Guided Reading

The children were twins, and Cordera was their cow, old and calm, like a grandmother.

Every day they stayed together in the Somonte meadow, a quiet green place on a hillside.

From there they could see the railway line and

a tall telegraph pole with wires stretching far away.

For Rosa and Peter, those things meant the unknown world, distant and powerful.

Peter sometimes dared to climb the pole, but he knew he should

never touch the porcelain at the top because it was dangerous.

the strange metallic sounds made by the wind.

To her, those sounds were messages traveling to faraway places she would never see.

Cordera paid no attention to the pole or the train.

She was an old cow who knew how to enjoy peace.

She grazed slowly, rested for long hours, and seemed satisfied with her life.

She watched the children quietly while they played around her,

climbing on her back or using her body as a pillow.

She was patient and gentle, and the children loved her deeply.

In difficult times, they took care of Cordera as well as they could.

They led her to good grass and protected her from danger.

Their mother had died years before,

and Cordera had become a dear part of the family.

He was poor and owed money, so he had to sell Cordera to save the family.  

One morning, he took the cow to the market very early

while Rosa and Peter were still asleep.

When they woke up and did not see Cordera, they got scared,

but they hoped she would return.

For several days, Anton tried to sell her for a high price,

hoping no one would buy her. In the end, the debt was too great.

He lowered the price and sold the cow.

The day Cordera was sold, Peter went with his father to the market.

The cow was bought by a man who would send her far away.

That evening, Cordera returned to the stable one last time, already sold.

Rosa cried and hugged her tightly, and Peter stood silent, full of anger and sadness.

for a short distance along the path. At last, they had to stop.

As Cordera disappeared into the night, they heard only

the soft sound of her bell fading away.

The next morning, Rosa and Peter returned to the Somonte meadow.

Without Cordera, it felt empty and lifeless. Suddenly, a train passed.

Through the small windows of a cattle wagon, they thought they saw her.

They shouted goodbye with all their strength.

They were sure she was being taken away to be killed

and become food for people far away.

They hated the train, the railway, and the telegraph wires.

To them, those things were part of a world that took away what they loved.

Peter grew up and was taken by the army to fight in a distant war.

One sad afternoon, Rosa waited alone in the Somonte meadow 

as the train passed again.

This time, she saw her brother among many young men,

shouting goodbye through the noise and smoke.

As the train disappeared, Rosa felt the same pain she had felt

when Cordera was taken.

The world had come again to take what she loved most.

Alone in the meadow, Rosa leaned her head against the telegraph pole.

The wind sang through the wires, and now she understood the sound.

It was not messages or letters. It was a song of loss, separation, and sorrow.