Whispering Hope

by Marsha Hubler

  “Well, that’s great,” Mr. Chambers said. He relaxed into his chair and folded his arms. “This is the best news I’ve heard since our rebel Mustang got himself straightened out. Wanda, we’ve all been praying that you’d allow God to work in your heart. What made you decide to accept Christ?”

  “It was something Skye said to me earlier this week when we were shooting pool and talking. She said God could help me not hate my father. Mrs. C. had told me that too, but I guess it’s just starting to sink into this rock on my shoulders.” Wanda tapped her head with her index finger. “I also saw how all you guys are so happy all the time. Even when you’ve got problems, you don’t wanna go and throw yourself off a cliff. You’re different from anybody else I know. I figured that’s because you all have God in your life. I have a long way to go, but I think I’m on the right track.”

  “God will help you with all your problems,” Morgan said. “You’ll see.”

  “That’s what I’ve been hearing,” Wanda said and nibbled on another chip. “But there’s one problem that I think Skye can help me with right this minute.”

  “Oh?” Mrs. Chambers said while everyone raised their eyebrows. “What’s that?”

  Again, Wanda glanced around the table and focused on Skye. “I’d like her to show me how to dress and act like a Christian girl.”

  “I wanna look real nice today ‘cause I wanna tell everybody that I have Jesus in my life,” Wanda said as she sat at Skye’s dresser and stared at the mirror.

  “You’re off to a good start,” Skye said, bending over Wanda and glancing at the mirror, too. “Now, with your new spike job with just the right mousse, your just-theright make-up, and just-the-right threads, you’ll make a grand entrance at the picnic today.”

  “What time are the church kids coming?” Wanda asked.

  Skye glanced at her watch. “They’re supposed to come at four o’clock.”

  “Skye,” Wanda said as she stared at her own reflection, “Chad’s not your boyfriend, is he?”

  I sure hope someday, Skye thought as she stood next to Wanda and played with some tangled necklaces in her jewelry box. “Ah, no. We’re too young to date,” Skye said with some hesitation. “But we’re real good friends. Why?”

  “I’d like him to be my boyfriend,” Wanda said. “Will you help me?”

  You have got to be kidding. Skye felt her face flush, and her brain had no idea what to tell her lips to say next. “Ah—ah—” Skye stammered, “Mom and Dad won’t allow any of us, even Morgan, to have boyfriends. We’re all too young yet.”

  “Oh!” Wanda seemed startled. “My boyfriend, Wheels—you know from the gang?—we were a number for a couple of years. But he’s been sent up, so as far as I’m concerned, we’re history. He was no good for me anyway. Chad would be good for me.”

  Skye felt her heart nosedive into the pit of her stomach, and she thought she was going to be sick. Chad and Wanda together? “Well, I know Mom and Dad won’t let you date Chad or anybody.”

  “Hmm.” Wanda stared at the mirror. “At least I can let him know I’m interested for when we are older. I want to look so pretty today that I’ll knock his socks off when he sees me.”

  I’d like to knock your block off right now, Skye grumbled and then gave herself a lecture. Stop it. He’s not interested in any girl, and he won’t be interested in Wanda either. Skye refocused and went back to the task. “Wanda, I’m thinking about how nice you looked in that pink blouse you wore awhile back. I believe pink is your color.”

  “I can wear that blouse today,” Wanda said.

  “Nah, that’s too fancy for a picnic,” Skye said. “Do you have any other kind of pink top?”

  Wanda sat a moment, thinking. “I know. I have a pink pullover with short sleeves. That should be just right for today.”

  Skye held up a small gold heart necklace with one small rhinestone in the middle. “And if you wear a touch of jewelry to complete your new look, you should knock everyone’s socks off.” Minus Chad’s, Skye determined.

  At four o’clock sharp, the church bus rolled in to the Keystone Stables parking lot, and about a dozen teens and Mr. and Mrs. Salem, the chaperones, piled off.

  Mr. Chambers and Skye had five horses tacked and lined up at the fence in the pasture, ready to go. Although Rebel had been doing fine with his training, Mr. Chambers decided that a dozen rambunctious teens might be just a little too much, so Rebel got the day off just watching the action from the training corral. Mrs. Chambers, Morgan, and Wanda were busy at the picnic grounds getting the grille going and setting the tables. At the house, the game room door had been propped opened, inviting all to partake in the fun that waited inside.

  Skye stood petting Champ’s neck and studying the bus as it emptied. As soon as she saw Chad, her heart did a double flip, and she yelled out to him.

  “Chad, over here!” She waved and Chad looked her way.

  “Be there in a sec, Skye!” he yelled. Then Skye noticed Chad saying something to a boy standing right next to him. Skye didn’t know the other boy.

  Chad and the boy, along with five girls, headed toward the pasture where Skye and Mr. Chambers waited with the horses. The chaperones and other teens headed toward the pavilion.

  “Step right this way, ladies,” Mr. Chambers said to the girls who approached the fence with a round of giggles.

  “Can we ride now?” one asked.

  “Sure,” Mr. Chambers said. “Slip in through the rails and we’ll get you mounted. You can ride in here.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

  When one of the girls climbed on Champ, Skye gave her a crash course in riding and loosed the horse’s reins from the fence. After all the girls had mounted, Mr. Chambers walked to the center of the field and threw out instructions to the girls who started to ride in a large circle around him.

  Skye then turned her attention to Chad and the new boy. “Hi, Chad,” Skye said.

  “What’s up, Skye?” Chad said. “I want you to meet Pete Gellito. He just moved here from Pittsburgh. He started working part-time at Culp’s. That’s where we met. Pete, this is Skye Nicholson. She lives here at Keystone Stables.”

  “Hel-lo, Skye Nicholson!” Pete immediately shifted his charm into overdrive.

  “Hi, Pete!” Whoa! The young man had the blackest, waviest hair Skye had ever seen. His dark eyes set off a handsome face with a defined nose and square jaw. He reminded Skye of a picture of a Roman statue in her history book. Not as cute as Chad, Skye determined, but close. Awfully close. “How come you moved to these parts?” she asked Pete.

  “My dad’s corporation downsized, so he had a choice. He could either move to the satellite company here or lose his job. Big choice, huh?”

  “I think you’ll like it here in central PA,” Chad said. “There’s lots to do, and lots of nice kids to do them with.” He winked at Skye, and her heart took off.

  “I’m finding that out already,” Pete said, staring at Skye. “The girls in this part of the country are something else.”

  Skye felt her face flush as she stared back into Chad’s eyes.

  “I want to show Pete around,” Chad said. “I think we’ll—”

  “Hey, Chad ole’ buddy! How are ya?” Wanda came charging across the lawn like a runaway train and slapped Chad on the shoulder. “Are you ready for a game of pool?”

  Indeed, Wanda did make a striking appearance with her Skye-directed makeover, her pink top and delicate gold necklace. One thing Skye realized immediately was that she had failed to tell Wanda how to “talk” to boys. But with Chad in the center of the picture, Skye wasn’t sure she was ready to do that. I’d rather have Wanda be Chad’s “ole’ buddy” than his girlfriend, she reasoned.

  “Hi, Wanda,” Chad said. “This is Pete Gellito. He just moved here from Pittsburgh. Pete, this is Wanda Stallord. She’s a foster kid from Harrisburg. She stays here at Keystone Stables.”

  “Well, hel-lo, Wanda Stallord!” Pete said. “Where have you been all my life?�
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  “Double whoa!” Wanda parked her hands on her hips and studied Pete from head to toe. “Pittsburgh’s loss, our gain. What grade are you in, hotshot?”

  “I’m in tenth.” Pete gave Wanda the once-over and seemed as though he thoroughly enjoyed her attention.

  “I’m in eighth,” Wanda chimed and never looked away from Pete. “But I’m homeschooling right now.” In her next breath, she said, “I just accepted Jesus into my life. Are you a Christian, Pete?”

  “Well, I go to church,” Pete said.

  “Not good enough,” Wanda informed him. “You need Jesus in your life. I’ll tell you about it later.”

  “I’d like to hear what you have to say,” Pete said sincerely.

  This is very good, Skye thought.

  Chad tried to get a word in. “I’d like to show Pete around and—”

  “So, Pete, have you ever shot pool?” Wanda interrupted.

  “Pool’s my game!” Pete said. “I even have my own cue stick. I was in a junior billiard league back home. Chad told me you had a pool table here, and I would have brought my cue, but it’s still packed somewhere in a box at our new house. Guaranteed, the next time I come here, I’ll have it with me.”

  This is super good! Skye thought as she and Chad exchanged smiles. “The pool table is just sitting in there waiting for us,” Skye announced. “Why don’t we make it a foursome?”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Chad said, glancing at his watch. “We have time for a few games before supper.”

  Wanda grabbed Pete by the arm and turned him toward the open door of the game room. “Well, hotshot, let’s see if you can put your money where your mouth is. Nine Ball’s my game.”

  “That’s my game, too.” Pete released a hearty laugh. “Double or nothing, ball in hand on a foul, gorgeous.”

  As Wanda and Pete headed across the lawn, Chad and Skye started to follow a short distance behind. Skye glanced back at the field to make sure Champ was in good hands. He was. Her gaze drifted to the training corral where Rebel stood with his neck arched out over the fence as he watched the other horses. Skye took an extra long look at the horse that had caused her so much trouble, but now he looked like he was almost smiling.

  “Skye, ole’ buddy…” Chad’s words brought Skye back to his dimpled smile as he gently slapped her shoulder in mock-Wanda style. “It looks like we’re going to have a great time here today.”

  “Chad, ole’ buddy…” Skye beamed her most radiant smile at one of her best friends in the whole wide world. “…I’m already having the greatest time of my life.”

  A Letter to my Keystone Stables Fans

  Dear Reader,

  Are you crazy about horses like I am? Are you fortunate enough to have a horse now, or are you dreaming about the day when you will have one of your very own?

  I’ve been crazy about horses ever since I can remember. When I was a child, I lived where I couldn’t have a horse. Even if I had lived in the country, my folks didn’t have the money to buy me a horse. So, as I grew up in a small coal town in central Pennsylvania, I dreamed about horses and collected horse pictures and horse models. I drew horse pictures and wrote horse stories, and I read every horse book I could get my hands on.

  For Christmas when I was ten, I received a leatherfringed western jacket and a cowgirl hat. Weather permitting, I wore them when I walked to and from school. On the way, I imagined that I was riding a gleaming white steed into a world of mountain trails and forest paths.

  Occasionally, during the summer, my mother took me to a riding academy where I rode a horse for one hour at a time. I always rubbed my hands (and hard!) on my mount before we left the ranch. For the rest of the day I tried not to wash my hands so I could smell the horse and remember the great time I had. Of course, I never could sit at the dinner table without Mother first sending me to the faucet to get rid of that “awful stench.”

  To get my own horse, I had to wait until I grew up, married, and bought a home in the country with enough land for a barn and a pasture. Moon Doggie, my very first horse, was a handsome brown and white pinto Welsh Mountain Pony. Many other equines came to live at our place where, in later years, my husband and I also opened our hearts to foster kids who needed a caring home. Most of the kids loved the horses as much as I did.

  Although owning horses and rearing foster kids are now in my past, I fondly remember my favorite steed, who has long since passed from the scene. Rex, part Quarter Horse and part Tennessee Walker, was a 14 ½ hands-high bay. Rex was the kind of horse every kid dreams about. With a smooth walking gait, he gave me a thrilling ride every time I climbed into the saddle. Yet, he was so gentle, a young child could sit confidently on his back. Rex loved sugar cubes and nuzzled my pockets to find them. When cleaning his hooves, all I had to do was touch the target leg, and he lifted his hoof into my waiting hands. Rex was my special horse, and although he died at the ripe old age of twenty-five many years ago, I still miss him.

  If you have a horse now or just dream about the day when you will, I beg you to do all you can to learn how to treat with tender love and respect one of God’s most beautiful creatures. Horses make wonderful pets, but they require much more attention than a dog or a cat. For their loyal devotion to you, they only ask that you love them in return with the proper food, a clean barn, and the best of care.

  Rex

  Although Skye’s and Wanda’s story that you just read is fiction, the following pages contain horse facts that any horse lover will enjoy. It is my desire that these pages will help you to either care for your own horse better now or prepare you for that moment when you’ll be able to throw your arms around that one special horse of your dreams that you can call your very own.

  Happy riding!

  Marsha Hubler

  Are Your Ready to Own Your First Horse?

  The most exciting moment in any horse lover’s life is to look into the eyes of a horse she can call her very own. No matter how old you are when you buy your first horse, it’s hard to match the thrill of climbing onto his back and taking that first ride on a woodsy trail or dusty road that winds through open fields. A well-trained mount will give you a special friendship and years of pleasure as you learn to work with him and become a confident equestrian team.

  But owning a horse involves much more than hopping on his back, racing him into a lather of sweat, and putting him back in his stall until you’re ready to ride him again.

  If you have your own horse now, you’ve already realized that caring for a horse takes a great amount of time and money. Besides feeding him twice a day, you must also groom him, clean his stall, “pick” his hooves, and have a farrier (a horseshoe maker and applier) and veterinarian make regular visits.

  If you don’t own a horse and you are begging your parents to buy one, please realize that you can’t keep the horse in your garage and just feed him grass cuttings left over from a mowed lawn. It is a sad fact that too many neglected horses have ended up in rescue shelters after well-meaning families did not know how to properly care for their steeds.

  If you feel that you are ready to have your own horse, please take time to answer the following questions. If you say yes to all of them, then you are well on your way to being the proud owner of your very own mount.

  Do you have the money to purchase: the horse? (A good grade horse can start at $800. Registered breeds can run into the thousands.)

  a saddle, pad, and bridle, and a winter blanket or raincoat? ($300+ brand new)

  a hard hat (helmet) and riding boots? ($150+)

  essentials such as coat and hoof conditioner, bug repellent, electric clipper and grooming kit, saddle soap, First Aid kit, and vitamins? ($150+)

  Does your family own at least a one-stall shed or barn and at least two acres of grass (enough pasture for one horse) to provide adequate grazing for your horse during warm months? If not, do you have the money to regularly purchase quality oats and alfalfa/timothy hay, and do you have the place to store the hay? Oh, an
d let’s not forget the constant supply of sawdust or straw you need for stall bedding!

  Are you ready to get up early enough every day to give your horse a bucket of fresh water, feed him a coffee can full of oats and one or two sections of clean dry hay (if you have no pasture), and “muck out” the manure from the barn?

  Every evening, are you again ready to water and feed your horse, clean the barn, groom him, and pick his hooves?

  Will you ride him at least twice a week, weather permitting?

  If the answer to any of the above questions is no, then does your family have the money to purchase a horse and board him at a nearby stable? (Boarding fees can run as high as a car payment. Ask your parents how much that is.)

  So, there you have the bare facts about owning and caring for a horse. If you don’t have your own horse yet, perhaps you’ll do as I did when I was young: I read all the books I could about horses. I analyzed all the facts about the money and care needed to make a horse happy. Sad as it made me feel, I finally realized that I would have to wait until I was much older to assume such a great responsibility. And now years later, I can look back and say, “For the horse’s sake, I’m very glad I did wait.”

  I hope you’ve made the decision to give your horse the best possible TLC that you can. That might mean improving his care now or waiting until you’re older to get a horse of your own. Whatever you and your parents decide, please remember that the result of your efforts should be a happy horse. If that’s the case, you will be happy too.

  Let’s Go Horse Shopping!

  If you are like I was when I was younger, I dreamed of owning the most beautiful horse in the world. My dream horse, with his long-flowing mane and wavy tail dragging on the ground, would arch his neck and prance with only a touch of my hand on his withers or a gentle rub of my boot heel on his barrel. My dream horse was often different colors. Sometimes he was silvery white; other times he was jet black. He was often a pinto blend of the deepest chocolate browns, blacks, and whites. No matter what color he was, he always took me on a perfect ride, responding to my slightest commands.