The emotions sweep over him, too, like getting too close to a lightning strike and feeling all your hair stand on end. He tamps down on a sympathetic shiver. Greta, for her part, just luxuriates in getting that itchy spot between her horns scratched properly.

"Oh, yeah, milk's the big reason we got her," he says with a nod. "Well, that and mostly because the Kaspbrak farm was closing down and she needed somewhere to go, so I said I'd take her. She's been living out here ever since even though I only started living out here full time a month ago."

He gives Vickie a curious look. "Was that 'cause the coffee was good or 'cause it was bad?"

It could go either way. The mess tent coffee could qualify as 'something that knocks you on your butt' too.