Bananarama
Well-Known Member
Opinions pretty please. thanks for any replies. Just a first draught.
Through the misty autumn rain I could see the silhouette of a gallant horse and the shadowy figure of a girl, with her head to his.
It was not until you got closer that you could see the reality. I could see how the horse stood crooked on his long legs and had deep scars stretching across his shoulders and neck. The girl had wasted away to mere skin and bones. There was no pain in their eyes, only happiness.
Get the trailer open! shouted Jessie, frantically running down the fields with Roddie trotting at her side. She was late as usual and everything had to be done in a dreadful rush. She had only a few minutes left to have him loaded and ready to go. It was a miracle but some how they were gone in time, leaving behind them the smiling faces and waving people at the stables. She had become quite the local celebrity when she and her horse had qualified for the Mulberry Show.
Jessie spent the whole journey staring out the window refusing to eat or drink anything. When we arrived she jumped straight out the car and ran round to open the trailer. The sun shone as she led him down the ramp, his dark bay coat glimmered like crystals and her white jodhpurs were immaculate. Her French plaits and his sewn in buns all sat perfectly and although at fourteen she was the youngest there; she didnt look at all out of place.
With just enough time to get ready and warm up, the loudspeaker sounded.
Could Miss Jessie Park and Sir Rodriguez please enter the ring?
All too soon the starting bell had rung and they were finding their way through the show jumping course. My heart skipped a beat at every jump, but my stomach jumped with joy every time she cleared.
And its a clear round! Sounded across the showground, Thats the fastest time we have had yet, this will give Miss Park the early lead, followed closely by Mr Thompson.
Jessie trotted over to me, our eyes met and a smile broke across her face. She dismounted and I hugged her, kissing her well done. With a two hour break between now and the cross-country we un-tacked Roddie and grabbed some lunch. I will cherish the memory of those two hours we spent together. She was ecstatically happy and I was too, the whole time was filled with smiles and laughter.
But before long we were getting ready again, she was to be third out on the course. By the time I heard the announcer call for her, there was sweat dripping down from my forehead and off my nose. I hated this part of the event, I was nervous enough for both of us when she trotted away to the starting line of the cross-country course.
The first fence was a simple log and they cleared it with no problems. The second fence was harder, an upright wooden fence with a ditch extending a couple of feet before it. I gasped as Roddie took off too early and with not enough height.
He hit the fence full force with his shoulders, throwing himself over onto his back, flipping in mid-air. This send Jessie flying like a rag doll towards the spectators. Everyones jaws dropped and an eerie silence grabbed the crowd. All eyes followed her with dread.
A loud thud was heard as her limp body hit the ground. She came down right in front of her audience, landing on the picket fence that followed the course. The sharp white wooden post burst into her stomach and protruded out and through her back. Blood seeped through her white shirt and flowed onto the ground turning the green grass deep red.
I rushed over to her and knelt down behind her. I was afraid to move her in case I made things worse. Surely this wasnt happening, it couldnt possibly be real. Paramedics rushed over with a stretcher, they spoke to me but I didnt hear them. All the sounds faded away into the background, this wasnt what was supposed to happen. A helicopter landed behind me and I vaguely remember getting on it.
Hours later I was sat in a hospital, Jessie was in surgery, a last desperate attempt to save her life. No news, no news. This was surely a good thing, they would have told me if something had gone wrong. My hands trembled, salty tears ran down my muddy face. I was afraid I would never hear the sweet sound of her voice, never see the beauty of her smile. At last a doctor walked towards me, still in his surgical gown.
Jessie is stable, she is awake and wants to see you.
Oh how I had waited for those words. I jumped to my feet, my legs wobbled beneath me, I trembled all over as I walked to her ward. Her pale face stung me like a thousand bees, her weak voice pulled my insides out.
I love you was whispered across the room. I love you too I replied rushing over to hug her. She had a drip going into her arm, and looked like death itself.
I thought Id never see you again, oh baby, your ok.
At that the doctor halted me and gestured for me to follow him outside. I did.
He told me that the wooden post had ripped her intestines apart, and splintered the walls of her stomach. She was alive now, but she had to face a slow deteriation as she was incapable of digesting most of her food.
Here we are, three months on. Jessie standing on deaths doorstep, so young, so brave. Roddie seems to know that their days are numbered, he nuzzles his soft muzzle into her hands, whinnies to her when she leaves. Little did I know that this would be their final meeting, but I think he did. He followed her over to the fence and neighed madly when she left, she returned for one last cuddle, the very last. He bowed his head down as she walked away. The next day Jessie simply did not wake up, her weak body didnt have the strength for life anymore. So young, so innocent.
Roddie came to the burial, he stood quietly with his head held low and his his ears drooped. He never was the same after that. He stopped eating and grew thin, he stopped moving and grew stiff. Within the month I had to have him put to sleep. Now they will be together forever. He can run straight and sound and free. She can ride again, over countless miles of endless fields. I shouldnt have had to bury my daughter, she should have buried me.
cookies and milk
Through the misty autumn rain I could see the silhouette of a gallant horse and the shadowy figure of a girl, with her head to his.
It was not until you got closer that you could see the reality. I could see how the horse stood crooked on his long legs and had deep scars stretching across his shoulders and neck. The girl had wasted away to mere skin and bones. There was no pain in their eyes, only happiness.
Get the trailer open! shouted Jessie, frantically running down the fields with Roddie trotting at her side. She was late as usual and everything had to be done in a dreadful rush. She had only a few minutes left to have him loaded and ready to go. It was a miracle but some how they were gone in time, leaving behind them the smiling faces and waving people at the stables. She had become quite the local celebrity when she and her horse had qualified for the Mulberry Show.
Jessie spent the whole journey staring out the window refusing to eat or drink anything. When we arrived she jumped straight out the car and ran round to open the trailer. The sun shone as she led him down the ramp, his dark bay coat glimmered like crystals and her white jodhpurs were immaculate. Her French plaits and his sewn in buns all sat perfectly and although at fourteen she was the youngest there; she didnt look at all out of place.
With just enough time to get ready and warm up, the loudspeaker sounded.
Could Miss Jessie Park and Sir Rodriguez please enter the ring?
All too soon the starting bell had rung and they were finding their way through the show jumping course. My heart skipped a beat at every jump, but my stomach jumped with joy every time she cleared.
And its a clear round! Sounded across the showground, Thats the fastest time we have had yet, this will give Miss Park the early lead, followed closely by Mr Thompson.
Jessie trotted over to me, our eyes met and a smile broke across her face. She dismounted and I hugged her, kissing her well done. With a two hour break between now and the cross-country we un-tacked Roddie and grabbed some lunch. I will cherish the memory of those two hours we spent together. She was ecstatically happy and I was too, the whole time was filled with smiles and laughter.
But before long we were getting ready again, she was to be third out on the course. By the time I heard the announcer call for her, there was sweat dripping down from my forehead and off my nose. I hated this part of the event, I was nervous enough for both of us when she trotted away to the starting line of the cross-country course.
The first fence was a simple log and they cleared it with no problems. The second fence was harder, an upright wooden fence with a ditch extending a couple of feet before it. I gasped as Roddie took off too early and with not enough height.
He hit the fence full force with his shoulders, throwing himself over onto his back, flipping in mid-air. This send Jessie flying like a rag doll towards the spectators. Everyones jaws dropped and an eerie silence grabbed the crowd. All eyes followed her with dread.
A loud thud was heard as her limp body hit the ground. She came down right in front of her audience, landing on the picket fence that followed the course. The sharp white wooden post burst into her stomach and protruded out and through her back. Blood seeped through her white shirt and flowed onto the ground turning the green grass deep red.
I rushed over to her and knelt down behind her. I was afraid to move her in case I made things worse. Surely this wasnt happening, it couldnt possibly be real. Paramedics rushed over with a stretcher, they spoke to me but I didnt hear them. All the sounds faded away into the background, this wasnt what was supposed to happen. A helicopter landed behind me and I vaguely remember getting on it.
Hours later I was sat in a hospital, Jessie was in surgery, a last desperate attempt to save her life. No news, no news. This was surely a good thing, they would have told me if something had gone wrong. My hands trembled, salty tears ran down my muddy face. I was afraid I would never hear the sweet sound of her voice, never see the beauty of her smile. At last a doctor walked towards me, still in his surgical gown.
Jessie is stable, she is awake and wants to see you.
Oh how I had waited for those words. I jumped to my feet, my legs wobbled beneath me, I trembled all over as I walked to her ward. Her pale face stung me like a thousand bees, her weak voice pulled my insides out.
I love you was whispered across the room. I love you too I replied rushing over to hug her. She had a drip going into her arm, and looked like death itself.
I thought Id never see you again, oh baby, your ok.
At that the doctor halted me and gestured for me to follow him outside. I did.
He told me that the wooden post had ripped her intestines apart, and splintered the walls of her stomach. She was alive now, but she had to face a slow deteriation as she was incapable of digesting most of her food.
Here we are, three months on. Jessie standing on deaths doorstep, so young, so brave. Roddie seems to know that their days are numbered, he nuzzles his soft muzzle into her hands, whinnies to her when she leaves. Little did I know that this would be their final meeting, but I think he did. He followed her over to the fence and neighed madly when she left, she returned for one last cuddle, the very last. He bowed his head down as she walked away. The next day Jessie simply did not wake up, her weak body didnt have the strength for life anymore. So young, so innocent.
Roddie came to the burial, he stood quietly with his head held low and his his ears drooped. He never was the same after that. He stopped eating and grew thin, he stopped moving and grew stiff. Within the month I had to have him put to sleep. Now they will be together forever. He can run straight and sound and free. She can ride again, over countless miles of endless fields. I shouldnt have had to bury my daughter, she should have buried me.
cookies and milk
