been dreaming, she thought. But what a strange dream. It seemed so real.
Lauren slowly raised her head to look
around. Her vision was still blurred. She could tell she was in a
barn, that was all. Then the images of the old homestead, the
kittens, the storm and the collapsing ladder rushed back into her
mind.
Trooper
brought me here , she remembered. I hope he’s okay. I’ve got to find the kittens and
go. She shut her eyes again. As she gathered strength,
another thought popped into her head. Where’s the ladder? I thought it landed on top of
me.
Slowly, she pushed herself to a sitting
position and shook her head. The fog was clearing. She could see a
line of stalls in front of her. A buckskin gelding looked back at
her, his ears pricked forward as he watched her.
“Trooper?” said Lauren in amazement.
“How did you get in here? It is you, isn’t it?” Slowly, she climbed
to her feet expecting to feel stiff. Sore. But she felt fine. No.
Better than fine. Now that the dizziness was gone, she felt light
and full of energy.
She walked closer, peering ahead through
the dissipating fog. It was him! There was the crescent shaped star
on his forehead. “Hey buddy,” she whispered and reached for his
head. “I don’t understand. This is too weird.” Her hands froze in
midair when she heard a door open almost behind her. She spun
around to see an eleven or twelve-year-old girl with long,
white-blonde hair walk out of the chicken coop, a basket of eggs in
her hand. The girl closed the door behind her and trudged toward
the main barn door.
“I’ll be back in a minute, Ben,” she
said at the door, throwing a look toward Trooper’s stall. Her voice
was saturated with sadness. “I’m spending all the rest of my time
with you. I don’t care about breakfast.”
Trooper whinnied at her, and with a
flick of her silver-gold hair, she was gone.
“Didn’t she see me, Trooper? And who is
Ben? Does she think I’m a boy or what?” Puzzlement covered Lauren’s
face. “Hey,” she said and her expression suddenly cleared. “The
door’s open now. Let’s get out of here before she comes back. I’ll
see if the yard is clear.”
Lauren hurried to the barn door. Morning
sunlight spilled into the barn and she was careful to stay to the
side of it. She didn’t want the girl to see her until it was too
late for her to stop them. She had to get back to Aunt April’s as
quick as she could. Her dad was going to be there that day. And my mom, remembered Lauren
and felt the anger instantly rise up inside her again. She forced
it down with an effort. I’ll deal
with that when I see her, she decided and peered around the
edge of the open door.
Lauren’s mouth dropped open. “What?” she
whispered as she looked out into the yard. The bushes and saplings
were gone. The yard was covered with dirt and grass – mown grass.
The house was in perfect repair and painted white. The blue trim
around the windows and doors was cheerful and bright. A red truck
stood in front of the house, shiny and clean. She heard a moo
coming from her right and looked at a small herd of fawn-coloured
milk cows grazing near the gate of one of the pastures. In another
pasture, one fenced with mesh wire, a herd of goats grazed, their
kids jumping and playing in the long grass.
Lauren looked back inside the barn. How
had she not noticed? The machinery that had been rusting next to
the wall was shiny and well oiled. The ladder stretched up to the
loft, strong and firm. There was no dirt or dust.
Or bones?
Lauren ran to the nearest stall, her
heart pounding faster than her feet hit the floor. When she looked
inside she saw clean straw on the floor. A water bucket. Wisps of
hay in the manger. But no bones.
Am I
dreaming? she wondered and looked wildly at Trooper. Is all this with Lizzie and her dad
a dream? But it’s way too real to be a dream. I can even smell cow
poo. And I can hear the chickens clucking. And everything looks so
real, not dreamlike
Lauren slowly raised her head to look
around. Her vision was still blurred. She could tell she was in a
barn, that was all. Then the images of the old homestead, the
kittens, the storm and the collapsing ladder rushed back into her
mind.
Trooper
brought me here , she remembered. I hope he’s okay. I’ve got to find the kittens and
go. She shut her eyes again. As she gathered strength,
another thought popped into her head. Where’s the ladder? I thought it landed on top of
me.
Slowly, she pushed herself to a sitting
position and shook her head. The fog was clearing. She could see a
line of stalls in front of her. A buckskin gelding looked back at
her, his ears pricked forward as he watched her.
“Trooper?” said Lauren in amazement.
“How did you get in here? It is you, isn’t it?” Slowly, she climbed
to her feet expecting to feel stiff. Sore. But she felt fine. No.
Better than fine. Now that the dizziness was gone, she felt light
and full of energy.
She walked closer, peering ahead through
the dissipating fog. It was him! There was the crescent shaped star
on his forehead. “Hey buddy,” she whispered and reached for his
head. “I don’t understand. This is too weird.” Her hands froze in
midair when she heard a door open almost behind her. She spun
around to see an eleven or twelve-year-old girl with long,
white-blonde hair walk out of the chicken coop, a basket of eggs in
her hand. The girl closed the door behind her and trudged toward
the main barn door.
“I’ll be back in a minute, Ben,” she
said at the door, throwing a look toward Trooper’s stall. Her voice
was saturated with sadness. “I’m spending all the rest of my time
with you. I don’t care about breakfast.”
Trooper whinnied at her, and with a
flick of her silver-gold hair, she was gone.
“Didn’t she see me, Trooper? And who is
Ben? Does she think I’m a boy or what?” Puzzlement covered Lauren’s
face. “Hey,” she said and her expression suddenly cleared. “The
door’s open now. Let’s get out of here before she comes back. I’ll
see if the yard is clear.”
Lauren hurried to the barn door. Morning
sunlight spilled into the barn and she was careful to stay to the
side of it. She didn’t want the girl to see her until it was too
late for her to stop them. She had to get back to Aunt April’s as
quick as she could. Her dad was going to be there that day. And my mom, remembered Lauren
and felt the anger instantly rise up inside her again. She forced
it down with an effort. I’ll deal
with that when I see her, she decided and peered around the
edge of the open door.
Lauren’s mouth dropped open. “What?” she
whispered as she looked out into the yard. The bushes and saplings
were gone. The yard was covered with dirt and grass – mown grass.
The house was in perfect repair and painted white. The blue trim
around the windows and doors was cheerful and bright. A red truck
stood in front of the house, shiny and clean. She heard a moo
coming from her right and looked at a small herd of fawn-coloured
milk cows grazing near the gate of one of the pastures. In another
pasture, one fenced with mesh wire, a herd of goats grazed, their
kids jumping and playing in the long grass.
Lauren looked back inside the barn. How
had she not noticed? The machinery that had been rusting next to
the wall was shiny and well oiled. The ladder stretched up to the
loft, strong and firm. There was no dirt or dust.
Or bones?
Lauren ran to the nearest stall, her
heart pounding faster than her feet hit the floor. When she looked
inside she saw clean straw on the floor. A water bucket. Wisps of
hay in the manger. But no bones.
Am I
dreaming? she wondered and looked wildly at Trooper. Is all this with Lizzie and her dad
a dream? But it’s way too real to be a dream. I can even smell cow
poo. And I can hear the chickens clucking. And everything looks so
real, not dreamlike
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