A Horse Story - Silver Mist
November 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment
The mare reared and showed the whites of her eyes. I sat in the saddle on Fig watching the men chase her down to the river. I was terrified for the young mare; I could tell she was about two or three. I kicked my heels into Fig’s side and galloped towards the river. Over the hillside I could see that the men had trapped her. The vague outline of the silver mare desperately tried to find a way out. I could see that the men where closing in on her. I knew I had to help her escape!
I breathed a sigh of relief as the mare jumped to the safety of the other side. I snuck into the safety of the forest to get a better look. I knew that these men where trying to capture the mare because of her beauty to sell her, but she was wild and I planned to keep her wild. The mare was a few ft. away from me and fig. I grabbed an apple from my saddlebag and coaxed the mare with it.
She sniffed the air and followed me I held my breath as the mare came around the huge boulder. I gave her the apple and tied a rope around her neck and tied the other end to the horn of the saddle. I was going to take her to my father’s ranch a few miles away and keep her there till the new settlers went back to Texas. I held out another apple for the mare she sniffed it then took it. I heard the men shouting.
“Where’d she go, you were supposed to watch her!” I heard. The men started cursing words at each other. One man shouted and pointed to where I was. “There, on the hillside, a girl and the horse!” The one shouted. I saw fear in the mare”s eyes as the men mounted their horses and started galloping towards us. I dug my heels into Fig’s side he started to gallop and the mare found his stride and we galloped on.
“Get them, they’re getting away!!!!” The men shouted I saw the run down barn that once was an incredible successful stable. I hurried the horses in. The stalls were cracked but I figured it would have to do till the men cleared off.
I took off all the tack and cooled the horses down before putting them into their stalls. I laid some dusty saw dust in their stalls too. I laid my head against the mare inhaling the beautiful smell of horses. I sighed.
“You should have a name, something that suits you well.” She looked misty and silver.
“What about, Silver Mist, Silver Mist,” I said, testing the word on my tongue.
I explored around the little stable there was an old room full of grain, oats, hay, molasses, and some rotten apples and carrots, there was a rusty water pump with a bunch of faded buckets laid in one corner of the room.
Except for the rotten fruit, everything else seemed to be okay to feed the horses. I made a mash from the fruit in my saddle pack, some molasses, oats and grain, and a little bit of water.
I went back to were the horses where, they were smelling each other, I emptied the buckets of mash into the horse’s trough and put some water into the other trough.
There was a tack room and some shelves that probably once held trophies and pictures, there was an old box of tack cleaner and a yellow sponge that had holes in it like cheese. I looked at the nameplate for the tack. I saw Windy Breeze.
I peered into a room full of faded blankets and a bathroom that was farley clean surprisingly.
They’re was a small room down the hall that was filled with shelves of currycombs, sponges, sweat scrapers, and towels, I examined them and took the least dirty one’s back to the horses who had just finished their mash.
I started grooming them slowly and carefully running my fingers through their manes.
We would have to stay here over night. I pulled three bales of hay from the loft and laid a blanket over them; I folded one blanket into a pillow and pulled out another blanket for my cover. I peered out of the stable the men where still trying to find us.
Nightfall was approaching I laid two blankets each for the horses and gave them another drink of water and an apple from my pack too.
“Goodnight sleep tight.” I said before lying down on my hay bale blanket substitute bed.
Part Two - Silver Mist
A thin line of sunshine peeked out from behind the tall trees. I yawned and rolled over in my hay bale bed.
Expecting to feel myself roll over on my nice comfy mattress I felt myself roll on hay. I shot up, and then I remembered I wasn’t anywhere near home, home was a long way from here. I rolled over to make sure the horses were okay both of them were laying down. I sighed and dangled my legs over my bed.
I started making breakfast for the horses. My own stomach rumbled looking at the apples. I bit into one and enjoyed my small breakfast while measuring grain and a handful of oats for the horses. I carried the grain and oats to the horses and dumped some into each of their troughs. They awakened when I poured water in their water troughs and happily stood up happy, that breakfast was already made.
I rubbed Silver Mist’s forelock and kissed her on her cheek. “You are a wild beauty” I told her happily I rubbed fig and said “You are my horse.” I yawned and carried my tack to the tack room and started cleaning the tack for returning to home and settling Silver Mist in her new home till the men from Texas cleared out.
After the horses finished their breakfast I tacked them up carefully tying the rope around Silver Mist’s neck gently and securing it to the horn of Fig’s saddle. I mounted fig with the help of the steps and coaxed Silver Mist out of the stall with an apple. When we were out of the barn I checked to make sure that the men were gone, they where. I cantered and when Silver Mist found Fig’s beat we galloped. I decided we should take a break.
I found a nice area with a pond and a large shady tree to sit under, I tied Fig to a large stump, I ran my fingers over Silver Mist’s elegant white neck cascading them up and down like water running on Silver Mist’s neck.
I suddenly got an idea! I bet I could ride Silver Mist, In one swift movement I boosted myself up on the wild mare. I held my breath while Silver Mist got used to having someone on her back. I urged her to walk. She started galloping! Faster and faster we sped like a bullet, we turned sharply she ran straight for the ditch with a wide pit at the bottom with jagged rocks. I screamed and tried yanking back Silver Mist, It was no use she jumped, we soared like an eagle over the canyon. She cleared the pit with inches to spare.
Fig looked up from his sweet clover and gave me a confused look that looked like hey how did you get over there! I laughed, and Silver Mist and I found a way around the ditch. When we had rested long enough, I decided that I wanted to ride Silver Mist to my father’s stables called Mockingbird Stables. I mounted Silver Mist we trotted over the rocky terrain and galloped over the grassy field that led to Mockingbird Stables.
A chestnut brown stable came into view. We galloped faster, I saw a face appear in a window my sister Martha smiled and ran from the window. A second later the door burst open and my family poured out.
“Where’ve you been, we were so worried!!!!” My mom and dad said in unison.
“Sorry,” I said.
“Where’d you get the pretty mare?” Martha asked pointing towards Silver Mist who was nuzzling my arm. I laughed.
“This is Silver Mist,” I said.
“Oh, the one that the men from Texas where chasing.” I nodded. Martha continued “They left at 8:00 in the morning today.”
“Oh,” I said startled.
“You didn’t know Lilly?” I shook my head.
“Lets get inside.” Mom said.
“I want to stay out a few minutes.” I insisted.” They nodded.
When they left I unclipped Silver Mist’s reins that I used to ride with. I then unclipped Fig’s tack and set it on the ground. He looked puzzled. I smiled. “Take care of her Fig, but promise me that you will both come back to me and visit” I said. I let them go. I knew Fig understood he was going to take care of Silver Mist for me. They galloped up the hill they looked back and reared in unison. I sucked in my breath as the horizon shone orange between them. They promised that they would come back, I knew it!
The End
© 2007 Alexandra McDaniel
