Emily shaded her green eyes from the hot Nevada sun. A tiny breeze blew a loose strand of her dusty brown hair and relieved the humidity that made the air hang thick and heavy. Her mother’s horse, Sweetie, shifted impatiently beneath her. Emily reassured her with a pat, but her mind was in the craggy mountains that loomed high and forbidding above horse and girl. She strained her eyes, searching for a cloud of dust kicked up by a figure on a lone horse. Finally she saw movement. A mustang, running wild and unkempt in the hills. Behind it was a small herd, all shabby and scarred. All of a sudden, they broke into a gallop. The stallion screamed his shrill emergency call. Was it a bobcat that so upset the herd? But then she saw a man who was waving a long lariat atop a bay quarter horse. Only then did she relax. She watched, enthralled, at the scene going on far above. Man and horse closed in on a handsome mare, coat gleaming in the sunlight. The horse received small signals from his rider that were only seen by the experienced eye. After lassoing a few mustangs, the pair rode down the steep cliff toward Emily. The man grinned with pride at the fine mare he had caught. “She ought to fetch a fair price,” her father determined. He worked for the Bureau of Land Management, capturing mustangs to sell at silent auctions to qualifying owners-to-be. “Yeah. Ain’t she gorgeous,” Emily replied. “Mom’s looking for you.” Finally she saw movement. A mustang running wild and unkempt in the hills “All right. Let’s go down to the house together.” The smiling Sarah Jenners came to the door to greet them in her apron, flour coating her arms up to her elbows. Nevertheless, she hugged her husband and daughter, speckling their clothes with whiteness. Joshua and Emily flicked the flour off onto the dry ground. Sarah looked at the mustangs Joshua had caught with a dreamy look in her eyes. “They’re so beautiful,” she told them. “That one isn’t so pretty—look, he’s got scars all over him. He’s a sorry sight, all right,” Joshua commented. “Oh, no—he’s the most beautiful of all.” Emily couldn’t say she agreed with this, but she decided not to press further. During supper, Joshua described his capture. “I was chasing the herd, and a pretty little mare caught my eye. I brought Wild Thing close to her to try to corner her, and just for a second I was distracted by a rearing horse. When I looked back toward the mare, she was gone.” “Maybe she went off in a hidden crevice,” Emily suggested. “You’re probably right,” her father agreed. “There are plenty of hiding places in the mountains.” He pushed his plate aside and rose from the table. “Well, I’d best get a good night’s sleep—I have a hard trek tomorrow.” Emily remembered that her father was going to the next county to sell some cattle, and wouldn’t be back until after dark. Joshua said good-night to his wife and daughter before getting ready for an early bedtime. “I wonder what happened to that mare Dad talked about,” Emily said to her mother when they were clearing the table. “Oh, I don’t know. The mustangs have secrets humans will never know,” answered Sarah. But Emily wanted to know. The question nagged at her even as she fell asleep. Emily was riding a horse through the mountains. She didn’t know whether it was Sweetie or Wild Thing or some other horse. She was searching for something exciting, but this was unknown to her also. Suddenly, a gleaming palomino mare stepped out of the shadows. She seemed to be glowing with some inner light and stood out like a beacon in contrast with the black night. Emily knew this was what she was searching for. She sat looking in awe at the magnificent creature looking back at her with large, wild eyes. They both remained motionless, as though frozen. Then, wisps of fog abruptly started to curl around the mare, shrouding her from Emily’s view. “No, no!” she cried out, reaching her arms desperately toward the mustang. A wail of disappointment tore from her throat. She woke up with her pillow damp from tears. Emily dressed like a zombie, eyes staring into space, thinking about the palomino mare. She pulled on her jeans and headed outside to saddle Sweetie. After scrawling a short note that said “Gone riding, back for breakfast,” she headed for the mountains. For the first two hours, Emily saw no sign of life except for the occasional jackrabbit springing across the path and the hawks soaring high in the sky. It was eight o’clock, and she knew her mother was up by now and preparing breakfast, but Emily had no thought of turning back—not until she saw the mustang mare. Another half-hour passed. Now her mother was probably getting a little worried. Emily continued to ride deeper into the mountains. Here was a low canyon, surrounded by mountains on all sides, except for the narrow space between. A brook bubbled across it. Emily’s heart leapt. This spot was the perfect home for a herd of mustangs! She directed Sweetie to the brook and gave her a long drink of the cool, refreshing water. Looking down into the water, she gasped. Behind her, she could see the reflection of a palomino horse! Slowly, ever so slowly, she turned her head so she could glimpse the mare. Nervously, the mustang sidestepped, wary of this human drinking at her brook. The sunlight made her smooth golden coat shine, and her mane and tail were long from years of growing. The mare stared at her with her big, deep brown eyes. Looking at her under the clear blue sky, for one shining moment, Emily thought she was the most beautiful thing in the world. Suddenly, Emily heard the shrill neigh of a mustang break the
May/June 2003
A Lesson for Life
Billy stood on the porch of the cabin enjoying the cool, fresh air. He loved the way everything was quiet and still before the rest of the world woke up. Then he remembered—he was at camp in North Carolina, 800 miles away from his parents in Florida. Billy shivered. Suddenly, the air seemed too cold and the quietness too quiet. At home it wasn’t like that. Home. That magical word. No, stop thinking about that! Billy rubbed his eye where a tear tried to come out. Finally, he gave up and started bawling like a baby. The rest of his cabin woke up and started saying, “Crybaby crybaby, crybaby Billy’s a crybaby, crybaby, crybaby . . .” Aah! Billy sat straight up in bed. Where was he? Oh, now he remembered, safe at home in his bed. He groped around the nightstand for the thick glasses that he needed to wear. He got out of bed and opened the window. Ahh, the wonderful balmy breezes that Florida was known for. It had just been a nightmare. He wasn’t in North Carolina and he wasn’t going to camp. He was going to spend this summer like the previous summers: at home with his family doing nothing. Billy smiled, went over to his closet, and pulled out a pair of khaki pants and a polo shirt, tucking the shirt in just so. He then went and stood in front of the mirror, examining his face carefully. If only my glasses weren’t so thick and my hair so shaggy, Billy thought. If I didn’t have glasses then I wouldn’t look like a nerd, and my brown eyes are actually quite nice. Then if I get my hair cut like the other boys I could be a model. Well, not quite a model, but . . . He loved the way everything was quiet and still before the rest of the world woke up Billy’s fancies were cut short by an ear-piercing yell. “Billy! Oh, Billy my boy! Breakfast is ready!” Billy followed his nose down the stairs and into the kitchen where his mother had cooked her famous “start of the summer” breakfast. Billy smiled happily and started wolfing down her delicious pancakes and sausages. Yes, this would be a great summer. Maybe he would even make a few friends. But the next instant this feeling of happiness was shattered by the words that came out of his mother’s mouth. In that same false, happy voice she announced, “Oh, and your father and I decided you’re going to sleep-away camp this summer.” Billy choked on his sausage. “What?! What do you mean? You can’t send me to camp! I . . . we . . . I thought . . . ohhh!” Billy stomped up the stairs and slammed the door to his room. Well, he thought, maybe Brian will understand the way I feel. So he called his best and only friend, Brian. “Hello?” answered a husky voice, unmistakably Brian’s. “Hey!” replied Billy “If you want me to play with you today I can’t because I’m going to camp in two days and I have to pack.” “Well, actually, that was what I was calling to talk to you about. You see . . .” “Wait!” Brian interrupted. “If you’re calling to convince me not to go, well, you can’t. Just because you don’t want to go doesn’t mean that I don’t want to go.” With that, he slammed down the phone. While Billy was still trying to let the phone call sink in, his mother came in. “Billy, let me explain about our decision.” “You don’t have to explain, I can tell that I’m a pain to you guys and you want to get rid of me!” snapped Billy, and, with that accusation, Billy stormed out of the room. He grabbed his baseball, bat, and glove and ran outside to the baseball field down the street from his house. Once there, he started sobbing like a maniac, throwing the ball up and swinging the bat wildly, not caring that everyone was stopping to stare at him. The only thing that Billy accomplished from this was a bump on the left side of his head where the ball hit him. When it grew late, Billy walked back to his house and into his room, slamming the door for the second time that day. There was a tray of food on his bedside table which he gobbled down hungrily, while opening the note that was also on the table. It said: Dear Billy, Your mother told me about your reaction to camp, and I just want to get a few things straight. The reason we are sending you to camp is because we’re running low on money and need to work extra hours. We can’t be at home at all this summer to see you or take care of you. Because camp starts in three days, your mother will help you pack tomorrow. Your camp is in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it is called Golden Eagle. You should have a lot of fun there. You need to grow up sooner or later, and this is the best time to do it. You will not only be helping us out, but also yourself Thanks so much. Now eat your dinner and get to bed, because you’re going to need all of your energy to pack. Love, Dad Well, it was pretty nice of Dad to do all that for me, thought Billy as he got ready for bed. But still . . . Billy couldn’t finish his train of thought because he burst into tears. He cried himself to sleep. The next few days went by in a blur of tears and packing. Finally, the fateful day arrived and after a long drive it was time for Billy to say goodbye to his parents. “Take care now. Have fun. Don’t forget to write us,” his parents said. All Billy could do was nod
The Mystery of Cats
Cleaning yourself as if the world is just fine Of course you don’t know about September 11 or the war You don’t know about the terrorists or do you Is that mangy dog down the street the terrorist you fear What does someone of your small stature think of the world Do you look at the humans around you and think you’re much smarter because you can hunt smell a rat and see in the dark Maybe you think all we can do is open a can How would you manage all these wars between countries Would you talk out your problems or use a more violent approach Grady enters the room and I watch the hair on your back rise You don’t move He doesn’t move This could be a showdown But no The moment passes and you resume your cleaning I breathe a sigh of relief What would the world be like if ruled by a cat say, like you, Stripes Would everyone be ordered to bathe for hours on end You look up at me with clear eyes and I’m curious to know Do you actually reason or do you just look smart You know I’ve always suspected you have the ability to think and also the ability to pretend to think I see a smile flitting across your face You get up and go outside Even though that dog could still be there you show no fear Marley Powell, 12Los Angeles, California
