by Gabrielle, age 15

A hurricane was coming!

I ran towards the paddock to get Lavish. I had to get him and My Shine to safety. When I got there, my blue roan gelding had disappeared. I whirled around. “Lavish!” No answer.

I ran into the barn. From the darkness, My Shine nickered worriedly. I grabbed her halter and pulled her out of her stall. We both ran outside into the rain. Mom was standing on the back porch. Denna, Jeana, and Dad were waiting. “Annie, come on!”

“I have to find Lavish!” I cried. Dad bolted towards me. “Annie, no!”

I jumped on My Shine’s back and kicked her into a gallop. The rain was pouring and the wind whipped at us. Somewhere out there was Lavish. “Run, Shine, run!” I urged her forward.

My Shine nickered again. The slick ground made her stumble. I clutched her mane and steadied both her and myself. My Shine threw up her head and neighed shrilly. Still, there was no answer.

* * * * * * * * * *

Water swirled angrily around My Shine’s hocks, making her prance nervously. I rubbed her neck, trying to see through the rain. “It’s just rain, My Shine,” I whispered hoarsely. We’d searched everywhere but the swamp.

We sloshed through the water. As we went, the water turned from frothy gray to mucky green. My heart leapt into my throat as a dead snake floated by on the water surface. My Shine shied, throwing up a small wave of water. I grabbed her neck to save myself.

My Shine went down to her knees, snorting water up her nose and into her eyes. I screamed.

“My Shine,” I cried. My Shine lifted her head from under the water but couldn’t stand. I pulled her head onto my lap and held her. “I’m not going leave.” The water was rising. Where was Lavish? And how was I going to get My Shine to safety?

The water was less than an inch below My Shine’s nose, and I couldn’t hold her head any higher. My arms burned from the strain.

My Shine struggled to get to her feet. I pulled upwards despite the searing pain in my muscles. “Please, Shine, get up!” I cried. With a powerful thrust of her back legs, My Shine got to her feet. But with a squeal of pain, she refused to move. The water was brushing her belly.

“I have to find Lavish, girl,” I said, hugging her wet neck. “I’ll be back, I swear.” I turned and ran towards the swamp.

The swirling mud sucked at my legs. The water level was still rising. I was terrified for Lavish.

I struggled to keep going. “Lavish! Lavish, where are you?” I stopped to catch my breath. The water was up to mid-thigh and rising even faster than before.

I heard a neigh and whirled around. Lavish was cantering towards me through the water, his dark eyes rolling wildly. I sloshed towards him. When I was close enough to grab his halter, Lavish whirled and galloped several steps away. I glared at him.

Lavish whickered invitingly and galloped a few more steps. He turned and looked at me over his shoulder, inviting me to follow. I started running after him, slipping and sliding. “Wait for me, Lavish,” I panted.

“Help me, somebody!”

I ran toward the voice. “Hello?”

“Over here!”

I reached a toppled tree. Trapped under the gnarled roots was a little girl, holding a mewing kitten. I splashed toward her. “Hold on, I’ll get you,” I promised. “Uh, what’s your name?”

“Rosa,” she breathed.

I grabbed a small root and pulled. It didn’t budge. Rosa would drown if I didn’t get her out of there.

A wooden plank floated by. I grabbed it, my brain in overdrive. I pushed it under a thick mass of tree. “C’mon Lavish.” I pulled him forward and urged him to step onto the plank’s other end. Lavish stepped onto it without hesitation. The tree lifted slowly, the wet wood groaning. Rosa scrambled out, still holding onto the kitten.

Lavish stepped down and the tree thudded back. The water was up to my waist. I needed to get back to My Shine. “Ever ridden a horse?” I asked. Rosa nodded.

I put her on Lavish’s back. “We have to gallop. I have to get back to my horse.” I jumped up behind her, dug my heels into Lavish’s sides and we took off.

Rosa was limp and nearly unconscious when we got to Shine. I was scared and Lavish knew it. But he remained calm and confident, even where we were forced to swim the last hundred yards to Shine’s side.

Lavish was exhausted and I knew he couldn’t carry Rosa and me any farther. I jumped off his back and went to Shine. “I know you’re hurting, Shine, but you’ve got to take us.”

I dragged Rosa’s dead weight off of Lavish and pushed her onto Shine. Shine staggered then stood still. Rosa moaned, “–blood sugar–too low.”

She was going into a diabetic coma!

I slapped Shine’s rump. She leaped into the deeper water and started swimming. Lavish and I followed.

I saw an ambulance parked outside the house, and the vet’s car. The water was only ankle deep. Shine’s leg was swollen to twice its normal size. Lavish’s eyes were glazed.

“Mom!” I yelled. Shine stumbled, collapsed. Lavish whinnied weakly and dropped beside his stable mate. They’d done all they could. I grabbed Rosa under her shoulders and ran towards the house.

* * * * * * * * * *

My Shine had a hairline fracture and Lavish colicked so fiercely he nearly died. Mom and Dad agreed to pay for Shine’s surgery because of her and Lavish’s dramatic rescue. Some people said they were heroes; some said it was just instincts.

I’ll never know what was going on in Shine and Lavish’s heads that afternoon but I learned something from them. Never be afraid, and never give up. But I think only a horse can do that.