War Hero

• Misha Stolp, Grade 6, Quinns Baptist College
• Short Story
• 2016

Excellence Award in the 'Top Secret 2016' competition

A young mare was starving to death in the Australian bushland. She would give anything to have a good feed. But there was not a single blade of grass in sight. As the mare was scavenging for food she came to a halt. In front of her was an old picnic basket with rotten apples inside. The mare was so desperate she devoured them immediately, then continued on with her journey.

This young mare soon became tired and settled down to sleep. She was about to close her eyes when…

BANG!!!

The mare jerked with fright from the gunshot. She had no idea what to do. To her the most logic thing to do was to find a place to hide. Luckily she found an abandoned Aboriginal hut which was just big enough for her to fit in. So the mare took her chance and took cover.

“Help! Help!”
The mare looked frantically around for where the noise was coming from.
“Help! HELP!”
More urgent this time, the mare whisked out of the hut and looked around frenziedly. When the mare almost gave up, she found a little girl. Her name was Alice. She was lost and scared of all the gunshots. To make matters worse, her mother and father were killed during all of the commotion. The mare galloped towards Alice. At first she was scared of the mare but soon came to realise that she was just trying to help her. So Alice warily stood up and followed the young mare back to the hut. Alice felt safer in the hut and fell asleep with the mare.

When morning sprung into life Alice and the mare were looking for a place for Alice to stay. The mare knew all along that Alice was too weak to survive out in the bushland so she desperately needed to find a place for Alice to stay. After hours and hours of searching, they finally came across a remote property. The first thing that Alice did was knock on the front door. As they waited for someone to open the door, Alice thanked and thanked the mare over and over again. Fortunately a young lady opened the door and as soon a she saw Alice and the mare she ushered Alice inside and lead the mare into a luscious paddock which contained a big trough of glistening water and a net of hay hanging in the stable. What a happy horse the young mare was!!!
“What on earth are you doing around these parts, young lady? Where are your parents?!”The lady asked, confused why Alice would be out with a mare in the bushland. Once Alice told the lady her fateful story, she almost cried with joy when she was told that she could live with the lady plus she could keep the mare.

Alice called the horse Merry-Legs because she is always merry and dances around every time she sees Alice.

Ever since, Merry-Legs has been known as the War Hero.