by Connie Foss
“No way will we forget it! This was no accident or engine failure. The mechanic found that someone had added water to the gasoline.”
“You’re kidding? Who would do such a thing? That’s cruel, especially since the truck was to haul a trailer full of horses. Are you sure it couldn’t have happened by itself…condensation or something? I know. Sometimes those underground gasoline storage tanks get water
station.” Meg wasn’t ready to look for someone to blame. “It was a lot more water than a few drops…maybe a cup or two
full. The mechanic said it had to have been done deliberately. There’s only one person who could have done it, and that’s Gordy. He’s out of jail now, and he’s just the type to go for revenge. No way am I going to
chalk this up to experience!”
The next day as Meg, Lilly and Bill are busy getting all of us ready
for our various classes, there is a shout from down the aisle. “Hey,
Chocolate Farm. Good to see you.”
“Milt?” Meg squealed. She drops the brush and hurries to give
him a hug.“I wasn’t expecting to see you here, Milt, but it’s so good.You
haven’t met Bill or Lilly, so here they are,” and she gestures to Bill and
Lilly, who have come to see what the commotion is.
“Glad to meet you, Milt. I feel as though I already know you from
what Meg has told me, and talking with you on the phone. Nice to see
you in person,” and Bill shakes Milt’s hand.
Lilly doesn’t wait for her turn, instead she’s come to get me.
As she leads me out of the stall she says,“Here’s the big guy, Milt. He’s
looking pretty good, isn’t he? We were so sad about Annie’s and his
baby not making it, but Annie is working on another one.” With a twinkle in his eye, Milt says,“You’re pretty sharp, Lilly, to
know that I really came over to see him, not you two-legged creatures.”
He’s giving me a good rub, and he knows just the places that feel the
best. I like Milt. I wish Annie were here to see him, too.
“If you’re still here this evening, Milt, would you go to dinner
with us? It’ll have to be after the evening classes…pretty late.” “No, Meg. I thank you for the invitation, but I like to get these old
bones horizontal before most people even notice it’s dark. I’ll probably
see you again, but do tell Annie hi for me.”
Chapter Twenty-Five:
Enough Is Enough
The show went pretty well, with lots of blue, red and yellow ribbons. But the best thing that happened at the show, other than seeing Milt again, was what Lilly found. It was the last morning of the show,
Being a Western Pleasure horse, he’s supposed to be very calm, but sometimes at shows he gets pretty uptight. He told me once that he is never relaxed when he’s not at home. By having a leisurely ride in the
afternoon.
“Hey, guys, look what I found,” she chirps as she and Geoffrey
trot back to our aisle of the barn.There, snuggled in the crook of her
right arm, is a little black and white puppy. It doesn’t look very old and
it certainly is small. It may be about the size Elliott used to be, but it’s
black ears and a short black tail.
“Oh, how cute! Come here, you little snuggle puppy,” Meg
croons as she takes the puppy while Lilly dismounts. “Lilly, you know
you can’t keep it, for it surely belongs to someone here at the show. It
just wandered off and got lost, don’t you think?”
found a puppy.Anyone trying to claim the puppy must describe it before I’ll give it to them.” Obviously Lilly wants to keep it, but she’s being fair. I know if I were lost, I’d want my family to get me back, but anyone seeing this little bundle of fun would want it.
As it turned out, no one claimed Ezekiel. Yes, that’s his name, and he’s learning to come when he’s called. He comes to work each day with Lilly and spends the day in the stable with us, which is pretty tricky, for he’s about the size of one of my hooves. It wouldn’t take much to turn him into a pancake.Thank goodness he’s learning that it’s up to him to stay out of the way. Since Lilly takes him home in the evening, her little Robin calls him her dog.
I just got back from some free time in the exercise lot. It’s a beautiful early fall day, and I enjoyed the smell of wet leaves after yesterday’s rain. Now I think a little snooze might be good, but there’s something tickling my foot. Looking down I see Ezekiel curling up by my foot.“Hey, little guy, what are you up to?”
“Hi, Bubba, it’s time for my morning nap, and I thought maybe you’re ready for one, too. I’d really like it if I can sleep with you.There are so many little owlets around, who don’t know I’m not a rat, that I have to keep my guard up. I run for cover a lot. But when I’m asleep, I can’t. So could I sleep with you? They know you’ll protect me.”
“No problem, Zeke, just curl up down there and we’ll have us a snooze.”
As I settle down, I think there can be too much of a good thing, and that’s what the owlets are proving. All six of Princess Polly’s eggs
bombed constantly. When one lit on Percy’s head, you would have thought it was the tornado all over again for Percy went ballistic. But enough is enough, and I feel sorry Ezekiel is being attacked. It makes you wonder what Mr. O thinks about his offspring turning the stable into a bombing target.After my nap, I think I’ll ask him.
“Zeke, are you awake? I’m going to wake Mr. O and talk to him about his family. It’d be good if you’d come with me. Deal?”
Usually I don’t do this, but today will go much better if I do.That is, unlatch my stall door. I only do it when it’s necessary. And I think freeing the stable from owlets is necessary.
“You there, Zeke?”
“Right on your heels, Bubba,” he squeaked. He called that correctly, for I can feel his breath on my heel every step.
“Where you two going?” Percy nickered.“Can I come too?”
“No, Percy, we’ll handle this.We’re going to present a challenge
it’s time the owlets moved out. Mr. O needs to know his kids are out of control.”
“Go for it, Bubba. I’ll root for you.”
As Zeke and I continue down the aisle toward Mr. O’s rafter,
every one of the horses joins the cheering squad. By the time we get close, the stable is full of supporting voices, enough so that when Zeke and I have our talk with Mr. O, Meg comes running.
“What is going on in here, guys? Why the ruckus? Oh, it’s you, Bubba, out of your stall again, huh? Well, Mister, I will just have to put you back. Follow me.”
Of course I do, but at the sound of her voice, Zeke runs and hides behind a hay bale in the aisle. He knows anger like that might
than her bite.
When we’re all fed and lights are out, Mr. O swoops down to talk. “Bubba, I agree the kids have become a little bit rambunctious. They want to add some excitement to their lives. But you have to understand, kids will be kids. We should let them have their fun while they can. Surely an intelligent creature such as you can appreciate the freedom of youth.What harm can my little guys do, for goodness sake?”
“Ask Zeke. Here is this little defenseless puppy, and an owlet, with murder in his mind, drops down on him.What do you think Zeke would answer to your ‘kids will be kids?’ He’s a kid, and he doesn’t go around threatening others. Mr. O, you are a wise owl, are you not? Then we respectfully request that you send your owlets out into the world to make their own living.There are enough rats here for you and your wife, as well as Tom and Angie, but there aren’t enough for the owlets, too.Time for them to move on. Please see to it, Mr. O.”
Wow, I sound really tough. This is not my true nature, but you do what you have to.
Mr. O draws himself up into his most formidab
le appearance, and with a hiss lifts his wings and is gone.What he will do, I don’t know, but I don’t regret the things I said. Enough really is enough.
Chapter Twenty-Six:
Trouble
The day is bright and a bit on the brisk side, a perfect day toward the end of fall. Everyday is perfect now that I get to see Annie when she and Mickey work together. I’ve heard Bill say that Mickey is doing quite well. Yet when they walk by my stall, I wonder. Mickey doesn’t sit up straight but looks kind of like a crumpled pillow slouched over in the saddle. He doesn’t have to be held on any more, so maybe that’s what Bill is talking about.
“Hi, Annie! You look wonderful this morning, your eyes all sparkly.What’s going on?” Our conversations are chopped up, for Annie doesn’t get to stop. She will answer when she comes around again.
“Well, Bubba, I felt our baby moving around in my tummy this morning. Surely she’s getting along well to be moving already, don’t you think?”
“She? Is that what you want…a little girl?” Now I have to wait until Annie comes around again! Hmm. It would be nice to have a little girl. I guess I’m partial to girls, what with Julie and Annie being girls.
Annie doesn’t come around again this morning, so I’ll have to
baby is on her way!
“Meg, I’m stumped. I don’t know how to prove that Gordy is the
one who put water in the truck’s gas tank.” Bill and Meg are in the tack
room checking to see what tack needs repairing or replacing, and Bill is
wound pretty tight.
“Did you talk to the sheriff? He’s probably run across this
before.”
“I did, and that’s why I’m stumped because he said he hasn’t a
clue how to prove it. The only thing that would do that would be an eyewitness or a camera. I checked with Bub’s Gas, where we always service the truck, but they didn’t know anything or have a surveillance camera. So that’s how my great lawsuit stands. But I’m not going to let
that kid get away with it. I’m just not!”
Daylight is giving way to night when I see a couple of shadows
slipping down the aisle. They’re small and kind of familiar, but I can’t see
well enough to put a name on them.Who or what could they be? “Percy, you awake? Look in the aisle. I just saw a couple of
shadows go your way. Do you see them?”
“Heck, Bubba, they’re not shadows. That’s Zeke and Ten. Ain’t
you got eyes any more? Lilly must have forgotten to take him with her.” “ I thought they looked kind of familiar, but I couldn’t be sure.”
Mm. Zeke is mostly white and Ten is creamy white. Should have been
easy to see.Ten is Tom and Angie’s kitten. Poor thing was born with only
for herself. I know she and Zeke have become pretty good friends. But if the light was enough for Percy to see them, why couldn’t I? I’ll have to think about that…later.
I wasn’t worried enough to not sleep. With dawn the next morning, the sun beginning to push its way in, I remember that troubled feeling and wonder if my eyes are failing me. If they are, will that mean I can’t jump any more? That’s my true joy. If I can’t jump, what good am I? That’s the one thing I do well. I’ve always been too big for any of the
course.Who can I talk to about this?
About that time here comes Tom, and he’s in a chatty mood. “Hey, big guy, how is it up there in the stratosphere? Must be great to be so big and rule the world. I think I’ll join you,” and jumping up into the feed box, he settles down to put his tongue to work giving himself an early morning grooming.
“Well, now that you mention it, it isn’t all that great to be so big. I’m an elephant compared to most of you. Even Geoffrey isn’t as big as I am. I’ve always been considered different, and I hate it. If I had my way, I wouldn’t be this big.”
Hmm, I wish I could take that back. I hate complainers. I don’t want to be one of those. I’d better be careful, or Percy’s attitude might rub off on me.
“Well, what’s gotten into you, Bubba? What’s stickin’ you in the ribs, huh? Never heard you complain before.”
“Oh, I don’t know.Well, yes, I do know.To be honest, I’m worried about not being able to see. In the early evening last night, I saw a couple of shadows moving down the aisle, and I couldn’t see them well enough to recognize them. So I asked Percy to look, and he could see them perfectly well. It was Zeke and Ten. He said some other stuff, but it began to trouble me that I couldn’t see as well as Percy.Am I losing my eyesight,Tom? If I am, I’ll not be able to jump any more. I just have to be able to jump. What’ll I do,Tom?”
Chapter Twenty-Seven:
Ten
In spite of my worry, life continues to be pretty normal as we
winter, and soon there will be new horses to train. Baby is growing and still pretty sassy, but she has begun to grow on me. We’re occasionally across the fence from each other and get to visit. I like the fact that she’s ready to take on the world and show everyone what an exceptional young lady she is. I have explained to her that her jumping will have to wait until she is totally grown and that will be a handful of years yet. She didn’t take that very well, but she can’t do anything about it. In the meantime, when she’s a coming-three-year-old, she can begin undersaddle work.
Mickey and Annie are getting along pretty well. Bruce is pleased and so is Lilly. The best thing is that Mickey can now say Annie’s name. They’re going down my aisle right now and I can hear this tiny sparrow of a voice saying,“Annie,Annie,Annie.” He still clings to her rather than sitting up straight, but there is usually a smile on his face when he’s with Annie.That’s a giant jump forward.
There’s that word again…jump, reminding me of my worry, and I start to tell Annie about it and ask what she thinks. But I swallow the words before they come out. It isn’t right to worry her, too. I’m doing enough of it for all of us.
“Morning, Bubba,” chirps Meg.“I’m ready for some jumping, how about you? We haven’t had a lot of time for that recently, what with all the shows, but you’ve been jumping so well in the shows.We still know how, don’t we?”
Soon we are out under the clear blue sky jumping every jump time and again. Any thought that my eyes are a problem is wiped right out of my head.
“I hate to say it, but it’s time to head back to the stable, Bubba. Thank you for the fun. Best time I’ve had in days.”
If she was going to say more, I never heard it for there is a shout of alarm from the stable, “Meg!” It’s Bill’s voice and it’s a scary sound, for Bill usually handles things in a calm manner…except when he’s mad. And this is not a mad sound.
“Let’s go, Bubba.There’s trouble in the stable!”
When we get there, Meg hops off and leaves me standing just inside the door. That’s where everyone is gathered, and they are all looking down as Bruce kneels beside Mickey, who is lying on the ground holding Ten.
“What happened? Is Mickey okay? Tell me. Did you call 911?”
That’s when Mickey opens his eyes and says, “Ten,” then closes them again.
“That darn cat jumped on Annie right in front of where Mickey was sitting. It spooked Annie, and Mickey let go of her to grab the kitten, and they both fell off,” Bill explains.
good friends out in the pasture. “Sometimes the kitten sits on Annie’s rump out in the pasture as they both soak up the sunshine, so they obviously have become good friends. Just now as Annie and Mickey were going down the aisle,Ten jumped from a stall door and surprised Annie.That’s when it all fell apart.”
Mickey was again waking up and saying,“Ten.Ten.”
“Are you okay, Mickey?” Bruce asks, as he starts to release the kitten from Mickey’s arms.
Suddenly Mickey starts crying, but Bruce says, “It’s okay, Mickey. Let me take Ten.” As Bruce takes hold of Mickey’s arm, Mickey’s cries are sharp.
“Does your ar
m hurt, Mickey?” Bill sees what the rest have
Later in the afternoon Nancy comes around with our oats and
Mickey now saying Ten’s name, Bruce is hoping this accident proves to be a ‘happy accident’ that frees Mickey even more.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT:
The Road Less Traveled
“Meg, I’m still not getting anywhere in proving that it was Gordy who put water in the gas tank. We’re never going to feel safe until he isn’t around any more. But darn it! I don’t know how to do it. What’ll we do?” Bill and Meg are in the tack room getting the tack they need
Bill is in a good mood.
“I know how you feel, but maybe it wasn’t Gordy. Even though
the mechanic was sure the water was added deliberately, he might be
wrong, you know. Just forget it, Bill.”
“I certainly won’t forget it, and I can’t see why it doesn’t scare
you. Here we are with a stable full of horses, most of them belonging to
other people, and there is a mad man running loose. Every night when
I go to bed, I wonder what he’s cooking up next.”
“Well, spend your days looking over your shoulder, if it makes
you happy. I, for one, am going to live in the present and enjoy these
Bill and Meg continue to simmer at each other, but other than that all is well at The Chocolate Farm.
“Bubba! Help! Annie’s gone!” It’s Ten crying, and it’s the middle of the night!
“Ten, what did you say? Annie is gone?”
and she’s gone. There aren’t any horses there…none! Did Meg and Bill move them somewhere else?” Ten is really upset. I knew she and Annie were getting to be pretty good friends, but I thought Zeke was Ten’s best friend. During the night, though, Zeke is usually at home with Lilly and Robin.
So I do it again. I unlatch my stall door and, with Ten clinging to my mane, we go on a midnight search for Annie.
It’s dark with only a sliver of a moon casting blurred shadows. I can’t get into the pasture like Ten can, so we walk along the run that connects the stable pastures and lots.Ten is right.There are no horses out there.