It was not long before Kim and Cassie made their way to the hayfield. It was a great place to play, and some of the hay had been  collected into large piles already. It was many acres in size. Even some sheep could be seen grazing in it. Like two young girls, they frolicked and played and made pretend. Generally it was a good and memorable time.

      All could not be well however. For inside the house, a heated argument had already begun.

***

      "I can't do it Mike, why can't you just take my advice." Stew threw his hands up in exaggeration.

      "And do what again, sell my farm. The very farm that's been in our family for generations!" Cassie's father shouted.

      "I never said you had to sell all of it, just enough to fiancé upgrading your farm equipment, then you could be profitable again." Stew slumped in his chair.

      "Stew, we both know you turned down the farm from father because you got that high paying tech job, but I'm only asking for a fifty grand loan. That's a small amount for what you make in a year. You're no longer even married! You can afford the expense."

      That was a sore spot for Stew. Ever since the divorce, Stew had gone his separate ways from Linda. He had won the custody battle over Kim, but even now he felt alone. He'd work his job, day in day out, often times wishing he could be with his daughter. To him, money was important, but family even more so.

      "That was a cheap shot Mike, and you know it isn't fair to ask me for a loan, you haven't paid me back for the last one yet."

      Mike knew he had a point, but he couldn't help it. "Does this farm you were raised on me nothing to you! Has city living ruined you Stew!" It was apparent Mike was losing his temper, as his face went red.

      Stew was out the door before Mike realized he had been in the wrong. Still he did not dare go after him, he would have to come to grips he would not be getting his loan. Stew was not a sell out, he loved his family dearly, he had worked to the point to which he'd nearly lost everything he loved. Unknown to the rest of his family, even his daughter, he'd stepped down in his tech department. As it was, he was still well employed, but could never afford such a loan anymore. He just wanted more time with his family.

***

      "You know Kim, it's all good to pretend, but I got some real magic." Cassie said to her younger cousin.

      "Really really! I want to try it!" Kim hoped up and down.

      "It's not a toy Kim, but I'll let you try it, first let me explain how it works."

      The explanation went smoothly, but Cassie was young and was not very adept at explaining the magic behind the penny. Yet after spending some time with Kim, she got the gist.

      "I'm going to go to the pig pen!" Kim started towards one of the barns.

      "Hold on Kim I got to use the bathroom." Cassie said eagerly.

      Kim kept running however.

      Unable to hold her bladder, Cassie ran by her dad on the porch. He was holding his rifle and some rope.

      After relieving herself Cassie started for the pig barn. She heard a faint squealing sound in the distance, but kept going anyways.

      "Cassie!" The small girl wailed. "Your dad took my daddy!"

      "What are you talking about Kim?" Cassie asked alarmed by her smaller cousins state.

      "Daddy tried your magic penny and turned himself into a pig!"

      "Why didn't you turn him back Kim?" Cassie asked.

      "I couldn't remember how, in my fright I went towards the house to get you. It was then I saw your dad taking my father away."

      "This is very serious Kim where's the penny?" She started patting down her smaller cousin.

      "Somewhere on the floor of the pig stall." Cassie grabbed her shoulders.

      "Alright, I'm trusting you to go get it while I stall my dad." She waited for her cousin to nod before dashing towards the barn used for slaughtering the animals.

      "Alright Cassie, I'll go get your lucky penny!" She said as she too dashed towards a barn.

***

      Cassie pulled open the door as her father finished tying the squealing pig to a post.

      "Please stop father."

      "Cassie, what are you doing in here, shouldn't you be playing with Kim." He kept going about his business.

      "Don't hurt the pig dad, just give me some time to explain."

      "Explain what, that my daughter has become a vegetarian all of a sudden? I've explained the food chain before to you, and we do this all properly."

      "That's not it dad please let me explain." She said as she tried pulling the butt of the rifle from his hand.

      "Cassie!" Her father yelled pulling the rifle away. "What have I told you, a gun is dangerous, you shouldn't even be in here."

      Cassie was on the verge of crying. She was unable to speak.

      Cassie's father looked at his daughter and the gun again. The way that she was eyeing it, perhaps she ha grown up more then he thought. "Cassie I think I get what you were trying to say, I think your right."

      "What?" Cassie said as her father handed her the gun.

      "It will be a tough experience, but it will be good for you, I'm glad you're taking the initiative." He pushed his daughter within a foot of the panicking squealing pig.

      "Should be an easy shot at two feet away, just aim for his head to make it nice and quick."

      Cassie tried to back away, but her father stood solid behind her like a solid wall. Wrapping his hands around her small young hands, he helped her hold up the rifle into a firing position.

      "Please stop this father." Cassie started to cry.

      "This will be good for you, now pull the trigger."

***

      Kim ran into the barn panicking. "I got to find the lucky penny!" She said as she started scrapping around in the dirt all around the pig pen. The pig where all around inside the pen going about their daily routine.

      Finally she saw a glint inside the pigs food trough. She started digging through the dry food as she grabbed hold of the gleaming penny. "I found it!" Kim cried out glee, nearly jumping out of her own shoes. "I'm so Lucky!"

      The pigs hardly noticed the small girl's disappearance, they did however notice the dry food raining back down into their troughs.

***

      Cassie came into the pig stall running, neglecting to shut the wooden barn door behind her. The door banged against the wall.

      "Kim where are you!" She cried, tears running down her eyes.

      Cassie looked around, her cousin was nowhere in sight. "This isn't funny Kimmy! Where are you?"

      She stepped around some pigs. They were all gathered up around the trough devouring the last of the dried food inside it. I was there on the ground beneath the pigs feet she spotted a glinting penny.

      "Oh god.." Cassie put her hands to her mouth, nearly ready to vomit. "Kim." She yelled as she started patting down all the pigs with the penny.

***

      Susan had heard the bang of a barn door in the distance. Her father had just dropped her off to play with her friend Cassie. Making her way towards the noise she found her friend Cassie going around the barn hysterically, crying all the while.

      "Cassie!" She went and grabbed her friend in an embrace. She seemed highly unstable, and in a panic.

      "Susan!"

      "Hush Cassie, just cry on my shoulder okay."

***

      Cassie never fully explained to Susan what happened that day. The clues were all their though. Her father had made her, a twelve year old slaughter a pig. Then her uncle whom she liked a lot, and her cousin, vanished without as much as a goodbye. Those were heart crushing events. But Susan never got the full truth, she only made assumptions and allowed Cassie to cry on her shoulder, never asking for a proper explanation.

      Later that day the two girls headed to dinner. Cassie was so upset over the pork roast dinner, she ended up staying over at Susan's instead. Susan could easily understand why. It was awkward for Susan, at some point it seemed like her friend had snapped. She had stopped crying and just gained a wicked smile. Instead of crying into Susan's bosom further, Cassie introduced the Penny's power. Her tears were all gone. And so began Susan's small adventures

To be Continued.