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April 8, 2000
Dear Journal,
Great. Just great. Gran and Grampa just informed
me that we are moving, again. Drat. Why do we always have
to move so much?! I bet my parents wouldn't. But then, I suppose that's wishful thinking, because
I've never seen my parents.
Let's see, we've lived in Ohio, Maryland, Colorado,
New York, which is where we live now, Nebraska, (Bleah!) I was born in Vermont, and I've also lived
in Delaware, and Rhode Island, which was dreary and cloudy for the whole fourteen months we lived
there. I'm so sick of moving that I could just throw up. All that packing up, the long drive cramped
in a truck cab that was meant for two people instead of three people with a bunch of food and bags,
and then the hotel stay while we house hunt, then we have to move in and unpack everything. Usually
by that time, we're thinking about moving again! What on earth could God have in store for me with
this kind of life?
I just had a great spur-of-the-moment thought. We're
moving west to Idaho, which is animal country, so maybe I can have my own horse! Hopefully with
all the land out there we'll end up with a good-sized piece of property. Even though for the last
four years I've been promised a horse every time we move, it hasn't happened yet. Although I seriously
doubt it, maybe this time it'll actually come true. Almost every place we've been we could have
gotten a horse, whether we kept it on our own property or not. We've mostly had land in the places
we've been, but I suppose since we move so much it'll never happen. I'm positive that if we got
a horse we'd sell it when we moved, cause Grampa would be so adamant about not trailering it because
of the cost. I just can't seem to convince him that it wouldn't cost very much to have someone else
trailer it.
I have to save up my money to buy stuff for whatever
horse I get - but with all the work I've done in the past, that shouldn't be a problem. I hope I
can find a stable where I can get a decent job, with good pay and nice people. I'm planning to get
a dappled gray Arabian horse-very soon. Wow!
Humph. Give me a break. Like I'd really get my own
horse. My very own, beautiful, wonderful horse to love and ride and be with for the rest of my life.
Yeah, right. About as much chance of that happening as pigs flying. Dream on. Why hasn't God answered
my prayers with a 'yes' yet? How long is it going to be? I don't know how much longer I can stand
it.
I've got to go to my lesson now. I think we're going
to be jumping higher this time. It's not really very much fun working or even riding over there
when you have absolutely no friends at all. It's infuriating how they ignore me, no matter how kind
I am to them. It is great getting a chance to train a horse, though. Now that I think about it,
I guess I really would like to move, so maybe I'll actually have some friends at the next barn where
I take lessons. I don't look forward to leaving Countess, though.
Wanda (my riding teacher) says that I am no doubt
her best student, and that she'll give me a letter of recommendation for my next school. By the
way, we're moving in one week. Grandma's yelling now, so I'd better go.
-Katy
Sixteen-year-old Kaitlin Evans lay down her pencil,
sighed, and tucked her journal far back out of sight in her closet behind piles of clothes heaped
among model horses and books. This really wasn't necessary, as there was no one around to read it,
but Katy felt safer doing it anyway. She really didn't want anyone reading her private thoughts,
especially since she poured her feelings out so freely and vividly onto the pages.
Rising and forcing the closet doors shut past old
school papers and music CDs, she donned her weather-beaten jodhpurs and paddock boots and grabbed
her riding helmet and gloves to put on when she reached her destination. She switched out her light
and trudged down the old, creaky stairs of their nineteenth-century house in the suburbs of Albany,
New York.
Her grandmother impatiently honked the horn of the
old blue Toyota that sat on the crumbling pavement of the driveway, trying to prompt Katy into hurrying.
'Katy, hurry up! You're going to be late again! Don't
you care about holding the class up?' she yelled in a perturbed voice.
Katy flipped her long, shiny brown hair over her
shoulder and rolled her deep blue eyes. Couldn't her grandmother ever leave her alone? Katy knew
she was trying to help, but at times, everyone looking after her like she was a baby got annoying.
Katy knew she was late but didn't really care. She felt bad for it, since she knew that it wasn't
Christ-like to rebel against her elders. She sighed and climbed in. The truck pulled out of the
driveway, tires crunching over the concrete bits, and sped ten miles an hour over the speed limit
through the town. It pulled up so sharply in front of a brightly painted blue barn that Katy's seat
belt locked. Katy grimaced at the sharp pain that lashed through her chest on impact, unbuckled,
and grabbed her gear from the backseat. She hopped out, slammed the door and stalked into the large
building, refusing to give her grandmother the satisfaction of a wave or even a glance. She heard
the truck pull away behind her and sneaked a peek as it careened back the way they had come.
Katy sighed forlornly and trudged into the main barn,
which housed twenty lesson horses and two boarders. Countess, a six-year-old bay Arabian mare with
a thin stripe on her face, poked her head over the latched lower half of the Dutch door at the sound
of the noise and whinnied when she saw Katy, who was her regular rider. Perking up already, Katy
picked up her pace to the stall and gave the mare a quick pat and a kiss. Now that she wasn't in
such a sour mood, she was anxious to get out into the ring. She quickly haltered and tied the horse
in the silent, deserted aisle. She stormed into the tack room, still somewhat upset at the lingering
memories of her angry words in her journal. Trying to put her thoughts on hold, she forced a smile
and picked up the English saddle and matching bridle that was assigned to Countess. She hadn't realized
how irritated she was until she had put her feelings into writing.
Carefully setting the saddle down on its horn, Katy
lifted the saddle pad over Countess's back. She covered the blanket with a white saddle pad, then
set the saddle on top and drew the girth up underneath. She had tightened it as far as it would
go before she remembered the breastcollar. After putting it in place she hurriedly pulled the girth
back up to the saddle flap and tightened it for the second time. Next she untangled the bridle,
which she had found on the floor where one of the other girls had thrown it to spite her.
Experienced as she was, Katy had a bit of trouble
getting the obstinate mare to accept the bit. The mare had not been in training for very long, and
since Katy was the most experienced rider of the girls at the stable, she was chosen to ride the
mare. Her instructor literally had no time to ride or train the mare, so the tedious job had fallen
heavily on Katy's shoulders. She was all too happy to accept, hoping she could drown out some of
her problems in the delightful pastime.
Katy looped the reins over the mare's neck and loosened
the halter. She let the mare stand while she hurried to the opposite wall to get her helmet and
gloves. She grabbed her crop and zipped up her chaps up. After making a final check over her tack,
she pulled the reins back over the horse's head and held them in a confident hand. She hastily led
Countess to the large gate at the side of the indoor riding arena. Katy opened the gate with one
hand while keeping an eye on the horse she was controlling so that in case the mare bolted, she
would still have ultimate control.
In the arena, three other girls were already mounted
and walking around the dirty ring. All three of them turned to look at her, wondering who dared
to show up late. They had all tasted Wanda's wrath before and pitied the person on the receiving
end of the lecture. 'Nice of you to join us for today's lesson, Katy.' The sarcastic voice of her
riding teacher rang across the ring.
Katy started but was grateful that that was all the
confrontation came to. She turned to look at her riding instructor. 'Sorry, Wanda. It's my fault
I'm late.' She studied her riding teacher's profile, committing it to memory. The woman was shorter
than Katy and had short black hair that curled around her face in soft waves. She had a hat jammed
on her head backwards, giving her the classic tomboy look. Her t-shirt and jeans were old and dirty
but fit well and had long since conformed to the curves of her body.
After checking the girth and tightening it another
two notches, Katy mounted with practiced ease, settled into the saddle, and nudged Countess with
her heels to make the mare walk. She concentrated on sinking her weight into her heels and straightening
her back and shoulders. She carried her hands low, in front of the saddle, just at the right level.
After the girls had changed direction on the diagonal, Wanda gave the order for a slow sitting trot.
Katy waited until Countess's back left leg lifted off the ground, then signaled for the trot. This
way the mare could automatically extend her leg and go right into the trot. She executed the move
just right as soon as Katy asked, moving unhesitantly into the faster gait.
'Good, Katy! That was excellent.' After another several
seconds of observation, Wanda turned to Diane, a fifteen-year-old girl who was mounted on Rocket.
The dumpy little black pony that she owned was plodding along, barely giving his rider enough gait
to post to. 'Push him harder, Diane! You're letting him get away with too much. Make him extend
his trot, and I said sitting trot, not posting!'
'But this stupid pony is so hard to sit that I can't
help posting!' complained Diane loudly.
'Deal with it!' Wanda replied, entirely unsympathetic.
She held no remorse for riders who said they couldn't do something. She had ridden every horse in
the barn and asked nothing of the girls that she herself could not do.
Diane emitted a loud, disgusted sigh and thumped
the poor little Welsh pony in the ribs so hard that he grunted and threw his head up in pain. He
half reared and came down at a fast trot, nearly sending his rider out of the saddle. Fortunately
for Diane, Wanda was looking the other way.
This time she was watching Merry, a thin girl with
long blond hair. She was tall for thirteen, and she mounted on one of the best horses in the barn,
Xenophan. The horse was a red dun Thoroughbred and only nine years old, so whoever rode him was
privileged. He was sometimes difficult to manage and it took the most experienced rider to handle
him correctly.
Katy had ridden Xenophan and found him very pleasant
to ride, although he could be a handful for a more inexperienced rider. Katy was riding the best,
although the most erratic, horse in the barn. Countess had not had a lot of training, but with Katy
as her rider she was coming along splendidly. She had wonderful gaits and a beautifully smooth extended
trot, and she was a naturally graceful horse, thanks to her breed. The mare had already won a lot
of show ribbons and continued to improve.
Another student, Jane Fewther, was a wiry girl with
straight black hair that hung to her shoulders. She was riding her own mount, a horse named Whisper.
This was an eleven-year-old chestnut Anglo-Arab mare that went well for Jane, who was very shy.
Jane had an olive complexion, and her hazel eyes slanted toward her nose. She was very quiet and
very seldom spoke. She seemed to love her horse, though, and lavished it with attention. Jane had
only been riding for about a year and a half, but she was already almost as skillful as Merry and
Diane.
Jane was sitting quietly on Whisper when all of a
sudden from outside the thin walls a horrible noise was heard. It sounded like a dog-and-cat fight,
but it sounded three times as loud as the usual sort of fight.
Whisper snorted and bolted away from the wall. She
skittered sideways, and, looking at the wall, didn't notice the jump on her other side. She slammed
into it and toppled the jump. Whisper nearly lost her balance when she went to her knees, but somehow
managed to stumble-step her way back to her feet, where she began a bucking tirade. Jane sat calmly,
letting her body move with the mare's. After a few traumatic moments the horse was brought under
control once again.
Wanda hurried over to her student's side. 'Jane,
are you all right? That was quite an episode there.'
The tall girl smiled and nodded. 'I'm fine. She normally
doesn't scare that easily. Although I can't really blame her, considering the level of those screeches.'
Wanda agreed, and after making sure both girl and
horse were all right, returned to her place in the middle of the ring. She had them walk around
the ring a few more times to settle down. While they were doing this, the riding instructor replaced
the fallen jump.
Soon the girls moved from a slow sitting trot to
the faster rising trot. Katy started posting on the correct diagonal as soon as Countess picked
up the pace. Katy worked with the mare as much as she could, although school took up a lot of her
time. The city stable wasn't very large, but there were a few paddocks and a good-sized outdoor
arena to practice in. Katy was starting to introduce Countess to flying lead changes and a few more
advanced dressage tricks, things that would put the mare in advanced categories in shows. Katy had
done lots of this sort of work at her old barn, where she had been for almost a year. Although her
favorite activity was jumping, Katy wanted her own horse - once she finally got one - to be a three-day
eventer, so she had to know dressage in addition to cross-country and stadium jumping.
Countess was such an agreeable horse that Katy already
had her jumping over three feet and any outdoor item she could find. This would be useful in a cross-country
course. The mare was learning quite a number of advanced dressage moves, also.
Throughout the rising trot part of the lesson, Wanda
had them bending the horses' necks for flexing exercises, making them do it with out changing the
size and shape of their circles. Katy, having no trouble with this at all, couldn't figure out why
the other girls were veering all over the arena. Seriously, how hard could it be?
During the next exercise Diane dug her heels into
Rocket one time too many. Finally fed up with taking her beatings, Rocket planted his front feet
from the trot and gave a little hop with his back end. Diane sailed over his head and landed face‑first
in the only muddy spot in the arena. The stop alone would have been enough to send Diane off, but
Rocket had obviously wanted to assure his victory. Katy could have sworn the cute pony had a smug
smile on his black lips. The girl jumped up immediately, wailing. As suddenly as she had started,
though, she stopped abruptly and searched for her crop. She found it, wiped it and her face off
with her shirttail, and climbed back onto Rocket, a mean look firmly implanted on her face. Wanda
ignored the girl's behavior, having experienced it on many occasions. Katy could tell Diane had
something in mind for later on, although she couldn't begin to imagine what it might be.
After a short canter and several other exercises,
Wanda set up a pattern of poles in a sort of figure eight. The girls had to go over them single
file, making their corners as round as possible. After each had done the exercise a number of times,
Wanda had them go to the side of the arena so she could set up a series of poles and jumps.
Once she finished, she called out to the waiting
students. 'Katy, why don't you start us off with a rising trot over the poles, then immediately
into a canter as you come out of them.' She explained the rest of the exercise and finished with,
'Make sure Countess is set up correctly for all three jumps, or she'll knock down the last cross
rail. Go ahead, whenever you're ready.' Wanda stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest.
Katy drew in a deep breath and centered Countess
on the course. The mare eagerly leapt into a trot at the signal, heading for the jumps. She trotted
over the poles, lifting her hooves high enough so she didn't hit any of them. She surged forward
as they neared the last pole, and Katy rode a half-halt to slow her, sinking into the saddle.
The mare checked her stride enough to be in the proper
position for takeoff. At the right moment Countess rose gracefully into the air and arched her body
over the jump, landing exactly in the right place. She cleared the next two jumps with practiced
ease and Katy pulled the mare down to a walk, grinning, and rode over to join the little group that
was watching her.
'Good job, Katy! That was just about the best I've
ever seen her do. You've obviously been working hard. Isn't jumping wonderful?' Wanda beamed at
her student.
Katy nodded her head vigorously. 'Oh, yes. It's the
best thing in the world. And yes, I have been working hard, but I'm not totally to thank for her
progress. I couldn't ask for a more enthusiastic horse.'
Wanda smiled in agreement and signaled for Katy to
join the other girls, then turned to watch Merry run the course. The girl messed up the course a
little, although Xenophan was as willing as could be over the jumps. Wanda spent a moment lecturing
Merry on her faults, but eventually let the nervous young woman join her friends.
Diane was still mad at Rocket, but she was gentle
enough to the pony that the pair made a clean, if not beautiful, run through the course. Jane, who
rode right after her upset friend, did almost as well with Whisper as Katy had done with Countess.
Once all the girls were through the course three
times, Wanda instructed them to set up for the canter and circle the ring as many times as they
could without stopping.
Diane ended up stopping first, then Merry, then Jane.
Katy pulled Countess to a walk after circling the ring twice after everybody else had finished.
'That's not fair!' whined Diane. 'She has a better
horse than we do!'
Jane agreed heartily but quickly quieted down at
a nasty look from Diane. She was sensitive to her friend's moods and could have been called Diane's
sidekick or right-hand man. She did everything her hero did and agreed to anything and everything
with no second thoughts. Katy hoped that someday the girl would find her own life.
'I don't want to hear anything, you three. Diane,
if you would do things right for Rocket, he'd behave a lot better. And Merry, your horse is almost
as good as Katy's, if not better because he has had more experience. Jane, you pulled on Whisper's
mouth, so she thought you were telling her to stop. Katy does everything correctly, so she has no
problems. Katy waited until she had Countess set up for the canter and then asked, instead of asking
immediately without any premonition.'
Wanda gave a meaningful glance around at her students,
then called out an order. 'All right, pick up a rising trot across the diagonal, changing leads
every time you cross the middle.'
The girls did as instructed. The rest of the lessons
was drills to work while cooling out their horses. Katy was so used to this last part of the routine,
which was done at the closing of every single lesson, that she had it memorized.
At the end of the lesson their teacher instructed
them to ride into the middle of the ring as if they were in a show. Then she told them to dismount.
They obeyed.
'This is Katy's last day with us,' the girls' riding
instructor announced. 'She will be moving to Idaho in about a week.'
Diane, Merry,
and Jane all turned and looked at Katy, who squirmed under their intense gaze. Although the
girls had not been intentionally mean to Katy very often, they were their own little group, and
Katy had never been invited to do anything with them. They had been together as a group for three
years and did not welcome newcomers. Katy was positive that they didn't care a bit about her upcoming
absence.
After a few more minutes of tributes, Katy left the
ring with Countess and took the mare to her stall. She tied a quick release knot to the stall bar
and unsaddled the horse. She wiped off the sweat and dust and set it on the rack with the saddle
pad upside down on top so it could dry. She did the
same to the bridle and then hung it up, gathered Countess's grooming tools from where they had mysteriously
appeared all over the floor, and headed back to groom the mare. The horse was very wet, so Katy
roughed up the wet areas and led the mare around the ring to dry. After twenty minutes of such walking,
she brushed away all the dried sweat and dirt and picked out the horse's hoofs.
Since the air was chilly from the rain outside, Katy
covered Countess with a light stable blanket. She pulled a carrot out of her pocket and fed it bit
by bit to the young horse. When it was gone, Katy sighed, dropping a kiss on the mare's nose and
star as she bid farewell.
As she walked down the aisle to exit the barn, she
noticed something unusual. Rocket was tied in his stall, steaming. What made the situation even
stranger was that he was still fully tacked up! Frowning at Diane's way of getting her pony back,
Katy entered the stall.
'Hi, Rocket. You poor thing, having to put up with
that unbearable girl,' she crooned, quickly untacking him. The pony literally sighed with relief
when the sweaty saddle and pad were removed from his back.
After giving him a quick grooming, Katy turned to
leave. All of a sudden, she heard the group of girls coming. For a reason unknown to her, Katy ducked
behind a pile of hay. Then she heard Diane's exclamation of surprise, followed by an agitated voice.
'Drat. That Katy is always poking her nose into other
people's business. Oh well. She did my work for me, anyway. If she was ever good for anything, it
was when she was being our slave.'
The other girls laughed and agreed. They had just
begun talking about how dense Katy was for letting herself be duped into being their slave when
Katy rose and began walking toward them.
The girls immediately ceased their banter and fell
silent. They parted as Katy walked past, not looking in either direction. Then, acting as if having
an afterthough, she turned around. 'You know, all the work I've done here may actually get me somewhere
in life. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with your horses. It's not all fun and
games, you know. You won't always have someone to do your work for you.'
She walked away without looking back, but could hear
the immediate whispers that followed her departure. All too soon she passed Countess' stall and
started to choke up. Katy broke into a run and forced herself not to look back, knowing that if
she did she would start crying. Although she was going in the wrong direction to leave the barn,
she knew she couldn't go back and face the other girls again. Instead, Katy circled around the barn,
saying her goodbyes to other well-known friends. The horses all nickered and nuzzled her in response.
Diane and her troupe bid goodbye to Katy cordially
as she left, but Katy knew by the look on their faces that inside they were cheering at her exodus.
Also, she knew that the only reason they did so was because they had just glimpsed Wanda in her
office, watching them.
Katy turned around and headed back into the barn
toward the office, remembering at the sight of the woman that she hadn't said her final words to
her trainer. She opened the office door and walked in. Wanda looked up from her desk where she had
just sat down and smiled a sad smile. 'Well, Katy, I guess this is it. It's time to say good bye,
isn't it?'
The smile left her face. 'I don't know what I'm going
to do without you, Katy. Countess won't be able to stand your leaving, and I'll miss you so much.
It's going to be hard adjusting to the workload that will, I suppose, fall on me now that you're
leaving. You've lifted such a burden from my shoulders, Katy. I just can't thank you enough.' Wanda
rose from her seat and circled the desk to face Katy.
'Oh, Wanda, you don't have to thank me! I loved doing
it, and having a chance to train Countess has given me a wonderful experience. I just wish you'd
sell her to me so I wouldn't have to leave her.'
'Katy, you know I can't sell her to you. I need an
experienced horse for my more advanced riders, for someone like you.'
'I know, it's just that'' Katy looked at Wanda with
tears in her eyes.
The unveiled tears in Wanda's eyes shone back at
her, and the two embraced without another word.
Katy hugged Wanda goodbye one last time and collected
her letter of recommendation, then bounded out to where her grandmother was waiting in the driver's
seat of the old blue vehicle. She started to chatter about her day, talking about how wonderful
Countess was and how well the lesson went, but then it hit her. They really were going to move!
Gloom settled over Katy like a cloud and she sighed, giving in to reality. She should have known
that it would come eventually. It always did; it was inevitable. Her conversation subdued, Katy
was silent during the remainder of the ride home.
When they reached the house that soon could no longer
be called home, Katy slammed the door behind her and headed straight to her room. There was a pile
of boxes in the corner into which she was to pack her things. Katy had a fleeting thought of gratitude
toward her grandmother. How thoughtful to save her the trouble. There was even a marker and tape
for finishing. But then, if we weren't moving, I wouldn't be doing this in the first place. Katy
pulled a box out of the pile, taped it, and set it next to her closet.
Clothes went in first. Piece after piece was pulled
from the pile, folded, and laid neatly in the box. When all the clothes from her closet, dresser,
bed, floor, and shelves were packed, there were five boxes full of clothes. 'Good grief, I had no
idea I had that much stuff,' Katy mused, staring in amazement. Next to be packed were her several
hundred horse books, with horse stuffed animals packed in tightly around them where the books didn't
fit correctly together.
She packed four boxes full of horse magazines of
all different sorts. She had western, English, dressage, jumping, racing, cross-country, training,
and all sorts of others. Into another two boxes went her photo albums, all her notebooks, pencils,
pads, schoolbooks, and miscellaneous papers. Katy kept out her journal and a mechanical pencil.
She also kept out her favorite horse book to study, and her camera for unexpected candidates. She
packed her decoration horse pillows, pictures, posters, and extra bed sheets. Her horse models took
eight boxes. Katy threw the hoards of little mixed items into the remaining two boxes, shut them,
and stood up.
She looked around. It was eight o' clock, and twenty-five
boxes were stacked in the corner of her room, ready to be carried down and loaded into the moving
truck. The rest of the room was bare except for her bed, onto which she put her journal, a book,
a pencil, her camera, and the extra clothes she kept out. Her Black Lab puppy, Precious, occupied
the top half of the bunk bed. How she got up there Katy could never figure out, because the dog
always seemed to sense when she was watching.
Katy fetched the vacuum, dust cloth, and furniture
spray and polished her room from top to bottom, even going to the trouble of moving furniture. Then
she sighed and plopped down on her bed to read.
♣♣
One week later, Katy sat in the moving truck cab,
watching her now empty house recede into the distance. When it was out of sight, she leaned back
and closed her eyes. It was very early, and Katy had slept fitfully in anticipation of the coming
day.
Katy pulled her journal out of her duffle bag and
settled back to write.
April 15, 2000
Dear Journal,
Well, here we are on the road. We started about five
minutes ago, but already I'm bored out of my mind. I'll write in this for a while, and then try
to sleep. Normally that seems to pass the time pretty quickly. I hope I find a good riding stable
in - what was it? Spruce Ridge. I had to ask Gran.
I wish I had a sister or even a brother to play with
and ride horses together. I wonder, if I had a sister, would she love horses the way I do? Maybe
I can convince Gran and Grampa to adopt another teenager, a girl my age. Right. I have about as
much chance of having a sister, even an adopted one, as I do getting a horse.
I wonder what happened to my parents. Gran says they
lost touch. I wonder why. Grampa told me to forget about it, so I did, at least for the time being. Still, I think I have a right to know my own parents. After
all, I've never known them. How come I didn't grow up with them? Why have I never heard from them?
Perhaps I'd have a better life if I lived with them. Maybe I'd even have a horse. Uh-oh. I just
had a terrifying thought. What if I'm adopted, or maybe my parents are deceased and Gran and Grampa
had to take me in? Would the Lord really let that be a possibility? What awful thoughts! I'd better
go on to something else before I scare myself silly.
There are a lot of horses along the road grazing.
So far we've passed a Thoroughbred farm, a Morgan farm, and a Welsh Cob farm. If only I could live
really close to a horse farm. Then I could have all the lessons I want, and maybe even work there,
like I kind of did at Wanda's place.
-Katy
Katy set down her pencil, locked her diary, and tucked
it into her handbag. For several moments she searched for something else to do, but she hadn't packed
much, and as a result the bag was almost empty. Katy sighed and sat back, really wishing she could
have been at the barn, maybe working Countess over some small jumps. Instead, here she was on the
road in a moving truck, moving away from the only place she had ever really enjoyed staying.
'This is boring. When are we going to get there?'
Katy asked, uncharacteristically annoyed at the constant droning of the diesel engine.
Her grandfather laughed, adding to her misery. 'It's
going to be another couple of days before we're even in Idaho. We certainly won't be getting there
today.'
'Why didn't we just fly?' Katy grumbled to herself,
basking in her depression. Since she was next to the window, Katy could clearly see all the horses
grazing and playing as they rolled by. She watched for about forty minutes, counting up to two hundred
and fifty steeds of all types, sizes, and colors, but finally felt her eyes slowly drifting shut,
despite her efforts to keep them open.
She slept soundly for the next four hours, by which
time the moving truck with its three occupants pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant called
Taco Garden for a lunch break.
Katy woke up at her grandmother's shake. She stretched
and hopped out, grimacing at the cramps that screamed out as her feet hit the ground. She ran around
the truck to relieve the aches in her legs before heading to pick up her puppy. She took Precious
out of the Toyota they were towing on a trailer and ran around with the puppy for a few minutes,
obviously to the relief of both parties. Then Katy replaced the puppy, feeding her some puppy chow.
She purposely bought food that contained no horsemeat at all, opting for the beef, liver, and chicken
meals. She couldn't stand the fact that horses were used for dog food, but felt there was nothing
she could do but boycott the idea. She closed the door with a slam and joined her grandparents in
the restaurant.
Katy ordered a small taco with no cheese or meat
and with extra lettuce, her favorite topping. She was so hungry she finished it in almost no time
at all. While her grandparents finished their meals, Katy decided to walk around outside.
The bell over the polished glass door tinkled with
a cheery sound as she left. Katy smiled at a little baby in a stroller and felt a warm glow inside
as the toddler smiled a gap-toothed grin in return.
Katy walked under the sheltering shade trees with her puppy for a few minutes, enjoying the shade
in the unusually warm day.
As she wandered, she could see far down the road
for what seemed like miles. She noted that she could just make out the sign that welcomed them into
Ohio.
There was a drainage ditch full of water by the side
of the road and Katy amused herself for several minutes by seeing how far she could skip rocks in
the shallow, grimy water.
Soon she grew bored and walked back to the parking
lot, noticing for the first time the horse trailer that was parked there. She headed over to it,
unable to resist the draw of the horses. She could just make out the shape of several horses inside
and was standing on tiptoes trying to make out their colors when she felt a hand fall heavily onto
her shoulder as a shadow fell across the trailer.
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