Dreams by Linda Chapman Page A

electric tape, her uncle and John Taylor were standing by Merlin near the cattle grid. The pony’s head was low and his left hind leg was lifted off the ground. Even from such a distance, Ellie could feel the waves of pain coming from him. Racing to the gate, she clambered over. Lucifer looked at her and snorted. Ignoring him, she ran up the field, her eyes fixed on the bay pony, each breath hurting her chest now.
    She reached them just as John started walking away. “I’ll go and fetch it from the car,” she heard him saying to her uncle.
    “What are you doing?” Ellie gasped.
    Her uncle looked at her in surprise. “What’s it to you?”
    Ellie reached Merlin and touched his neck, for a moment blocking out her uncle, taking in the pony’s trembling sides, his heavy breathing, his eyes clouded with pain. She looked at his leg and winced. She’d seen many injured animals when she had helped her dad, and this was bad. Merlin’s leg was torn open and blood was running down it. But it didn’t have to mean the end. “It’s just his tendon. Luke said.” She looked at her uncle.
    “There’s no just about it.”
    “But all he needs is rest. He might get better.”
    “He’s old. His time’s up.”
    Ellie felt as if she was in the worst sort of nightmare, seeing something bad about to happen, being unable to stop it. “But you can’t put him down! If you just left him out in the field, kept him off work…”
    Her uncle’s face was set and closed. “I’m not a charity.”
    “What about Joe?” Ellie’s voice rose desperately. “At least wait until he’s back. Merlin’s his pony.”
    “He’ll do what I say and I’m not leaving the pony to suffer more. It’s got to be done now. Good lad.” Len patted Merlin and walked off.
    “No! You can’t!” Ellie shouted. “You can’t do it!” But Len ignored her.
    Ellie swung around to the pony, her heart hammering in her chest. She couldn’t let this happen. “It’s OK, sweetie. It’s all right,” she whispered frantically. The breeze seemed to lift up her futile words and sweep them away. Ellie moved quickly to Merlin’s head and took the weight of it in her hands, one on either side of his face. She bent her forehead to his, instinctively pouring love out, not knowing what she was doing but sending everything she could, wishing she could heal him.
    Instantly she felt it—the click, the connection. The link she had been looking for so hard with Lucifer. Waves of Merlin’s pain rolled over her. It was almost more than she could bear.
    It’ll be OK, it’ll be OK , she told him, her mind racing through possible solutions. Maybe she could get him away from here. But how, with his leg…?
    She felt his desperate pain and concentrated on that again. The pony’s trembling quietened. Hush now . Little by little she felt a change in the energy around them, a sense of peace gradually chasing the fear and pain away. She felt as if she and Merlin were cut off from the world. Love, more love , her instincts said. She gave it with every cell of her being. I’m here with you. Don’t worry. Don’t be scared , she told him. You’ll be OK. I know you will . I’ll think of something. I will. I’ll…
    She jumped as she heard the sound of footsteps nearby and looked around. John was standing there, the humane killer weighing heavily in his hand. Ellie swallowed. She knew it would send a bolt straight into Merlin’s brain and kill him instantly. Suddenly it came crashing down on her that there was nothing she could do to stop this. It was going to happen.
    “No,” she whispered, shaking her head hopelessly.
    “I have to, love. Your uncle wants me to and it’s his pony.”
    A hard lump blocked Ellie’s throat. “But Merlin could get better.”
    The vet looked at her, his gaze sad. “Maybe. Maybe not. He wouldn’t mend easily at his age.”
    Tears started in Ellie’s eyes. This wasn’t fair. Why couldn’t she be older? Why couldn’t she stop it?