“Rosie, time for bed,” my mom called from the living room as she got up from the couch.
“Alright Mom, give me a second,” I called loudly back to her as I added an eye to my horse painting. I loved all things horse themed. My family lived next to the beach, which was nice, but we weren’t near a barn, so I didn’t get to ride. Big bummer.
After I brushed my teeth, put on my pajamas, and said “good night,” I was just about to close my eyes when …
“Neigh!”
Huh? I was probably just imagining things, but did I just hear a whinny? It must have been the wind or maybe a car driving by … but definitely not a horse.
I peeked out from my bedroom curtains and sat on my windowsill, next to my knitted horse pillow. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It really was a horse! He was galloping across the beach, his hooves kicking up sand.
I couldn’t even tell what breed or color the horse was because he was going so fast, all I could see was a blur. Also, the sun had just set, so it was getting dark out, and his shadow made him look sleek black.
I knew I wasn’t supposed to go out at this hour, but I tiptoed out of my room, down the stairs, and across the hallway. I slipped on my flipflops, made sure to grab my flashlight, packed it in my backpack and headed out the front door. If I was going to meet this horse, I had to be prepared. I walked across the street, silently stepping onto the beach.
And that’s when I saw the stallion. He was real!
“Hi boy,” I said as I spoke to him as calmly as I could. He flipped his beautiful long mane and flinched when I stroked him. I suddenly stopped because I was afraid he might bolt away. And then I did something I probably shouldn’t have …
First, I unzipped my bag, pulled out my bike helmet and put it on. I clipped it under my chin tightly. Then I grabbed hold of the stallion’s mane. I counted to three and swung myself onto his back.
He didn’t seem too happy about this. He snorted, rooted, and, as if that wasn’t enough, he hopped and reared! I held onto his mane for dear life. I fell on his neck, hard, but somehow managed to regain my balance.
“Phew,” I gasped, as he straightened out and picked up speed.
There we were: A girl and a stallion galloping on the beach together like we’d done this many times before. I was riding the stallion bareback. It felt like I was riding a soft couch, but the couch had some itchy hairs!
After a while, he slowly went down from full-on gallop to a forward trot and then to a walk. He stretched down his neck as I ran the palms of my hands down his sleek, silky mane.
I should remember this day, but how?
Wow! I could just barely catch a glimpse of a piece of sparkling sea glass right next to the stallion’s front leg. Then I did something daring, once again. Now that he was just walking, I swung my right leg gently over the side of the stallion’s back and slid off.
“Ouch!” I cried. I think I must have twisted my ankle. If this was during the daytime, I would’ve oohed and aahed at that piece of sea glass all day, but it wasn’t. I quickly grasped one of the smooth edges, gazing at the beautiful teal color, before stuffing it into one of the pockets of my pony pajamas.
I looked up at the sky again.
“Oh no, if I don’t get back to the house, my parents will get really, really worried.”
That’s when I saw that I wasn’t with Sunset the stallion and I didn’t smell the saltiness of the ocean or feel the crunchy sand underneath me. Where was I? Had it all been a dream? I was sitting on the windowsill in my bedroom.
But wait! I looked at myself from head to toe. I was wearing my flip-flops! I was so startled that I fell off the windowsill, and a piece of teal sea glass came flying out of my pocket.
I smiled. Maybe it wasn’t a dream after all.
Thank you to all who participated in Young Rider magazine’s first-ever Fiction Contest, held in collaboration with Trafalgar Square Books. Congratulations to Lilly!
