Rain

• Kirsten Pereira, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2004

As I looked into the box, I saw a familiar horse necklace and a picture of Rain and me. It used to be the necklace I wore whenever I went riding on Rain. Rain was my horse. My parents gave her to me when I was five. I grew up with her, shared many memories with her and as I was the only child, she was like a sister to me. However, I am starting to question my feelings for Rain.

It happened two months ago, when I was riding on Rain, she threw me off and I badly dislocated one of my bones in my leg. I had to take things slower after my operation and at best could only go riding after six months. I missed Rain and longed to see her.

Then six months past and the doctor told me I was ready to go riding on Rain again but I was not sure whether I even had the courage to go on Rain. However, it was worth a try if I wanted Rain to go back to her normal self so I plucked up courage and went to the stable to get Rain.

I walked towards her stable slowly and gently stroked her mane. She looked depressed. I decided not to go riding but to spend some time with her. To my surprise, she allowed me to make contact with her and once again, we could bond. It was a start, a good start I thought. Then, she suddenly turned away and started to look to a corner. At the corner, lay her foal and it then struck me that Rain was having birth pains the day she threw me off.

The foal caught my eye and I realised one of its legs was bleeding. I acted quickly wrapping a bandage around it to stop the bleeding and thereafter laid him back in the corner. Suddenly,I felt Rain tuck her head under mine to acknowledge her thanks for saving her foal. You could see the love Rain had for her foal. Later that evening, a veterinarian checked Rain and her foal to see if all was good. I decided to call the foal ‘Courage’ because he inspired me about courage being born with a leg that was bleeding. Well, Courage grew up to be a strong horse that could gallop swiftly like the wind.

I used my horse necklace and rode on Rain again and it was exactly like the old times. The most inspirational thing that happened to me when I took part in a competition with Courage was that we won the race and received a gold trophy. It was amazing how he tried his best to win the race against all odds. It was my first gold trophy and I was proud.

Rain grew old with time and to me she will always be in my heart and as for Courage, he will always have his mother’s spirit and will to live on.