Yes, I'm still here, I'm not dead! I've just been struggling to find things to post about lately. But just recently, I finished writing a short story and I thought I'd post it here to share with all of you.
Just a bit of extra information, the idea for this story was formed while listening to the song Embers by OwlCity. ;) Enjoy!
Embers
The
early morning call of the kookaburra was what woke me. It's humorous
melody rang through the gumtrees and my eyes fluttered open. I sat
bolt upright in my bed and I saw that the sky was lightening outside.
I leapt out of bed, the single sheet covering my body falling to the
ground. Hurrying to the open window I poked my head out. I still had
time. Retreating back into my room I pulled on my jeans and shirt in
a rush. The floorboards creaked as I tiptoed quickly down the
hallway. Upon reaching the screen door, I grabbed my black brimmed
hat and stepped outside. Shoving on my boots, I ran across the yard
to the barn. The sky was a pale blue and purple, though stars still
glittered here and there. I had to hurry. I slid open the heavy barn
door and slipped inside. In the darkness I heard a quiet nicker, and
a soft muzzle brushed my cheek.
“ Morning
Jayjay,” I whispered, patting his nose. I quickly found a lamp and
took a box of matches from my pocket. Striking the match, I lit the
lamp. The barn was instantly filled with a warm glow. Jayjay's head
was hanging over his stall door, his ears swivelled in my direction.
I walked over and patted my horse's rusty brown neck, running my
fingers through his black mane.
“ Are
you ready to see the sun boy?” I asked, staring into his large
brown eyes.
With
swift precision, I proceeded to tack up. As I made last minute checks
to the girth and bridle buckles, I heard the musical, warbling call
of a magpie. It was almost time. Hoisting myself up onto Jayjay's
strong back, I gathered the reins in my hands.
“ Let's
go catch the sun,” I whispered in his ear. He snorted and my heels
touched his sides. Jayjay hurried into a trot and we rode through the
barn doorway, out into the morning air. The red, baked earth of the
outback thrummed beneath Jayjay's hooves. The temperature was rising.
Soon I knew it would reach the mid twenties, and by the middle of the
day it could be in the high thirties. I rested my hands on the
saddle-horn in front of me as we trotted elatedly along, breathing
deeply. My friends and I had been planning this all week.
As
we reached the edge of the property, we came to a steep cliff. I
dismounted and began leading a reluctant Jayjay down on a narrow
trail. My feet slipped and slid down the rocky track, Jayjay
stumbling behind me. I placed my foot on what I thought was a stable
rock, when it gave way beneath me. My breath caught in my throat as I
fought to regain my balance and for a moment I thought of turning
back, but this was the fastest way to the meeting point. At that
moment I heard a voice from down below.
“ Hey
Abbey! C'mon, not much further!”
I
looked down and spotted four of my friends, Toby, Leonardo, Ruby and
Sam. They were all mounted on their own horses and were waving up at
me. I smiled down at them and then turned back to Jayjay, encouraging
him to continue down the precarious trail, letting out a silent sigh
of relief as we reach the bottom. Quickly mounting Jayjay once again,
I rode over to my friends. Ruby sat astride her black Quarter Horse,
Midnight. I moved Jayjay up beside them and grasped her hand.
“ You're
late,” she grinned. “ We thought you'd forgotten the whole
thing.”
“ Never,”
I smiled back. “ You guys ready?!”
“ Yeah!”
“ Let's
go!”
I
released Ruby's hand and kicked my heels against Jayjay's sides. The
others followed quickly behind as we cantered out over the scorched
plain. The longer we rode the lighter the sky became. I urged my
friends on. Sam encouraged his mount Jimmy, a light bay stock horse
to keep going. Toby and Leonardo rode side by side on their two
strikingly different horses. Nightshade, a pure black friesian, and
Blaze, a liver chestnut welsh cross, with a white belly. Ruby rode
beside me, Midnight keeping pace with Jayjay. The five of us rode
across the reddened earth, until behind us I could hear a new set of
hooves. I turned in the saddle and spotted three more riders
galloping our way down the hillside. Jasmine, Olivia and Michelle.
Once they reached us, Olivia rode up beside me, slowing Lady, her
flaxen chestnut mare back to a canter. She grinned at me and I smiled
back.
“ We'd
better hurry!” Jasmine called from the back of Snowy, her palomino
gelding.
“ Yeah!
It's almost time!” Michelle agreed, patting the chestnut neck of
her mare, Sugar.
I
nodded. “ Then what are we waiting for? Let 'em run guys!”
I
leaned forward giving Jayjay his head, and he responded with a quick
burst of extra speed, surging into a fast gallop. I could hear my
friends calling encouragement to their own horses, and soon we were
all stampeding down the hillside. The horizon was now a bright orange
colour, and I urged Jayjay on. We were almost there. His black mane
flicked in my face and the wind whistled in my ears as we galloped
towards the edge of a cliff. The thrumming hoofbeats of many horses
surrounded me and my heart beat faster as we neared the sheer drop.
At the last possible moment, I leaned back reining Jayjay in at the
edge of the cliff. His hooves slid across the dry, rocky ground as we
skidded to a stop. The others slid in beside us, and we all took in
the scene before us. We were just in time. The canyon stretched out
before us like a ragged, red sea. A warm breeze greeted us as it
whispered through the valleys and up the side of the cliff. I took a
deep breath and savoured its welcome. The sky around us lit up as
the morning sun poked its sleepy face over the horizon. The birds
sang to signal the dawn and kangaroos were silhouetted against its
yellow surface. Its golden orange light blanketed the terrain and
finally fell on our beaming faces, giving them a warm glow. The sun's
balmy rays touched our skin, warming our bodies. Our horses nickered
and whinnied to their morning friend. Finally, the sun rose above the
horizon and into the sky, a ball of yellow flame. I turned to my
friends and we laughed and clasped hands, the horses tossing their
heads in merriment. We did it, we caught the morning sun and it left
tiny, burning embers in out hearts.
The End
