Samara

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Finding Dr. Pepper

    Red colors in a red kitchen with cedar cabinets along with red and white linoleum floors. Suddenly, Jessica didn’t want strawberry jam on her waffles. As Jessica’s mom walks in she decides she isn’t going to eat either. She sat there hopelessly longing for Dr. Pepper. She thought, maybe if I sit here long enough I would die. Which at that time didn’t seem greatly impossible. She felt like she lost half her soul when her mom sold her horse.

    All day, Jessica ignored her mom by trudging through the woods. She wanted to find something interesting, but she didn’t know what she was looking for. She wanted something that would help her buy back Dr. Pepper. Gold struck her mind, but who was she kidding? The only gold around here was her dad’s tiepin that he wears to church every Sunday. For all she knows it probably is fools gold. Who would be stupid enough to trade a horse for fools gold?

    Early the next morning, she got out of bed and slinked sneakily into her parents’ bedroom. The young lass snatched a piece of paper folded neatly that was tucked underneath some hair ties in her mom’s jewelry box. Jesse read it in the muted light from her grandfather’s oil lamp. It appears that the new owner of her devotee lived half way across Vermont. She had to find a way to get from Shoreham to Randolph.

    "Ginger," called Jessica. Ginger sheepishly strolled into the room and slightly turned her head upward raising her eyebrows like she always does. "Do you want to go for a ride, my little mastiff?" Her ears perked up and she wagged her tail dramatically. Ginger quietly made her way across the living room and stood by the door. The big dog let out a deafening low bark that shook the mantel above their fireplace as if she was saying, "Let’s go, but don’t forget the dog bones!"

    Jessica gathered plenty of food, and dog food before heading out to the storage shed behind her rabbits’ cage where she retrieved her great grandpa’s old wooden sled. She planned to have Ginger pull her all the way to Randolph. And off she went scared thinking she might get caught. But as her house grew no longer visible, she felt a blissful feeling. She knew someday soon she would find Dr. Pepper.

    That night, she settled in an abandoned cabin not far off from Lapham Road. It wasn’t much, but at least she would be warm that night, and there was even a bed. It was accompanied by two dressers was a petite table with matching chairs.

    Early the next morning, she and Ginger set off, hoping they were going the right direction. For hours they roamed the roads. I know where I am. We should go…left right here. I think, thought Jessica. Deep inside she knew the real answer. She was lost. Soft tears trickled down her cheeks. Jesse knew she made many mistakes in her life, but this was the biggest by far.

    "Jesse!" In the distance Jessica heard someone call her name. Ginger must of recognized it before she did because she charged off in the direction that the voice came from. Jessica bumpily followed as Ginger pulled her in the sled. She commanded her to stop but she wouldn’t listen. The closer they got the more panicky she got.

    When the strange man's face appeared, she realized it wasn’t a strange man, it was her father. He threw his arms around announcing how worried he and her mother were. He drove Jessica home in his truck while Ginger sat in the back under the truck cover nestled on top of some woolen blankets where she slept heavily.

    When she got home her mom was lamentably crying. She could barely even glance at her daughter. Jessica went to bed early to hide from the guilt her mother poured on her. She felt diminutive and discarded.

    The next morning, she slept in late. When she woke up, she was asked to convey her sled into the shed. Slowly, she walked towards the shed with the sled trailing behind her. Then wearily looking upward, she found what she had longed for the 3 days. Standing behind her was Dr. Pepper. Her horse was back!

    She dropped the sled and hastily ran to the gate but opened it slowly being careful not to alarm him. Jesse ran her fingers over his back feeling his smooth and shiny coat. Standing on tiptoe, she took his head between her hands and kissed him on the shiny white star sandwiched between his ears.

    She then turned her head only to see her parents smiling by the gate. "We realized how much you missed him when you ran away," Said her mom. "Your dad looked for you while I went to Randolph to buy him back. He didn’t get here till late last night when you were sound asleep."

    "We are sorry we sold your horse without talking to you first," her dad added. She hugged her parents and kissed them both on the cheek. As she did, Dr. Pepper let out a din neigh.

    That night she wrote an epic poem about horses using what she knows and what she has learned about horses. Not to mention some of her opinion. Here it is.

The Herd of Horses

Round bulging hoofs beating on the ground, through the grass. Like drumsticks on drum, and knifes through butter.

How could you miss the beautiful, short and soft hair shimmering in the sunlight? It’s like lotion on your skin, and light bulbs brightening up your room in the morning.

The tail, long and smooth is swaying in the wind. Longer than a yardstick, smooth enough to make music.

The neck is long, stiff and strong. Strong as an ox, stiff as aboard, longer then you might imagine.

With muscular, round, big, wondrous heads, you can see the muscles, feel the shapes, and notice the humongous features.

A great deal of horses, so much, to great to extend, many, many horses. They are galloping together, watching over each other, and doing everything together.

They live as one while they live individually. They live together, and they are glad they aren’t apart.

A herd of horses is living their lives the only way they know how, to be happy and free. Horses inspire me to be what I can be, and do what I want that will make me happy.

All I know is that I wish I were in a herd of horses. No problems to deal with but your predators.

People look at horses and see a herd of horses. I look at horses and see happiness and freedom. To want freedom, and to have freedom are two different things. Horses, they have their freedom. What about you?