grade next fall. “But now the day is all mine,” she thought. She tossed her head and brushed away the lock of hair that caught on her round, saucer-like glasses.
Mia was certain of many things. She loved summer vacations. She loved her parents; her best friend, Gretchen; and her dog, Bubbles. She was sure the sun would shine, and if it didn’t, there was always a tomorrow when it would.
Bubbles wanted to stop, sniff, and eat whatever she could find. It was a challenge for her to do that and keep up with Mia’s sprightly pace.
They turned a corner, and Mia saw a white blurry shape coming toward them. Was she seeing things? It looked like a cow. But what would a cow be doing in the middle of a big city?
As Mia got closer she saw that, sure enough, it was a white cow, on a platform with wheels, being pulled by a pretty teenage girl.
“Hi,” said Mia. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“This is my cow,” said the teenager. “Her name is Milky Whey.”
“Hi, Milky Whey!” Mia introduced herself and Bubbles. “What is she made of?” she asked, giving Milky Whey a gentle pat.
“I made her out of hopes and dreams and papier-mâché,” said the teenager. “I made her for a school play.”
“You’re an artist,” said Mia.
“In a manner of speaking,” said the teenager.
“She’s beautiful and she looks real.”
“She is real,” said the teenager. “She’s play-acting now until the world is ready.”
“Ready?” repeated Mia. “Ready for what?”
“Ready for the time when she can breathe the fresh air and smell the flowers.”
“Oh, sure.” Mia was a bit puzzled, so she asked how Milky Whey got her name.
The teenager explained, “Every night I look at the sky and make a wish on a star. One night, when I went camping in the Berkshires, the sky was bright, with a river of stars looking like spilt milk. I knew Milky Whey was to be her name. Whey is from curdled milk, you know.”
“Yes, of course,” said Mia. “Well, Bubbles and I had better be on our way. It was nice to meet you. I’m sorry, what is your name?”
“Angelina,” said the pretty teenager. “But wait! Now that my school play is done, Milky Whey needs a home. My mom says she can’t stay with me. Do you know a nice place that she could stay for a while?”
Mia saw in her mind’s eye a snapshot of her family smiling and gathered around Milky Whey, who was sporting a big red bow.
“She can come live with Bubbles and my family. We’d love to have her. Right Bubbles?”
Bubbles wagged her tail.
“We live right around the corner at Astor Court.”
2.
“Here we are,” said Mia, opening the door to her bedroom. “She can stay in here with Bubbles and me.”
“It’s a bit small, but cheerful,” said Angelina as she wheeled Milky Whey through the doorway. “It’ll be hard for her to move around.”
“Move around?” asked Mia.
Angelina didn’t elaborate. “Your parents won’t mind?”
“Oh, my parents love animals,” said Mia. “My mother is volunteering right now at the Wild Bird Fund. That’s a sanctuary and hospital for New York’s wildlife. And my dad is so busy he won’t even know she’s here. He’s the superintendent for this building, you know.”
“Well, just in case, here’s my number.”
Angelina wrote her cell phone number on a scrap of paper she had in her pocket. Mia noticed that the teenager’s pen looked like real gold.
“You can call me anytime, day or night. And now I really must be going.” Taking one long last look at Milky Whey, Angelina said, “She’s a treasure. Remember that she can be a wonderful friend.” Going toward the door she added, “The only thing is we’ll need to find her another home at the end of summer.”
“Why is that?” said Mia.
“She wants to spread the message.”
“Yes, of course.” Mia was at a complete loss.
“I must be going. Bye for now.”
“Bye. We’ll take good care of Milky Whey,” Mia said as she and Bubbles watched Angelina walk down the hall to the elevator. “We understand cows. By the way, does Angelina mean ‘Angel’?”
“In a manner of speaking,” Angelina replied. She stepped inside the elevator. There was a strange silence as the elevator door closed.
Just then Mia thought she heard a lonely moo sound. She turned back into the apartment, but there was only Milky Whey, the papier-mâché cow, and her dog, Bubbles.
3.
A couple weeks went by. Mia loved having Milky Whey as a guest. Bubbles would sit next to Milky Whey, even though she never seemed to find her in the same spot.
Her dad hardly noticed the newcomer. What was a life-size papier-mâché cow to him when there were more pressing matters of keeping the one-hundred-year-old Astor Court building in good shape? But Mia’s mother grew fond of Milky Whey. She bought a cowbell with a red apple painted on it to tie around Milky Whey’s neck.
“There!” she said. “Now you’re a real New York City cow.”
One day late in June, Mia decided Milky Whey should get out of the house for a bit. “Come on, dear Milky,” she said. “You, Bubbles, and I can take a walk.” When they reached the lobby of Astor Court, Gretchen, who lived across the street, was waiting to join them.
“Meet Milky Whey,” said Mia. “She’s a papier-mâché cow. She’s staying with us for the summer.”
“Awesome!” said Gretchen.
Mia wasn’t used to pushing the life-size papier-mâché cow along the sidewalk. But Gretchen made all the difference. She pushed from the back while Mia pulled from the front.
Milky Whey became the hit of Riverside Park that summer. Heads would turn, jaws would drop, hands would wave, and cell phone cameras would click when they saw her. People would stop to chat and pet the life-size cow. Others wondered about a papier-mâché cow made from hopes and dreams. Some children didn’t even know what a cow looked like until meeting Milky Whey. Guests from out of town were taken to the park, in hopes of catching sight of the famous papier-mâché cow and the girl who took care of it.
Gretchen came along once in a while. She helped Mia hold Milky Whey’s back legs to slow the momentum going down the steep hill from Riverside Drive, at Ninety-First Street, to the promenade. That was actually Bubbles’s favorite part. She would often hitch a ride on Milky Whey’s platform.
4.
One night, near the end of August, Mia was startled out of her sleep…by a cowbell. She rubbed her eyes and turned toward the sound. To her amazement, she saw Milky Whey walking—she was walking on air!
“Hi, Mia.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m Milky Whey’s spirit.” The papier-mâché cow was facing the bed and hovering in the air. Bubbles was sleeping peacefully.
“Milky Whey!” said Mia. “You’re floating!”
“I’m stretching my legs a bit and looking at the stars—the Milky Way
. It’s my namesake, you know.”
“You can’t see the stars from here,” said Mia. “This is the city.”
“I can see one or two. Besides, I know they’re there, so I imagine,” said Milky Whey’s spirit.
“Imagination is a wonderful thing,” said Mia.
All of a sudden, Milky Whey’s spirit threw back her head and loudly sang out, “Freedom!”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Grass!” she wailed again, along with a brief tap step with her spirit hooves.
“Are you hungry, Milky Whey?” said Mia.
“Hamstrings!”
“Why are you saying ‘Hamstrings’?”
“Well, for most of my life I was in a pen where I couldn’t sit or lie down, and it feels so good to move my legs and stretch my—HAMSTRINGS!”
“Oh, my goodness,” said Mia.
“It’s my dream to be back with Mother Nature. Where the water is pure, the air is fresh, the grass is green, and the rain forest intact.”
“I must be dreaming,” said Mia.
“I can dream in your dream too. Dreams are wonderful places to meet. Watch and I’ll show you.”
A pasture suddenly appeared around Milky Whey’s spirit. It was full of bright green plants with bushy tops. “Isn’t it beautiful?” A few hundred cows were grazing peacefully, and the calves were either enjoying lunch from their mothers or frolicking in the sunshine.
“Not so long ago, I was born in a factory farm, full of heartache and bad things that nobody sees, except those of us inside. I survived by imagining how life could be if people chose something like soy. After about five years, everything became black. My life on Earth was over.”
A shudder ran through Milky Whey’s Spirit and a tear gently ran down her cheek.
“Milky Whey, now you’re here with us,” said Mia, wiping a tear from her own eye. “It’s you and me and Bubbles and my family. We’re in this together.”
“Yes, but I’m here in spirit only. That’s why I have a dream. I dream that someday I will be a real cow again, grazing on a real farm with my real animal brothers and sisters.” The voice grew stronger. “And when that day comes, there will be veggies on the dinner table and happy animals in the field! My heart yearns for such a day.”
“Is there anything you want me to do?”
“Remember that we have choices. That is all.” Milky Whey turned to face the sky again. “It’s almost time for my new home. I’m going to miss you and your family. It’s late, I know. I will bid you a good-night.”
“Good night, Milky Whey’s spirit. We’re going to miss you.”
The cow spirit took a deep spirit-breath. There was a ding-donging of a cowbell, and then…nothing.
Mia saw by the light from the window that Bubbles was still sleeping, but the papier-mâché Milky Whey was now facing the open window. She knew she had just seen and heard something very special. She fell into a soft blanket of sleep.
5.
“Hi, everybody!” said Mia. “I’m so glad you could come to Milky Whey’s farewell party. She’ll be leaving our family soon. We want her to know that she was loved, so today we’re celebrating.”
It was the end of summer, and Mia’s friends were back from their vacations. The garden at Astor Court was the perfect place to have a farewell party.
Bouquets of balloons were tied to the table in the center of the garden. Mia’s mother set the table with iced chocolate soy milk and an apricot lemon cake with the words, “We Love You, Milky Whey.”
“Gretchen and I will be right back,” said Mia.
After a few moments, a young boy named Neil announced, “Here they come! Help me hold the doors.”
Milky Whey made her entrance. She was wheeled into the garden through the lobby door, Mia pulling the rope in front and Gretchen pushing from the back…with Bubbles riding on the platform, of course.
There were cheers and laughter as everyone threw confetti. Much of it stuck to the platform and to the floppy straw hat, decorated with fruits that Milky Whey was wearing. There were two balloons, yellow and pink, tied around her neck, waving in the air. Mia had dressed her in a new red bow. Milky Whey looked all dolled up and almost as if she was smiling.
Residents from Astor Court opened their windows and looked down on the garden to see what was going on. “Hey, Mia!” they cheered.
Mia and Gretchen took Milky Whey around the garden and ended at the goodies table in the middle. Bubbles almost made off with the cake, but she was found out in time.
As the clapping died down, Mia cut down a balloon. “Here, Neil,” she said. “Make a wish on the balloon for Milky, and then let it go. Everybody do the same!”
“I wish we’d hurry up and have some cake,” said Billy.
In the meantime, Milky Whey’s cowbell was jangled, her cheeks were kissed, her bow was pulled, and her body was patted. Billy sat on her platform and yelled, “Where does the milk come from?”
“From her udder,” said Mia.
“Where’s her udder?”
“Just in front of her back legs.”
“Geez! And I thought milk came from the store.”
“Come on, everybody,” said Mia. “Have a piece of celebration cake.”
There was even enough cake for the neighbors, many of whom came down to join the celebration.
And then…a hush came over everything. Everyone stood silent. All heads turned in the direction of the pretty teenager who had just stepped through the garden doors. There was something otherworldly about her, as she seemed to glow.
“Angelina!” Mia went to meet her friend.
“You’ve done Milky Whey proud,” said Angelina. “And now Milky Whey must say goodbye. Her new home is waiting.”
“Ohhhh…” said the guests.
Mia felt her heart sink. “Can we give her a hug?”
“Milky Whey would love that,” said Angelina.
Everyone lined up to hug Milky Whey and to say their goodbyes, thanking Mia for a wonderful afternoon.
Then it was Mia’s turn. She gave Milky Whey a big hug and whispered in her papier-mâché ear, “I’ll see you in my dreams, Milky. You’ll always be in my heart.” Bubbles put her front paws on the platform and wagged her tail goodbye.
Mia and Bubbles watched Milky Whey and Angelina go through the garden doors, across the lobby, and onto the street. As Mia gave a little wave, she thought she heard a faint moo.
She ran to the front door to see Angelina and Milky Whey at the end of Ninetieth Street, and then they turned the corner onto Amsterdam Avenue and were out of sight.
6.
That night, Mia couldn’t sleep. “Psst, Bubbles,” she whispered. “Let’s get a bedtime snack. But be quiet.”
Mia tiptoed down the hall to the kitchen. Bubbles’s nails clicked on the linoleum floor. “Shhhhhh.” She turned on the light. “I’ll give you a special treat, Bubbles—you can have what I have. Here’s the cookie.”
Bubbles gulped it down.
“Where are your manners?”
The refrigerator door creaked open. Mia filled Bubble’s bowl. She looked at the clock. It was one o’clock. She sat at the kitchen table with her glass of soy milk and a sugar cookie.
“Bubbles,” Mia whispered, “just like the stars in the city sky, which are there but we can’t see them, I know Milky is with us, even though we don’t see her.”
Bubbles looked up from her dish.
“She was pretty big for the bedroom, and a little smaller than a dairy cow, but she was just right to be our friend. I feel certain that someday, not too far in the future, all cows and humans will be friends. What do you think Bubbles?... Bubbles?”
But Bubbles had her head between her paws and was ever so slightly snoring. She was dreaming of Milky Whey as a real cow, with a baby calf. She saw herself with them in a pasture full of luscious green grass, yellow-gold flowers, and a bright, safe future for all animals.
Heartfelt thanks to:
Gretchen Burnett
, Holly Bradbury, and Lois Meredith,
Gerhard Holt; Dolores Holt; Lorraine Bazan; Joel Jessen; Paula Greller,
Rae Ann Kumelos, Bill Kosmas.
and especially
Chris Stover
Special thanks to Supreme Master Ching Hai
About the Author
Marian Hailey-Moss is a former actress and a semi-retired psychotherapist. She champions the humane treatment of animals. Marian is a vegan and lives in New York City. Visit Marian at www.marianhaileymoss.com
About the Artist
MARC CHALVIN is a Parisian artist who fills his drawings and his animations with life, whimsy, and wisdom. Marc feels they speak for themselves.
Other children’s books by Marian Hailey-Moss
Teatime with Sophie
A Dog Named Randall
(with Mark Wilk)
A Palace for Peepers
(with Andrea End)
Maggie the Chicken
Mister Pepper’s Secret
An Elephant Called Butterfly
(with Lois Meredith)
Mira
PEACEFOOD