Antonia, the Horse Whisperer

by Elisabeth Zöller

  Leona rubbed her nose. She always did that whenever she was excited.

  Only Grandpa shook his head. “That won’t be possible. Mr. Sonnenfeld is responsible for Elfin Dance. It’s in the contract.”

  But nobody was listening to Grandpa; it was as if everyone stood dazzled by the beautiful horses that had just arrived.

  Guilty Conscience?

  In the middle of the night, Antonia awoke with a start. The lighted numbers on her alarm clock read 3:20. She had to go to Elfin Dance. This magical moment, a vision in a dream, had struck her once again like lightening. She had to go to him. . . .

  Very gently she pushed the blanket aside and climbed out of bed. She tucked her sandals under her arm, crept to the door, and prayed that none of the floorboards would creak and wake Leona. She had to get to the stall—had to make sure that everything was all right with Elfin Dance. After all, it was his first night in a strange place!

  Antonia knew well enough that she had better not get caught. All she had to do was go down the stairs, open the terrace door softly, and then she would be outside.

  She ran across the farm to the stables, and there stood Elfin Dance! Big and gorgeous. He was completely calm and relaxed and just looked at her with his beautiful dark eyes. And yet Antonia felt his wildness and strength as she carefully approached him and softly stroked his neck. She wasn’t afraid. It was just the opposite; she felt an unusual joy and great trust, although she knew absolutely nothing about him. How had Elfin Dance been broken in? How did he prefer to be ridden?

  Then Antonia heard a soft snorting coming from the rear stalls. That was Snow White! Instantly Antonia felt guilty. What was she doing? She had run directly to Elfin Dance and hadn’t even greeted Snow White! Her mare needed her too! After greeting Snow White affectionately, she crept back to bed.

  Nobody had seen her, and back in the room, Leona seemed to be sound asleep and dreaming. Antonia couldn’t fall back to sleep, though. How could she have simply run past Snow White? And what about Elfin Dance? She knew she wasn’t allowed to take care of him or to ride him. And yet, she had been the only one the temperamental horse had listened to when he arrived. She had seen Grandpa’s worried face. Certainly he was wondering how they were supposed to care for Elfin Dance if he didn’t learn to trust John, Felix, and Mr. Sonnenfeld. And there was the agreement they had to follow.

  That afternoon, Antonia and Leona sat in the grass and watched Caroline practice jumping. But Antonia, who usually watched Caroline carefully for tips, couldn’t concentrate at all.

  “What’s the matter with you?” asked Leona, taking a bite of Grandma’s yummy chocolate cake. “Did you sleep all right?”

  “No, not enough sleep,” grumbled Antonia, and then she told Leona about her nighttime outing. After all, girls tell their best friends everything. “Can you believe that I didn’t think about Snow White at all or even say hi to her? And a few days ago I swore my eternal friendship to her. I feel like a traitor!”

  “So what?” Leona laughed. “It doesn’t make you a traitor. Nobody can help falling in love with Elfin Dance. He’s a dream horse,” she raved. “He’s a bit too temperamental for my taste, though. He’s only a gelding, but you have him under control. By the way, Cascara and Asseem aren’t from bad parents either.”

  “That’s for sure,” said Antonia. And the thing about the breeding was true too. Maria had already explained to Antonia a lot about breeding and good ancestry. As a rider, you had to know those kinds of things.

  “But with Elfin Dance it’s different. It’s as if we’ve been friends for ages. If I’m honest, even last night I was able to imagine jumping him.” She twisted her hair around her index finger nervously and scratched behind her ear. Immediately her guilty conscience came back. “But I can’t do that to Snow White,” she murmured.

  “I think,” said Leona, “you shouldn’t worry about Snow White so much. Don’t you think you can love two horses at the same time? The way you love your dad and Maria? Or cake and chocolate?”

  Now Antonia couldn’t help but laugh and added, “Like swimming and riding?”

  Leona continued, “Right. Or candy and bubble gum. Christmas and Easter. Vacation and weekends.”

  “Snow White and Elfin Dance!” Antonia shouted as she touched her little elf charm in her pants pocket.

  “Exactly. Now you’ve got it.” Leona giggled and clapped her hands. “It’s so sad you can’t jump Snow White anymore. But with Elfin Dance you’ll be the best show jumper in the world.”

  “Well, that’s probably an exaggeration. Anyway, that’s only a dream. That dumb contract says that I’m not even allowed to touch Elfin Dance, let alone ride or jump him! Only Mr. Sonnenfeld is allowed to handle him.” All at once Antonia lowered her voice. “Luckily, Mr. Sonnenfeld promised me that I could slip into Elfin Dance’s stall now and then, but only when Grandpa isn’t around. If Grandpa catches me with Elfin Dance, then—”

  “Your Grandpa has to be strict,” said Leona. “A contract is a contract. Otherwise, why would you make one?”

  “We have to come up with a way for Elfin Dance to stay here, so you’ll be allowed to ride him,” Leona said later. Broodingly she laid her right forefinger on her nose and knit her brow. She always did that when she was hatching some crazy idea. And she was a world champion at that! “Can’t you just buy Elfin Dance?”

  Well, this idea was more than crazy!

  Antonia had to laugh. “Yeah, sure. Mr. Bonhumeur will definitely be satisfied with the little bit of money I have in my savings if I ask him for Elfin Dance! Horses like that cost a lot, like thousands! I can’t afford that–and neither can Papa, Grandma, and Grandpa combined. You’d better come up with another idea.” She twisted a lock of hair around her forefinger.

  “Okay,” Leona thought some more. “How about if you cast a spell on Elfin Dance? You talk to animals so well. Just whisper into Elfin Dance’s ear that . . . ”

  She didn’t get any further because all of a sudden the two girls heard a horrible noise coming from the riding stable, and then somebody screamed for help.

  Help!

  Leona dropped the cake from her hand in shock. Bellmondo ate it up with a cheerful wag of his tail. Both girls jumped up and ran in the direction of the stable. They found Mr. Sonnenfeld sitting on the ground in front of Elfin Dance’s stall. Mr. Sonnenfeld was holding his forehead and groaned softly, “Oh my goodness . . .”

  Mr. Rosenburg came running in with Maria.

  “What happened?” shouted Maria, but really all anybody had to do was take a look at Elfin Dance. The horse was neighing loudly and rearing up continuously.

  “I just wanted to feel his pulse,” said Mr. Sonnenfeld in a shaky voice, “because I suspected that he had caught a cold on the trip here. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility—first the fully air-conditioned trailer and then out into this awful heat . . . but he wouldn’t let me anywhere near him and reared up right away. At the last second I was able to get out of harm’s way. He did give me a little whack, though. He’s a wild thing.” Mr. Sonnenfeld finally smiled. Then he happily let Mr. Rosenburg help him up. He was limping a little. He looked as though he had sprained his ankle.

  “You lie down for a while, put ice packs on your forehead and ankle, and I’ll go get a doctor,” said Antonia’s father, supporting Mr. Sonnenfeld as he walked. Antonia took a deep breath and then exhaled loudly. She had been scared to see Mr. Sonnenfeld sitting on the ground. He was a lot older than her father. And he had taught her so much over the years, including how to be calm when dealing with horses and how to have the patience to keep starting over when things weren’t going as planned. Mr. Sonnenfeld was always a source of encouragement to her.

  While Antonia was still trying to calm down from what she’d seen, Maria slowly approached Elfin Dance. If Mr. Sonnenfeld suspected that Elfin Dance might be sick, she definitely had to check him out. Mr. Sonnenfeld was rarely mistaken in his assumptions, and Maria was worried about what would
happen if Mr. Bonhumeur came to the farm in a few days and found that one of his horses was sick. Elfin Dance let Maria into the stall. When she went to touch him, however, he recoiled and threw his head back and forth, neighing loudly. He did not rear up, but Maria knew that if she pressured him further, the same thing might happen to her as it had to Mr. Sonnenfeld.

  “Antonia,” Maria called softly so that Elfin Dance didn’t become agitated again. “You try it. Talk to him. But be careful. Don’t get too close to him.” Maria opened the stall door and let Antonia in, ready at any moment to step in front of her for protection. Leona watched the scene through the stall’s bars as if spellbound!

  But Antonia wasn’t afraid. She spoke to Elfin Dance, approached him slowly, and looked at him. Immediately he stopped snorting and stood still.

  “Elfin Dance,” Antonia whispered to him. “What’s the matter with you? You scared me, you wild thing! Mr. Sonnenfeld is my friend, and he was just worried about you. You have to be a little nicer.” Antonia talked and talked, finally stroking Elfin Dance’s head, and then felt for his pulse. Twenty-eight to forty beats per minute was normal, but Elfin Dance’s pulse was racing! She felt his jowls. Was it a fever? Mr. Sonnenfeld was right! The horse was sick.

  Maria sent Leona to the house. “Call Dr. Kemper. Even if it’s just a little cold, he should see Elfin Dance.”

  Leona ran off and returned five minutes later. “Dr. Kemper’s coming in an hour. Mr. Sonnenfeld’s ankle is so swollen that he has to go to the hospital to get it checked out. In any case, I’m supposed to tell you that he won’t be able to take care of Elfin Dance for at least a little while.”

  Antonia and Maria looked at each other, perplexed.

  “Now what?” asked Antonia.

  “Very simple.” Maria was all smiles. “You’ll take over Elfin Dance’s care until Mr. Sonnenfeld is able to again. You’re the only one Elfin Dance listens to anyway.”

  Antonia couldn’t believe her ears. “Me?” she said. “You want me to take care of Elfin Dance?” She excitedly threw her arms around her aunt’s neck. But suddenly she fell silent. “What about Grandpa? He’ll never allow us to break the contract.”

  “Well, Grandpa is right. But we still have to come up with some way to take care of Elfin Dance,” answered Maria. “Maybe I should just get in touch with Mr. Bonhumeur and ask him what we should do?”

  But would the horse’s owner really entrust the care of such a valuable gelding to a ten-year-old girl?

  “Mr. Bonhumeur doesn’t know you’re a horse whisperer,” Maria continued, “and something like that is hard to explain. He will have to see it.”

  The Plot

  An hour later, Dr. Kemper drove onto the farm. Antonia and Maria stayed with him in the stall, and Elfin Dance submitted to the examination calmly.

  “You were right, Antonia,” praised Dr. Kemper. “Mr. Sonnenfeld’s hunch about a cold was right. It will be gone in three to four days.”

  He gave them a powder that had to be mixed into Elfin Dance’s food.

  “Keep a close eye on Elfin Dance,” Dr. Kemper said as he was leaving.

  “Easy for him to say,” said Antonia. “Papa, are you sure that Grandpa has to know that I’m taking care of Elfin Dance?”

  “I’m afraid so,” answered her father. “We have to tell Grandpa. We certainly can’t keep it a secret from him that you’re caring for Elfin Dance. And he won’t exactly be happy about it. A contract is a contract. And if we let Mr. Bonhumeur know that our caregiver is sick, that won’t make a good first impression either. And I’m sure he won’t approve of a ten-year-old taking over for Mr. Sonnenfeld.” It was a real predicament.

  Alexander Rosenburg took his daughter by the hand, and they sat down on a straw bale. His voice became thoughtful and also a little sad as he said, “Your mother had the same gift as you. She could also calm the wildest horses with just her voice. At first I couldn’t imagine it, but then I experienced it firsthand. Grandpa doesn’t believe in that sort of thing—horse whispering, I mean. He thinks it’s nonsense, even though he’s seen what you were able to do when Elfin Dance arrived here—and also what your mother did.”

  Antonia’s father paused for a moment and looked over at Elfin Dance, who seemed to be following every word with pricked ears. “We’ve waited so long for a really good contract. It’s very important that Mr. Bonhumeur’s horses get the best care here.”

  “And if it doesn’t work out?” asked Antonia.

  Her father just shook his head in answer.

  That evening, when it wasn’t so hot any more, Antonia wanted to take Snow White for a little walk around the farm.

  “Come, my dear. I’m warm, too, but you need a little exercise for your leg. Afterwards you’ll get a cool shower, I promise.” Snow White didn’t really seem to want to walk, so it didn’t surprise Antonia when the mare stopped in front of Elfin Dance’s stall. But then she stuck her muzzle through the bars and snorted softly. Elfin Dance turned, saw Snow White, and answered with an equally soft, almost tender neigh.

  “Hey, you two, do you like each other?” Antonia was happy and let them stand together for a while as they nuzzled and sniffed blissfully. But finally she pulled Snow White along by the reins. She led her past the new indoor riding arena and then past Grandma and Grandpa’s house.

  “What are we going to do?” she heard Grandpa ask through the open window. “Poor Mr. Sonnenfeld won’t be able to work for three weeks. John and Felix will have to take care of that wild thing. I’m too old for this stuff!” Antonia debated for a moment whether she should keep on eavesdropping.

  “What do you think about Antonia helping them take care of Elfin Dance?” asked Maria. Antonia wanted to jump for joy.

  But Grandpa replied, “Antonia is only ten years old. And with such a valuable horse? You can’t be serious!”

  Disappointed, Antonia reached for Snow White’s reins and grabbed at nothing. Suddenly Antonia heard a heart-rending scream from the porch! She barely had the porch in view when she stopped in horror. Grandma had planted herself in front of Snow White, who was calmly eating her rose bushes! Blossom after blossom disappeared into Snow White’s mouth. One bush had already been destroyed when Antonia raced forward and grabbed Snow White by the mane. “Are you crazy, Snow White? You can’t eat Grandma’s roses!”

  But Grandpa, who had been drawn outside by the noise, came to her rescue. He stroked Antonia’s head and said with a mischievous smile, “Antonia, I’m glad that you’re taking such good care of Snow White, but rose blossoms are really a bit too much! Look, one of the bushes is bald already.” Everybody laughed, and Snow White neighed happily. Whew, this time Antonia had gotten off easily.

  Early the next morning, Antonia ran to her father in the stable. She greeted Felix, who had just stuck his head under the hood of the tractor to clean the air filter.

  “I’ve got it, Papa!” she yelled to her father from a distance. “I have a super idea! We should stable Snow White in the stall next to Elfin Dance! Then I’d be near both horses and Grandpa won’t notice exactly which horse I’m taking care of. He’s not in the stable that often anyway. And I’ll only go for a ride when Grandma and Grandpa aren’t here. What do you think?” Antonia looked at her father expectantly. When he didn’t immediately agree, she pulled out another card. “Besides, I’m very sure that Snow White and Elfin Dance will like each other. Yesterday they sniffed each other for a long time. Maybe Elfin Dance will get calmer having her nearby.”

  Finally her father was convinced. “Well, then, let’s get started with the move. But, Antonia, as far as going for a ride on Elfin Dance is concerned, that’s off limits for now. We’ll have to discuss that later.”

  Two riding students were scraping manure up from the floor with pitchforks, so Antonia had to raise her voice. “Okay, I won’t ride. Promise. But you really shouldn’t help with him, Papa. You have so many other things to do. I’ll do it with Caroline and Leona.”

  John, who had just g
otten fresh hay from the hayloft and had overheard the conversation, called from the ladder, “I can help, too, Mr. Rosenburg.”

  “All right, but when you need me, let me know. And as far as Elfin Dance is concerned, be very careful around him! Horses are bigger and stronger than people.”

  “Understood,” Antonia reassured her father and began looking for Leona and Caroline. The four of them, working together, quickly had the stall next to Snow White’s ready. Almost ceremoniously, Antonia, along with John, led Elfin Dance to it. Snow White neighed as she saw her new neighbor. Right away the two horses stood at the bars separating them and sniffed each other. Leona watched, wide-eyed. “They like each other,” she observed in surprise. “It’s just like they are best friends.”

  “They have a crush on each other,” Antonia giggled.

  Antonia’s father, who had joined them again, asked, “When you’ve gotten through with that, could you two help curry and exercise the other horses?”

  “Sure, Papa.” They got to work right away. Antonia checked in on Elfin Dance from time to time. His pulse was still too fast, but Antonia would be sure to monitor him continuously—and of course check in on Snow White too!

  As Antonia and Leona were laying in their beds that night, Antonia sighed. “Hopefully everything will go well with Elfin Dance and Snow White.”

  “I’m sure it will,” answered Leona, yawning.

  “There is nothing nicer than living on farm like this,” Antonia continued.

  And Leona agreed before falling fast asleep.

  The Storm

  For three days, Antonia and Leona took care of Elfin Dance and Snow White. If she and Leona hadn’t been staying in the same room, Antonia would have moved into the stable with her sleeping bag and pillow to attend to the horses night and day. But that’s where Leona had drawn the line.