by Maggie Joan
Refilling the wash bucket, I cleaned his wound again and reapplied some more Savlon. He didn’t bother at all. I touched his shoulder and watched him for a reaction. Nothing. I dipped my fingers in the water and rubbed at his shoulder wound. Still nothing.
I kept on chatting to him as I cleaned his shoulder and dabbed some antiseptic cream onto it. “There we go,” I said, grinning. “You’re all fixed up.”
He turned his head towards me, and half closed his eyes, as if he were smiling. That was all I needed.
Chapter 17
I decided later that day to take a wander around the other side of the barn, just for a change of scenery. As I wandered around the drystone wall corral, I heard a noise behind me. I turned around, half expecting to see a person, but found myself staring at Blue.
“Hey, you,” I said, smiling at him. “What are you doing?”
He stood there, looking at me all innocent.
“I just came for a look about,” I said, starting to walk around. “You want to see?”
He cocked an ear in my direction and followed me.
“You know I don’t have any treats, right? You’re doing this all because you want to.”
He swished his tail from side to side and ambled around next to me. I stopped. He stopped. I started walking. He started walking.
“This could be fun,” I said.
I stopped again, and so did he. I approached him from his nearside and put my hands on his neck. His eyes filled with worry for a moment but after a couple of seconds, he dropped his head and started licking and chewing.
“Who’s a good boy?” I said, running my hands up and down his neck. I didn’t want to push my luck too far and risk freaking him out. “How about a scratch?”
I ran my fingertips over him, scratching him in various places to see if he had any favourite spots. Watching his reaction absolutely filled me with joy. I could literally see in his face he was thinking how strange it was but how nice it was too. When I started scratching around the centre of his chest, he cocked his head to one side and started twitching his top lip.
“Is that nice?” I said, laughing. “What about double trouble?”
I put one hand on his withers and the other on the centre of his chest, scratching both spots at the same time. He stretched his neck out and lifted his head high in the air, twisting his top lip up. I couldn’t help but laugh. I kept scratching him until my fingers ached.
“I’m sorry, boy,” I said. “My fingers are hurting.”
He sighed and turned around, then to my amazement, started nuzzling my shoulder. Was this his way of giving me something back?
“You are such a sweetie,” I said to him, rubbing the centre of his head.
I wandered back to the barn, with Blue in tow, and wondered where to go from here. He was clearly enjoying interacting with me and I wanted to build on that. There was something unique forming between us and I wanted to embrace it as fully as possible.
***
Our routine over the next few days was the same. I’d wash his wounds and reapply some antiseptic. Then we’d wander around the back of the barn and have some fun in the corral. Whenever he did something I wanted him to, he’d get a scratch in his favourite place.
It was either my imagination or the actual truth, but he seemed to do what I wanted him to do before I’d even asked him. I’d literally just have to think it and he was already acting on it.
As we spent more time together, I soon had him trotting and cantering on command, backing up, and doing various patterns, all from me just using my voice and thinking what I wanted of him. Every time I said ‘good boy’, he’d come to me for a scratch, then wander back out and carry on with what he was doing previously. He seemed to live for love and praise.
The real turning point for us came one night when a storm hit. It had been humid and muggy all day and when I saw the grey clouds hanging low at sunset, I knew we’d be at least getting some rain. I went up into the loft and threw down several more hay bales, intending to build a wall out of them so part of the open front was partially blocked off and would give some shelter.
Blue paid little attention to me as he munched on his pile of hay. Literally within five minutes of me finishing the ‘wall’ of hay, the heavens opened, and typically the rain came into the barn. I grabbed my bag and with a shriek as the rain turned into hail, I ran behind the hay wall for shelter.
I stared at Blue with raised eyebrows, wondering what the hell he thought he was doing braving the hail with his bum turned to it.
“You can eat your hay from in here,” I said, pointing to the space next to me. “Hardly like you’re going to starve, is it?”
He snorted and then moved to exactly where I’d pointed. The storm blew on for hours, never relenting once. When the thunder and lightning came, I realised we were in for a sleepless night. I cuddled up next to the hay wall, but I couldn’t get comfortable. I’d gotten used to my little ‘nest’ over in the opposite corner.
As I battled to find a comfortable position to sleep, Blue gave up eating, finally, and with a grunt, laid down on the straw. I laughed at him wondering if he’d eaten himself into a food coma again. I fidgeted something chronic, unable to get comfortable. After a few minutes, Blue propped himself up on his shoulder and looked at me.
“What?” I said. “I can’t get comfortable.”
He gave me a blank stare and then laid back down.
We repeated this process another three or four times—me fidgeting, him sitting up and staring at me, then laying back down. The next time he sat up, he touched his chest with his nose, and then laid back down.
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” I asked him.
He sighed and closed his eyes.
My entire body filled with nervous excitement, I crawled over to him and gently laid my head on his neck. When he didn’t move or react in any way whatsoever, I fell asleep comfortably, smiling yet again.
Chapter 18
Blue was nothing short of amazing. In just a few short days, his shoulder wound had all but healed up and his knee was doing really well. Washing it twice a day and applying Savlon after each time seemed to be working a treat.
Wherever I wandered to, he followed me like a dog. I wasn’t convinced how good of a guard dog he’d be but I appreciated his company nonetheless. I didn’t stray far from the barn and only ever at night to avoid spying eyes. I hadn’t quite worked out if Blue was rideable or not and without any tack or a riding helmet, I wasn’t sure I wanted to experiment.
We took a wander to King Arthur’s Hall one night. The moon was nothing but a sliver in the sky and masked by heavy rain clouds. It was almost pitch black on the moor but for some reason I decided it would be a clever idea to go for a walk.
I could see the fence in the distance and kept my eyes peeled on it, intent on making it there without fault. Instead of following me like a puppy, Blue kept at my side, his shoulder level with me. His big swinging stride made it difficult for me to walk and not run but we managed to stay in time with each other.
Feeling brave, I put my arm on his withers and grabbed a handful of his mane, allowing him to guide me over the uneven ground. He stepped around big rocks and waterlogged areas like he knew the place inside out.
When we reached the hall, I climbed onto the stile, ready to go exploring within the boundary. Blue stomped his foot and shook his head.
“I just want to see it all in darkness, boy,” I said. “Imagine what it would have been like all those years ago.”
He pinned his ears back and pulled a face at me, swishing his tail in annoyance.
“Ok, ok, I get the picture,” I said, sighing in defeat. As I started to climb back over the stile, he sidled up to it, blocking my exit. “How am I supposed to get back over there when you’re in the way, doofus?”
He bobbed his head up and down, snorted, and stamped a foot, almost as if he was telling me I was being stupid. I stood up on the stile, ready to push him away
so I could get down, and then realised what he was doing.
“Oh my god,” I said. “You can’t be serious.”
He stood there patiently, looking all pretty as he gazed out over the dark landscape.
“You better look after me, Blue, because if I fall off and hit my head and die, I’m coming back to haunt you.”
He snorted and pawed the ground.
Biting my lip, I held my breath as I grabbed onto his withers and slid my right leg over his broad back. Tingling excitement rushed through me like a shot of adrenaline and my heart pounded like crazy against my ribs. This couldn’t be happening, could it?
I plunged my fingers into his thick mane and held on for dear life. He walked forwards and I couldn’t help but let out a little shriek. Of all the things I had ever done in my life, this had to be both the most incredible and the stupidest. I’d never really learned to ride a horse and hadn’t ever been back on one after David.
Somehow though, this felt like the most natural thing in the world. I relaxed and just let my legs dangle down either side of him. Whilst I was clinging onto his mane for dear life, I did my best to sit up straight and keep my chin up.
“If you look at the floor that’s where you’ll end up,” is what David used to say.
Blue ambled around the perimeter fence of the hall at a steady pace. Seeing it from horseback, in the middle of the night, sent my imagination into overdrive. I wondered if Guinevere had really existed and what it would have been like to ride this land centuries ago. What would have actually been stood here?
I chatted away to Blue, telling him my wonderings out loud about women in beautiful dresses and knights in shining armour on galloping steeds. When we’d walked around the entire fence, he came to a stop back in front of the stile.
“What’s up?” I said, frowning.
He put his head down and sighed.
“You’re going to make me walk all the way back?” I said, giggling to myself. “You’re mean.”
I reached out for the stile with my left leg and grabbed onto the fence post to pull myself off him very ungracefully. After I’d dismounted, he turned around and looked in the direction of the barn.
Giving him a good scratch in his favourite spot, I laughed at him. “You are so mean.”
He nuzzled my shoulder and then nudged me which I took as a sign to get a move on.
As we walked back to the barn, I began to understand why he didn’t want me on his back. The zig zag patterns he made, and the occasional sudden dodge of a hole or rock would have made it difficult for me to stay on.
I couldn’t help but marvel at how intelligent and amazing this horse was. The longer I spent with him, the more I wanted nothing more than for it to be just me and him forever. We’d come together in the strangest of circumstances but had developed an intense bond and uncanny way of communicating. We seemed to be connected on a deeper level, almost spiritual. He knew my thoughts, without a doubt. Was this kind of connection even possible?
Chapter 19
I woke the next morning to find Blue laid flat out on his side, no less than a foot away from me, snoring. He was actually snoring. I giggled and mentally cursed myself for not having my phone to record this. Still, it would be a memory I would hold forever, that I knew for sure.
My stomach growled alerting me to the need for food. I only had one biscuit left which meant I’d spent nine days out here so far. Nine fun filled, soul fixing, heart warming days with this incredible horse.
No food meant I’d have to go on the hunt for some and that would be difficult to do with a giant dog in tow. Even if I did it legitimately and bought food from a shop, he’d still be hanging around outside which was kind of noticeable, even to country folk.
I ate my biscuit and pondered my options. How could I make him understand he needed to hide whilst I sourced myself some food?
All of a sudden, Blue woke up, propping himself up on his shoulder. His ears were like radar antenna, twitching in all directions. Then with a huge grunt, he pushed himself to his feet and pulled a face at me with his ears back.
“What? Did you have a bad dream or something?”
He nipped at the air beside me, his teeth scraping together as he did. I stood up, shocked. I knew he meant business. My heart began to race and adrenaline poured through my veins. What was going on? What had he heard or sensed?
Walking out of the barn, he stood with his head up high, listening. I followed him out and waited next to him. I strained my ears but couldn’t hear anything except early morning birds. He took a couple more steps and turned to the left, his attention focused on something behind the barn.
I still couldn’t hear anything. His entire body started quivering and he lifted his tail. He was getting ready to run but from what? Not particularly wanting to be flattened by him when he decided to bolt, I moved out of his way and stood next to the hay bale mounting block.
Just as I opened my mouth to speak to him, I heard a shout from behind me. I peered around the side of the barn to see a quad bike flying this way, a couple of dogs running in front of it. A fair way out still, I could barely make out the person on it, but they were definitely heading this way. I ran into the barn and grabbed my bag, throwing it over my shoulder.
Blue spun around and trotted over to the hay bale, pawing at the ground. I didn’t even think about it—I hugged my bag to my stomach, jumped on the hay bale and then onto his back. I threw my arms around his neck, leaning down over his withers, and closed my eyes.
My hands had barely clasped together before Blue took off with a spurt of energy that literally sucked the air from my body. I could hear nothing but the wind whistling in my ears and the thunder of Blue’s hooves.
I clung onto him as he flew over the moor, zig zagging from side to side with the agility of a rabbit. If I hadn’t been hugging his neck so tight, I’d have fallen off already. I didn’t dare open my eyes. I trusted Blue and that was all I needed.
At various points when he changed direction, I heard the roar of engines, shouts, and barking dogs. Whatever Blue was doing wasn’t working. We weren’t going to escape. He couldn’t outrun vehicles, not even a racehorse could do that.
We kept on going for what felt like ages. He was getting tired, I could feel it in him. His breathing was heavy and laboured and his pace had begun slowing with every stride. Beneath my hands, his chest was slick wet with sweat.
“Blue, easy boy. You’re going to kill yourself,” I said, scratching his chest as best I could through the damp hair.
He eased down to a trot, his sides heaving like bellows. I sat up and looked around to find three Land Rovers and two quad bikes coming at us from all sides. Four dogs were careering towards us, barking and snarling.
I stayed put on Blue’s back, figuring it the safest place to be. Before I could even think, a gunshot echoed through the air. I screamed, “No!” and flung my arms around Blue’s neck, desperate to keep him alive in any way I could.
Seconds later, a dart appeared in Blue’s shoulder, little pink feathers sticking out the end of it. I plucked it straight out but as Blue stumbled beneath me, I realised it had already gotten to him. I tried to sit up but instead found myself sliding off him towards the floor, a streak of blood following me as a crunch sucked me into darkness.
Chapter 20
When I woke, my head was pounding like hell. I went to move my left arm to put my hand to my head, but something stopped it from moving. Blinking the grogginess away, I focused my eyes to find myself in a room, strapped down to a table. My wrists and ankles were bound tight.
Panic surged through me. Where the hell was I and why was I tied up? I lifted my head to get a better view of the room but found myself crippled by a blinding pain in my left shoulder. I glanced over to see thick bandages covering it up.
Then I remembered the gunshot right before I fell off Blue. Had I been shot? Judging by the small red mark leaking through the bandages, I guessed so. Whoever would shoot a teenage girl and da
rt a horse? No one good, that was for sure.
I decided to study my surroundings as best as I could. I would find a way out of here even if it damn near killed me. The ceiling above me was wooden. Damp filled the air, invading my nose and making me feel ill. I laid my head down and tilted it back, trying to gauge the size of where I was.
When I saw a wooden wall staring back at me, inches from my head, I started to really worry. I bit my tongue through the pain of lifting my head and looked down towards my feet. A wooden door, just big enough for one person as an entrance and an exit. My stomach churned with dread. I was in a garden shed.
I heard a horse neigh from close by. Instinct told me it was Blue. I’d never heard him neigh but something in my gut told me it was him calling out. A desperate need to get to him filled me. His call was high pitched, frightened, shouting for help.
Biting the inside of my lip, I attempted to move my left arm, just to see how much use of it I would have. The instant I tried lifting it, hot searing agony hit me like a bulldozer. I clenched my fists and let tears leak from my eyes. The answer to that was no movement. Strapped down to a table in a garden shed with a bullet wound, this was a predicament only I could find myself in.
“Think, Blue, think,” I said.
Then it struck me. I’d watched a fair few documentaries about people being kidnapped and murdered. The one thing everyone did that ended up getting them killed quicker was scream and create a fuss. All that did was annoy the perpetrator even more and make them see their victim as nothing but something that needed to be taken care of.
I needed them to see me as a fellow human being, not an annoying fly to swat and kill. As I laid there, I recalled what I remembered from when they circled me and Blue. Five vehicles. That meant at least five people. Four dogs. Two were collies. I think one had been a Rottweiler but the other I couldn’t remember for the life of me. Quad bikes and collies. Usually something found on a farm. Collies were the A class dog for herding. But Blue wasn’t a sheep.
