by Violet Inkpen, age 13

Allison Monroe wheeled around. Her long blond ponytail flew over her shoulders. “WHAT?” she shouted in disgust. Her green eyes grew wide and the charm bracelet on her wrist jingled. “You can’t be serious!” she screamed.

Her grandfather and her dad exchanged a glance. “I am sorry Allie, but your mom and I have to go away for a week and your grandfather has to take the cows on the cattle drive to higher ground. It’s just for a week Allie, and I promise you’ll be home soon. When we get back we’ll take you to the community pool.” Her dad reached over and patted her head. “You may even have fun. After all, you are only twelve and you never smile anymore,” he said with a sigh. Turning, he opened his car door and climbed in the driver’s seat. Allison watched the car drive away.

“Well kiddo, let’s get you a backpack to put your things in and then find you some boots. Can’t ride a horse in those fancy shoes of yours,” he said pointing to her white sandals.

Allison looked down at them and admired her beautiful pink skirt. She loved the way it flowed around her. “A horse?” she asked nervously. She held her hands together and looked at her birthstone ring on her left hand.

“Yup, they are all wonderful. The best trained horses around. I picked out Pickles for you. He’s a pony so you shouldn’t have too much trouble mounting. Well let’s get you dressed in some real clothes.”

Grandpa put his arm around Allison’s shoulders and led her towards the house. Allison groaned. “These are real clothes Grandpa!” she snapped.

“Sure are, but you can’t do no work in those,” Grandpa chuckled.

“Work?” Allison squeaked.

An hour later Allison was dressed in her worst nightmare—one of her grandma’s shirts and an old pair of jeans that used to belong to her mother. “Sorry Allie, but you didn’t bring any working clothes. We had to substitute. So let’s get packing you something to take on the cattle drive.”

Allison watched Grandpa leave the room. She sighed in anger. Why? Horses? Work? A cattle drive? She shivered in disgust and opened her cell phone. “Can’t believe I am here!” she texted to her best friend.

“U R so unlucky!” her friend texted back.

“I know!” she replied.

“Horses? Yuck!” her friend sent.

Allison sat down on the bed and looked at her phone. “It is awful!” she typed.

“G2G shopping,” her friend texted back.

Allison sighed again and closed her phone. She wanted to cry!

* * * * * * * * * *

The next day Allison was on the spotted and speckled pony called Pickles. She had a riding lesson the previous day and was somewhat able to ride. “Ready to go?” her grandma asked, flashing her a smile.

She was riding in the truck to bring the supplies. Three other men were going along to help herd the cattle. They were her grandpa’s hired help. There was Max, Jim, and Bobby. “Okay Max, open the gate!” grandpa called from the pasture.

Allison held tight to the reins. “Get ready,” Max called. He flung opened the gate and the men started herding the cattle.

Allison’s eyes grew wide when thousands of pounds of hamburgers came running towards her. “Help,” she whispered. Pickles flattened his ears and backed away. He sensed her fear.

“Come on Allie, straighten up!” grandma called. Allison kicked Pickles into action, unsure what to do. She just rode beside some of the cattle.

“If any try to get away we cut ‘em off,” Bobby said, riding beside her. They were all going at a fast walk, not wanting to startle the cow. Grandpa was at the back herding some and the other men were scattered around the herd. Grandma followed in the truck.

“Why do we move the cattle?” she asked Bobby.

“To get them to new grazing grounds. We move them twice a year,” he said looking at her a long time. “You never been round here before? But you are Karen’s daughter? I am sort of shocked. Karen was…in love with this place,” he said, a far off look in his eyes.

Allison growled in frustration. “I am NOT my mom! I am me! And I don’t like smelly horses or cattle or dirty mountains! I like the mall, I like my phone, and I love to swim,” she said.

Bobby shrugged. “Just thought her daughter would love it as much as she—”

“I may be her daughter but I want nothing to do with her dreams,” Allison snapped. She pulled sharply on the reins and steered Pickles away from the man. Pickles snorted in pain. This girl was clueless!

Allison was finally allowed down from the saddle. She swung her leg over and tried to dismount slowly, but she fell to the ground with a sharp yelp. Pickles flicked his tail and walked away with his head down to graze by the cattle. The family dog, Sadie, was circling the herd, keeping them all together. She was a chocolate lab who was trained to be a cattle dog. It was fun to watch, but Allison was so embarrassed, angry, and saddle sore that she didn’t take any pleasure in it. She sat down by the fire with her grandparents and their help.

“Here is some for you Allison.” Grandma handed her mashed potatoes and pork.

“Thanks,” she muttered. Allison pulled out her cell phone and began texting while the adults talked.

“…be high enough for them? Summer came pretty fast and after the storm I dunno if the grass will be enough,” Bobby said, taking a big mouthful of food.

“I checked it out last week. It will be enough. The calves will grow fat on it. Some more will give birth soon too….”

Allison rolled her eyes and stood. She took her food into her tent and sat down to eat alone.

“Worst day ever,” she texted.

“I just bought a skirt. Talk about cute,” her friend replied.

“I could just punch you!” Allison typed back.

“LOL!” was the answer.

Allison sighed and rolled her eyes. Again. “My nails are chipping! The pink paint is wearing off,” she texted back.

“Yikes! Sorry to hear that,” her friend texed back.

“Suuurrreee.” Allison said to herself. She put her phone away and finished eating her meal before going to bed.

* * * * * * * * * *

Two days later Allison was riding Pickles when a young calf broke away. “Get it Allie!” Grandpa called. Allison kicked Pickles into action. The expert pony cut the cow off and brought it back. Allison felt proud after that. When it happened again she tried to take charge of Pickles and yanked too hard on the reins. Pickles reared in pain and screamed, bucking her off.

Allison shouted in fear and fell off the pony, then went rolling down a hill into the woods. The fall was painful and when she came to a stop her head ached. “Allison!” Her grandpa shouted.

Allison moaned in response. She slowly stood and began walking towards what she thought was the hill, but she was dizzy and really stumbled into the woods. “I’m coming!” she shouted, blinking. She was growing confused. She hit her head pretty hard. Finally she sat down on the ground and cried. Where was she?

The day grew dark and she didn’t know how much time had passed. She heard distant voices searching for her. She just knew that she wanted to rest.

Finally she felt better, but it was very late and the voices were long gone. She stood and looked around. Suddenly a snort made her heart beat faster. “Pickles!” she shouted in joy. But it wasn’t Pickles. It was a mustang. It stood higher than her, with her head only at its shoulder. Its coat was caked in mud and its mane was tangled, but it was still an amazing beauty of a creature. Its eyes were a soft brown and they stared into Allison’s with a sense of calm. The horse looked to be a Cherry Bay underneath all the dirt and grime.

The horse snorted and bobbed it’s head. “Hi…..girl. Or boy,” Allison said, nervously backing away. The horse was in fact a young stallion who was kicked out of his herd because he was becoming a threat to the leader. The two creatures stared into each others’ eyes, both unsure of the others’ intentions. Allison was trying to keep cool. She wished she was in her room or somewhere else. She wished she had her mother’s horse sense. “Remember, he’s afraid of anything that seems dangerous and he’ll want to run. You keep him under control, you be the boss. And try to keep him calm. Horses are prey animals.” she remembered her grandpa telling her just the other day.

“You’re afraid,” she whispered. The horse pinned back it’s ears and stared at her in alarm. “Me too,” Allison sighed. She slowly backed away. The horse’s ears tipped towards her.

Allison’s heart raced. Would this horse be vicious? Would it kill her? Attack her? Hurt her? The horse seemed to pick up on her fear because he seemed less afraid himself. Allison slowly held out her hand. The horse shook his mane and rolled his eyes white, still cautious. Suddenly Allison remembered the carrots she had in her pocket. She thought it was easier to catch the horses if you gave them a treat so she carried them around (much to her dismay at how dirty she was being).

Allison slowly pulled one out and offered it to the horse. The stallion couldn’t resist the smell. He leaned his head closer and took a big sniff then lipped it up. Allison relaxed and closed her eyes. Well, she felt safer, but there was still the problem of getting back to the humans. Allison sat down on the ground and gave a snort of disgust. “This is so dirty! I can’t believe I am doing it,” she muttered. She opened up her cell phone and tried to call her Grandma. It rang loudly and the horse screamed in fear, flattened his ears, and bolted to the side. Allison jumped to her feet in alarm and held her hands in front of her face, dropping her cell phone and stepping back. She suddenly heard a sickening crunching sound.

“No!” she gasped, her hands flew to cover her mouth from screaming. The stallion circled back at a trot, dipping his head and rolling his eyes. Allison wanted to cry. In fact, a silver tear fell down her cheek. She slid her hands up her face and covered her eyes. Slowly she slid back to the ground and leaned against a tree. “Why me? Why me?” she whispered and mumbled, rocking back and forth.

The horse stopped and sniffed her hair. “Get away!” she screamed, waving her hands and jumping to her feet. The stallion took a step back and whinnied in surprise. “Yeah, you got it buster! I hate horses! And I especially hate YOU!” She pointed her finger and shook it in his face. The stallion pinned his ears back and took a step away from her. “Get!” Allison shouted. The horse slowly walked away.

Allison turned around and around looking up at the treetops. ‘HELLLLLPPPP! SOMEONE! I’M HERE! HELP!” she shouted. No one answered.

Allison finally gathered as many soft and fuzzy leaves as she could find and made herself a bed of sorts on the ground. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep but the tears came and she cried all night.

By morning Allison’s face was red and her throat ached. But that wasn’t all. She accidentally picked Poison Ivy and now her whole left arm was itchy and spotted. “No! No! No! oh!” she moaned. Getting to her feet she looked around. To her left, the stallion was back. He was chewing on carrots that he had taken from her pocket. “Hey! What about me? What am I supposed to eat? Thief!” she screeched, picking up stones and throwing them in anger at the horse. The stallion just flicked his tail and took three steps forward, head down and mouth chewing on the carrots. Allison growled in anger. “I need water! This arm is awful!” she whimpered.

The stallion lifted his head and stared into her eyes with an unblinking gaze. “Why do you torment me?” She growled in frustration. The stallion’s eyes twinkled in amusement and he trotted towards her, bobbing his head, circled her twice, then began moving in another direction. Allison crossed her arms, careful to keep the poison on one arm off of her other. The stallion trotted towards her again and tugged on her shirt, then trotted away again in the same direction as before.

“I DON’T WANT TO PLAY AND I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! LEAVE!” she shouted, running towards him and waving her arms. The stallion trotted a few spaces in the direction he had been going. Allison ran towards him still and he led her away, stopping every few inches to make sure she kept following him. Finally after ten minutes, the stallion trotted away from her and didn’t stop. Allison blew through her lips and looked around. Her eyes lit up when she spotted it — a creek. “Wow! Water!….” she gasped in delight and sat down by it. She began washing her face, her arm, and drinking.

Finally she was done. She got up and looked around. “I need to get home! I hate the wild!” she huffed, out of tears. Allison took slow steps, trying not to dirty her shoes anymore than she had to. Despite the fact they were boots, she hated being dirty. She touched her head and nearly passed out. Leaves and twigs and maybe a few bugs were tangles in with her once beautiful and flowing hair. She felt so frustrated. And on top of that her arm ached! “Cursed horses! Stupid cows! If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be here!” she huffed. The horse peeked his nose out from a thick clump of tall grass and bushes to the left. Allison didn’t notice. The stallion watched her for a long time then vanished into the weeds again.

The sun began to set and Allison still didn’t know what to do. Her family was looking for her so she thought she better not move. Besides, the water was good for her so she’d just stay there and wait for them. But the horse kept coming back. As she was lying on the makeshift bed of leaves and moss she wondered why he kept coming back if she was so mean to him. What did he want with her? Weren’t horses supposed to live in families? Why didn’t he?

The night came into full swing with crickets chirping and mosquitoes buzzing around her. Allison settled down and wished in her heart that she had someone to talk to. Talking to herself was too silly and too low of a level for her to stoop to. And out of nowhere there came the stallion. He nickered in greeting and walked up to the place where she was lying. Allison looked up. “What do you want?” she sneered. The horse just blinked in a friendly way and stood beside her.

When Allison awoke the stallion was there, looking around and pointing his ears in a direction. Allison stood and patted his neck. He guarded her last night! Then she gasped. He was staring at a poisonous snake! Fear griped her heart like icy fingers. The stallion tossed his head and snorted, pawing the ground. Slowly Allison moved backwards. The stallion tossed his head again and pinned his ears back, challenging the snake. The snake hissed and uncoiled, swinging his head from side to side gently. Allison, meanwhile, had picked up a large stick and moved to hit the snake with it. The snake sprang out, grabbed on to the stick, and began climbing towards her. Allison threw the stick but the snake was moving towards her feet. He coiled up and hissed, flashing his fangs. He was about to strike. His rattle was going double time. Allison was trapped in her own fear and couldn’t move. Even if she did, she wouldn’t have been fast enough.

Then the snake lashed out but just before he could hook onto her leg his head was forced to the ground and smashed. Allison looked up and saw the stallion standing on the snake’s head, flicking his tail and snorting. Tears choked her. This horse saved her life! How could she still hate him? Allison rubbed her shoulders with her hands, trying to get her goose bumps to leave her. She wasn’t cold but she was shivering all the same. The stallion pranced a few steps away, tossing his head, quite proud of himself.

Allison wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. She walked up to the stallion and leaned against his shoulder, stroking his mane. “Thank you,” she whispered. The stallion stood still and looked into her eyes. He seemed to tell her she was welcome. The two stared at each other for a while then the stallion sniffed the air and flicked his ears in one direction, then shook his mane and walked off. Allison wanted to follow, but he charged into a gallop and left her behind. Allison’s stomach growled in hunger. She sat down and moaned.

An hour later the stallion came back and looked at her. He playfully pulled at her hair then trotted a few steps away. Allison followed, laughing. The stallion led her a few more feet then stood still and looked at her. “What?” Allison asked. The stallion pawed the ground and pointed his nose in the direction he had gone earlier. Allison grabbed a handful of mane to walk beside him but he didn’t move. He bent down on his front legs and looked at her.

Allison felt her old friend, fear, visiting her again. “No, I can’t ride a mustang!” she said, backing away. The stallion tossed his head and nickered. Allison looked away. “I can’t. I don’t have enough faith,” she whispered. The stallion made a sound that sounded like a huff of frustration. He nickered again, his eyes pleading.

Looking into those eyes, Allison slowly grabbed a handful of mane and swung herself onto his back. “Ouch! You hurt!” she complained, never riding bareback before. The stallion took off at a mad gallop, leaving Allison screaming and crying. She bent down and wrapped her arms around his neck, shedding tears of fear into his mane. The stallion picked up his pace, racing towards his destination.

Allison didn’t look up. She wanted the ride to end. Never before had she felt so afraid and yet thrilled at the same time. She almost felt like the mustang herself. Although she knew it was silly and she’d NEVER tell anyone about this! It would be the fastest way to ruin her image at school! Did she care anymore about that? Yup, she still cared. Finally the stallion stopped and looked at her, wanting her off. Allison slid down with more grace than usual. She patted his neck, but he rolled his eyes and pinned his ears and backed away, snapping his teeth.

Allison was confused. “What is wrong boy?” she asked. He bobbed his head and galloped away. Allison looked around. Why did she trust him? She’d never get home now!

“ALLISON!” Someone called from a distance.

The voice was faint, but it was all Allison needed. “I’M HERE! HERE! HEEEEERRRRREEEE!” she screamed. She saw three figures on horses galloping at top speed towards her. She began jumping and waving her arms. “HERE!” Tears of joy began to spill from her eyes. She was being rescued!

When Allison went home she never forgot the stallion but she never told anyone either. Despite the new love and respect she had for all horses, she wanted the stallion to remain secret, a special miracle that only she knew about. She didn’t want anyone to know about that stallion and go look for him. She wanted him to be safe.

When she grew up she rode a horse back to the spot and found the stallion, older, but with his own herd and his own children. Allison sat back in her saddle and watched. The stallion looked at her and nickered a greeting, but that was it. He then paid her no more attention and Allison was fine with it. She took a few pictures with her cameras to remember it forever. Then she sighed and turned for home. This stallion saved her life. Now she would save his by leaving him alone.