O'maley: The Wild Brumby

• Lexi Fox-hughes, Grade 6, Albuera Street Primary School
• Short Story
• 2011

Excellence Award in the 'Step Write Up 2011' competition

The gentle waves devoured the sand, as if hungry after its day’s work of keeping its sea creatures happy. The evening light cast shadows on the warm sand that I was sitting on. A lone seagull perched on a giant rock and then cried out, as if showing the world that it was still there.
It was peaceful. And then I saw her.

My heart started beating faster but I stayed still. Her shimmering black body was unmoving, but her wide, hazel brown eyes searched the beach as if they couldn’t spot me.
Then, as if just silent shadows in the night, a herd emerged from behind the trees. Quickly and quietly, a large grey with a matted mane made his way to the front. He lifted his head and neighed loudly, breaking the silence so that I jumped. He took one step forward. Fear engulfed me. Should I run? For the first time in my life, I was terrified around horses. But these horses were wild.

Stop, I told myself, trying to push all the bad thoughts away, they won’t do anything to you, just slowly walk away... But no matter what I wanted to do my legs had made the decision. They stayed glued to the ground as if they were fascinated by these sudden appearances.
Isn’t this your chance? I said, trying to get the peaceful feeling back, haven’t you always wanted to see a wild brumby? It has been everyone’s dream sometime. But that dream was now extinguished.
I came back to my senses and watched the horses. The black lowered her head. The grey nudged her, but she ignored him. And then he reared. Years later I could still remember those hooves flashing near my face. I screamed. He raced back into the bush, the other horses after him. But the black horse stayed where she was curious. A wave of calmness washed over me. She took a small step forward, until she was only a couple feet away from me. I talked to her. She listened. She had a white star on her forehead. Her gently eyes looked into mine and I sighed, amazed.

Then everything happened fast. She kicked out behind her. The grey had come back. He bared his teeth, and then he looked at me. His ears were laid flat back against his head. Then the black horse took a nip of him and he turned back around to her. I relieved. She had saved me. He gave another warning neigh, then turned his head back to the forest. She looked at me, her eyes now scared. She nudged my shoulder, and then turned around and followed the grey out into the night, and they disappeared as if they had never even been there at all.
The next day she came back. She gained even more trust in me. I named her O’Maley.
I haven’t seen her for around a month now, but I know that she’s still there-waiting for me.