A brumby's story

• Melanie Sichter, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2006

One stormy night, under the boughs of a eucalyptus tree, an old, buckskin mare gave birth to a dwarf foal. This would most likely be the old mare’s last foal, and the old mare would cherish the time she had with it. The old mare, known as Belle, looked at her pocket-sized foal.
The young filly might have been minute but her beauty was beyond compare. The young horse had a slender body with long, lean legs. She had a noble head with small, inquisitive ears, followed by a beautiful flowing, flaxen mane. At the end of her svelte body was a short, fluffy tail.
After a while the old, buckskin mare nudged her foal to stand and drink. The filly stretched out her forelegs and attempted to stand, but to her dismay she was unsuccessful and she tumbled back to the ground. She tried once more, she gathered up all her strength and surged into an upright position.
She might have managed standing but there was still one more obstacle in her way, and that was the large gap (large in her eyes) between her and her mum. She outstretched her near (left) foreleg and placed it in front of her body. “This isn’t as hard as I thought!” In no time she was at her mothers flank. She drank until she was replenished, and then fell asleep beside her mum’s hooves. Later that night, as Belle stood over her foal’s body she thought of the perfect name for her, “I shall name you Lightning, because under a lightning lit sky you were born."
In the morning, just as the sun filtered through the trees, the two horses set off to find water. Not long after leaving, they discovered a pond filled with crystal clear water. Belle drank slowly, savouring the taste of the water.
Days passed and Lightning grew stronger. But Lightning wasn’t the only thing growing, so was Belle’s longing to be with her herd. Her longing was replenished sooner than expected, when one day, through the leaves of a Black Sallee Tree, she spotted Spear. Spear was a handsome, chestnut stallion, the leader of the herd she belonged to.
At first sight Spear let out an ear-piercing neigh and went to greet his favourite mare. He checked that she was ok, then he spotted Lightning. “What a gorgeous filly”, exclaimed Spear.
The next few years passed and Lightning grew into a gorgeous chestnut mare, with her own foal. One night when all the other horses were sleeping, Belle woke. Knowing her life was almost ended she said her goodbye to Lightning then made her way to the birth place of Lightning. Most horses forget their foals but Belle never forgot Lightning, Lightning was somehow different.
When she reached her last destination, she lay down. “Be brave”, she told herself and with that her life ended, all the memories of the past years with Lightning passed before her eyes, then her life ended.