Water Horse

• Amelia Newton, Grade 3, Annandale State School -
• Short Story
• 2021

Excellence Award in the 'Play On Words 2021' competition

Mum takes off my patterned sheets from over my head. I look out my window and birds are chirping little songs from the tree tops. Some trees close to the beach are highlighted with the morning sunshine that pierce through the little spaces in the bottom leaves. Charlie (our cat) nudges my leg and sits waiting for little pats on the head.
“ARUBA, MUFFIN!” Mum yells so the dogs will wake up.
“Please would you take Muffins lead?” Mum hands me Muffins lead. The brownish pale puppy, stares at the stretching beach ahead, with her blue and amber eyes.

We step out onto the warm golden sand. “Let them off the leash here.” Mum unbuckles the harness and the dogs sprint off in a blink of an eye. Mum walks in side to finish the washing and I’m expected to exercise the dogs.

The dogs were already half way across the beach. I glance up at the deep blue ocean. When I look down, my hands are vibrating faster than 12 cheetahs running across the safari. My skin is almost as white as the foam in the water. I feel like throwing up. I believe something horrible is going to come up from the deep and gobble me up. Then stomp back into the ocean. I shake myself up so the thought swishes away. I look back at the dogs who are two steps closer to the edge of the beach.

I creep up to the shallow shore of the ocean. A face appears in the water but it’s not my face. It’s a horse. “GAH” I yell but not too loudly so the pups don’t hear me. The horse emerges from under the water.

It is glimmering pale blue with hints of silver and coral rose gold scales. The scales are also swarming of sunset purple. The clitter and clatter of its hooves on the washed-up coral and rocks is enough to scare me.
The horse flips me on to its back and dives into the shivering ocean where the purple and silver fish bolt through the coral. ITS WONDERFUL, I thought. It’s nothing like I imagine. Why am I scared of swimming in the ocean anyway? I’m not scared any more of even how deep we go. It just gets even more wonderful.
We finally reach the surface. I rush towards mum. “I’m not scared of the ocean anymore!” I cheer.