Diving Deep

Bright fish swam past me, thier fins whispering around my smooth legs in the blue world under the sea. The enenemies floated back and forth in the gentle, salty curent. Salt (hidden in the cool waters that I couldn't drink) that bit my tounge. Along with the sandwich I had for lunch, that was the only thing I tasted in this silent world.

The silence was amazing. It was like seeing the world with the sound on mute. I did not hear anything. Not even a sea turtle grunt or a whale sing. There were no sirens, no angry voices, this world was hidden from violence.

It was big beautiful sea. I could not smell anything. There wasn't any polution. My nose was filled instead with cool water. I must go up for air soon, but I cannot leave this place. I love it. It has no shadows. Everything is open, for anyone to see. Everything lives in harmony. No one hurts anyone, phisiclly or emotionally. They all love and care and help one another.

My lungs are gasping for air. I must leave now. I must go back to my world of hatred and violence and hardship. But I will return, you can count that.


I silently wave goodbye to my underworld fantasy, and swim up to the sunny surface

Torn Loyalties

Orange and pink skies dance across the Nevada plains, and the sand stone are thrown into shadow as the sun sinks below the intimidating mountains. It is sunset. The mares and foals graze or doze peacefully here.

This is my territory. They are my herd. I am the Beauty. The stallion of the west. The master of all leaders. It is my job to take care of my herd.

I must make sure they have water to drink, grass to graze on, and safe places to nurse their foals. Above all, I must watch for danger. They are bedding down for the night, but I must keep watch. Danger could come at every minute. It could strike at any hour.

As if I had summoned it, another stallion, stepped from his hiding place. He was as Black as midnight. I would have ignored him, but he walked with too much purpose in his stride and a much too determined gleam in his eye. I knew what he was up to.

He was going to steal my mares. How dare he challenge me? This was my turf, I would show him. He would be sorry. I charged! I was racing across the plain, startling a stray Rabbit.

I was close to him, so close I could see the gleam of battle in his eyes. My steps faltered. I had recognized him. He was my son. I stopped. How could I fight my own son?

Long ago, I had driven him away from my herd. It was the custom, made to make sure the young Stallion could make his own herd. I had driven him away from his herd and his family. He had returned. Now, I had to do it again, but how could I, Especially when I could hear his mother calling him. She had recognized him and was running up behind me. My lead mare drove her back.

I finally went into action. I reared and came down hard on his haunches, whinnying a challenging neigh. He neighed back and whirled around baring his teeth. I dodged him and gave him a swift kick to the stomach. I may be old as you could tell by the color of my teeth, but I could still fight. Still every time, I struck him, I felt like I was striking myself.

He quickly gave in, bowing his head and moving his lips. He retreated, and I chased him a couple of yards before I went back to my watching place.

I had faced my torn loyalties, and I had won. I was still in charge, and I still had my mares. I neighed to my lead mare to keep watch for a few moments, while I went into a fitful sleep.

The next morning I wake up felling refreshed. None of my herd was awake yet. I decided to check the grass. Looking around, I noticed the grass was disappearing. We would have to move to a different valley today. I neighed to my lead mare to keep watch over the herd and galloped out of the valley.

I ran, the wind in my mane the ground disappearing behind me, searching for another valley. I suddenly smelled grass and veered to the right. I galloped through a pine forest, the sharp scent floating all around me; I passed a stream, the water glistening in the sunlight, and galloped into a beautiful valley. I slowed to a stop. This was the right valley. We would rest here today.

The valley was grassy, on one side there was a forest, and the rest was surrounded by mountains. The stream I had passed cut through the middle. There was a ledge halfway up one mountain, across from the forest, that I could watch from. No wandering stallion, or predator could find it without me seeing them first.

Suddenly it all came back to me, the fight, my son, his sad mother. I slowly left the valley. How could I have been so happy one second, and plunged into sadness the next?

When I returned to my band, they had awakened, and was standing around. A few were grazing. A tiny white foal, the newest member of the herd, raced up to me neighing joyously. She quickly nuzzled her head against my chest.

Pride swelled in my heart. I was no longer sad about my fight. This is what it was about. My herd. I nuzzled her on her snowy head, and neighed to my herd. The foal’s mother came to retrieve her foal and then we ran.

We ran as one. We would always be together, work together and play together. I neighed a neigh of pure bliss and reared to the sky.