11-16-2017, 08:46 PM
Life had been simple. Rise before the sun with the cock's crow and greet the man with a soft whinny when he came to let her out to pasture. Dawn was her favorite time of day, the whole world seemed to be yawning and shaking off the sleep of the night before. The chill air and the mist rising over the pasture always exhilarated her after her warm night's sleep in the barn. She would race down the line of the fence and back along the other side in pure elation, shaking her mane against the chill pricking at her skin.
The days passed peacefully. Most spent grazing in her pasture, but sometimes the man would harness her and they would work together in his fields. Some days she would pull a plow, some days it would be a carriage. The work was never difficult and she enjoyed being useful. The man was friendly and gentle, and so she liked him. Occasionally the man would put a seat on her and would ride on her back into a nearby town. She would be tied to a post outside a building larger than her barn with others of her kind for a couple of hours while their men went inside. She and the other horses would catch up while the sounds of laughter and music flowed from the building. She loved the music and would hear it in her mind as she drifted to sleep those nights.
The years passed gently and without much change. The man brought a woman to live with him, and soon there were small children living in the house. She enjoyed the little men, they would come to her barn with her man and help brush her and feed her carrots or apples. As they grew, her man would place them on her back and walk her slowly around the pasture. She was happy to do this, despite their hands gripping her mane a little too tightly. They laughed and the man would smile and this made her glad.
But some nights, after the man and his children had gone inside, she would feel a profound loneliness. Her man had his own family now while she was all alone. The sounds of laughter and talking would reach her stall and she would notice how awfully quiet the barn was. How had she not noticed before? Still, her life was good - she couldn't be happier, could she?
And then one morning, after her man had let her out to pasture as he always did, she noticed that a tree had fallen the night before across the fence in a far corner of her field. The entire panel of fencing had fallen with it and lie, useless, on the wet ground. She stood motionless for more than a few minutes - contemplating her options. Eventually, curiosity got the best of her and she decided to just take a quick walk around and return before the man was finished with his daily work. Her skin prickled as she stepped over the fence and into the unknown. The adrenaline of her unexpected bravery washed over her and she whinnied, bucked and took off in a gallop, enjoying the first taste of real freedom she had ever had.
She saw so much more of the countryside than she had previously. She ventured past other farms, by small towns like the one she had frequented with her man. She went over large hills and through creeks and around ponds. There was so much world out here to see, to smell, to experience... it began to feel a little overwhelming. As the sun began to descend in the sky, she turned and decided that it was best to start her journey back to her pasture. But as she walked, clouds formed overhead and a mist settled around her. The elation of the adventure turned into a sour feeling in her stomach as she realized she could not see any familiar sights, or smell any known scents. Her best bet was to just keep heading in the direction that seemed like it led to home.
She walked for what felt like hours, the mist around her so thick that she could see nothing but a few feet in front of her. The sour feeling in her stomach spread into an immense sense of dread as the minutes passed her by. She couldn't help but realize that her man would know of her disappearance by now. The thought made tears well up in her eyes - how could she have been so frivolous when he had always been so kind to her? What if she never made it home? Who would help the man with his farm?
Exhausted and saddened, she barely noticed the sun rising and burning off the mists around her. When she finally looked up through teary and sleep-filled eyes she was in a place she had no knowledge of, but she could see other horses all around her. There was no sign of danger, and all of the horses seemed to be engaged with one another - none seemed to notice her sudden appearance. Too tired to try to seek one of them out, she decides to graze and try to regain some strength. This place seemed safe enough, perhaps after some rest she would be able to set out again to try to make it back home.
The days passed peacefully. Most spent grazing in her pasture, but sometimes the man would harness her and they would work together in his fields. Some days she would pull a plow, some days it would be a carriage. The work was never difficult and she enjoyed being useful. The man was friendly and gentle, and so she liked him. Occasionally the man would put a seat on her and would ride on her back into a nearby town. She would be tied to a post outside a building larger than her barn with others of her kind for a couple of hours while their men went inside. She and the other horses would catch up while the sounds of laughter and music flowed from the building. She loved the music and would hear it in her mind as she drifted to sleep those nights.
The years passed gently and without much change. The man brought a woman to live with him, and soon there were small children living in the house. She enjoyed the little men, they would come to her barn with her man and help brush her and feed her carrots or apples. As they grew, her man would place them on her back and walk her slowly around the pasture. She was happy to do this, despite their hands gripping her mane a little too tightly. They laughed and the man would smile and this made her glad.
But some nights, after the man and his children had gone inside, she would feel a profound loneliness. Her man had his own family now while she was all alone. The sounds of laughter and talking would reach her stall and she would notice how awfully quiet the barn was. How had she not noticed before? Still, her life was good - she couldn't be happier, could she?
And then one morning, after her man had let her out to pasture as he always did, she noticed that a tree had fallen the night before across the fence in a far corner of her field. The entire panel of fencing had fallen with it and lie, useless, on the wet ground. She stood motionless for more than a few minutes - contemplating her options. Eventually, curiosity got the best of her and she decided to just take a quick walk around and return before the man was finished with his daily work. Her skin prickled as she stepped over the fence and into the unknown. The adrenaline of her unexpected bravery washed over her and she whinnied, bucked and took off in a gallop, enjoying the first taste of real freedom she had ever had.
She saw so much more of the countryside than she had previously. She ventured past other farms, by small towns like the one she had frequented with her man. She went over large hills and through creeks and around ponds. There was so much world out here to see, to smell, to experience... it began to feel a little overwhelming. As the sun began to descend in the sky, she turned and decided that it was best to start her journey back to her pasture. But as she walked, clouds formed overhead and a mist settled around her. The elation of the adventure turned into a sour feeling in her stomach as she realized she could not see any familiar sights, or smell any known scents. Her best bet was to just keep heading in the direction that seemed like it led to home.
She walked for what felt like hours, the mist around her so thick that she could see nothing but a few feet in front of her. The sour feeling in her stomach spread into an immense sense of dread as the minutes passed her by. She couldn't help but realize that her man would know of her disappearance by now. The thought made tears well up in her eyes - how could she have been so frivolous when he had always been so kind to her? What if she never made it home? Who would help the man with his farm?
Exhausted and saddened, she barely noticed the sun rising and burning off the mists around her. When she finally looked up through teary and sleep-filled eyes she was in a place she had no knowledge of, but she could see other horses all around her. There was no sign of danger, and all of the horses seemed to be engaged with one another - none seemed to notice her sudden appearance. Too tired to try to seek one of them out, she decides to graze and try to regain some strength. This place seemed safe enough, perhaps after some rest she would be able to set out again to try to make it back home.