SADDLE OF LIFE--MY FICTIONAL STORY--Chapter 6-10

CHAPTER SIX, is it love?
My days evened out and I was healing nicely. Adrenaline was getting better and regaining weight, which was a good thing. His legs would take longer. I was in a walking cast now, no need to carry that huge lump of plaster. Every time I saw Erik, my heart did a thump thump that was really getting to me. What was this feeling? Why was I feeling it?
It had been at least three weeks since I had been released, and Mother and Daddy had woken up at least two weeks ago, and I see them everyday at the hospital. They were worse off then I was. They had to shave mother very carefully because there was glass in her scalp, and now her auburn curls were gone. But at least the glass was gone. Mother also had both arms broken and had to have stitches above her right eyebrow. Daddy broke a leg and had a neck cast, with a concussion. Erik came with me to visit them. Mother and Daddy want to move to this small town of Sundown to stay. I love it here. Erik is a major thing in my life now. It’s so weird. I’m not used to it. We hang out with Adrenaline whose legs are healed, but he is still only standing up for five minutes and stretching them before he gets tired and lays down. We walk him around the corral a bit to help him regain strength. Erik helps out when he can. There was this one time when our hands brushed and there was this weirdest sensation. I couldn’t describe it.
I was laying in Adrenaline’s stall with my head on his neck and listening to his breathing. Today is peaceful, I was thinking to myself.
“You know, Adrenaline, you’ve got to recover soon. I miss those trail rides and those fun times in Orville. That’s behind us now. We gotta move forward, and try our best. I’m not going to rush you, but please, I hate to see you in pain like this. I love you.”
I paused to take a breath.
“How are you doing today, anyway?”
“i didn’t think you cared!” Erik’s voice startled me and Adrenaline merely flicked his ears.
“Not you!”
“Oh really? Right when I walked in you asked that.”
I got up and walked over to him and stared him in the eye. He raised his eyebrows a bit and leaned closer. My heart did a funny dance.
CHAPTER SEVEN, decisions
Mother and Daddy were out of the hospital now, and Adrenaline could now trot, and was allowed outside. Mother and Daddy were talking about going to Orville to stay. I didn’t want to leave Heather Junction, ever. I loved it too much, so did Adrenaline. He has never been happier.
“But, Mother, I’m happy here and look at Adrenaline.” He was trotting around his pen with his new friends, Ben and Duke, two brown Sheepdogs. The dogs were grinning doggy grins with their tongues hanging out and the were somewhat drooling. I couldn’t help but smile. Mother grimaced but cracked into a smile. I grinned crookedly at daddy and he frowned.
“How could we deny that for Adrenaline?”
“Daddy….”
“All right lil one. You stay here and we’ll pack up. Our older neighbors will help us pack up our hold house. Mother and I will get our stuff and we’ll come back.”
“Drive safely.”
The vet had come up behind us.
“Alisa needs to stay because we don’t want Adrenaline getting sick or depressed without her here. She’s his hero! Take our truck, and our trailer.”
“Thanks, Mr. Scott, we appreciate it. We’ll leave tomorrow morning and we’ll be back in, say, about a week or two.”
CHAPTER SEVEN, Erik’s dog
“Alisa! I’m getting a new dog today!”
“Oh, Erik, I’m so happy for you! What breed is it?”
Just then a car pulled in and Erik gave me an apologetic look and ran over to the red ford. My friend back in Orville, James had taght me that this particular truck was an F-150 Ford Custom. As Erik ran up to the truck, a middle age man stepped out and walked to the bed of the truck. Erik stopped on the other side of the bad and the man said, “Look. Here’s to you and your passion for dogs.”
Erik leaned over and picked up the squirmy hunk of brown. it was a puppy.
“Thanks, Uncle Jay.I love him immensly.”
“No problem. Who’s that pretty gal over there?”
“She’s Alisa. Come meet her.”
Just then Adrenaline snorted and pushed against my back gently. He wanted attention. Just then Erik and his uncle stopped in front of me. James was holding a brown Pitbull. He had a white chest and and belly.
“Hello. I’m Uncle Jay. You can just call me Uncle Jay. Or just Jay, whatever works for you.”
“Hi, Jay, I’m Alisa.”
We shook hands and he said, “What brings you here?”
“It’s a long story.” Adrenaline was looking at him and Jay walked up slowly and stroked his white blaze with a thoughtful expression.
“This here, is a strong one. He looks like he was sired by Hectic Comet, a barrel racing horse of Quarter horse breed. Looks like this horse here got his stripe. And his dam was probably a showhorse of arabian breed. He got her arch and white and somewhat dappled coat. This horse here must of been an accident because they don’t mix breed horses of his parent’s trade. I wonder how this happened.”
“Adrenaline could not have been a mistake, Jay. He’s perfect!”
How could Jay not see that?
The pitbull jumped out of Erik’s arms and ran to meet Ben and Duke who were running toward us. They would be good friends.
CHAPTER EIGHT, friends
Erik named his pitbull Bully, and Bully, Ben, Duke and Adrenaline are all best friends now. They were practically inseperable. They all slept in the barn with Adrenaline, and their feed bowls were in there too. Only one more week until Mother and Daddy were back, and Erik and I were getting closer emotionally. Definetly love.
“So,” The vet (who told us to call him Bob) snuck up behind us while we were watching the dogs and Adrenaline play.
“What makes you two hold hands?”
I blushed, and Erik answered.
“Not sure yet.”
“Mhm, that’s why she’s blushing pinker then the sunset.”
I blushed deeper. He was so teasing!
“I’m not blushing and we all know it.”
Adrenaline sensed my mood and came over. He snuffled at me and rubbed his sort nose gently against my forehead. “I love you too, Adrenaline.”
I let go of Erik’s hand and scratched the white stallion behind the ears. He snorted contedly and walked away. Next thing I knew, Adrenaline’s bottom lip was hanging down, his eyes half closed, his tail up and his rear rubbing against the fence post. He loved being scratched, and could get goofy about it. He was scratching innocently and then Bully barked and Adrenaline jumped and trotted over to him and licked by his ear. A sign of friendship. Gotta love animal love.
There were white hairs on the post.
“Sweet itch, Bob? Should we look?”
“Mhm.”
“I haven’t seen him scratch that intensly.”
Bob thought a bit.
“Could be, but I don’t see a rash. Maybe it was just scratching for pleasure.”
I wouldn’t worry. Let Adrenaline be Adrenaline.
CHAPTER NINE, spiraling downward
“Hey, Alisa.” It was Erik. I lashed out at him.
“Leave me alone. I want to be alone.” He was shocked.
“But You said—-” I cut him off.
“LEAVE ME ALONE!” With that I sprinted past the barn and into the woods and ran on until my lungs felt like popping out. I collapsed on the ground gasping for breath and curled up on the pine needles. I started crying and clasped my hands over my ears to drown out the sounds of my anguished screams. I felt the ground vibrate. I looked up to see Adrenaline with Erik on his back. Erik looked worried. I glared at him.
“I swear, Erik, you suck at listening.”
“I know.” He dismounted Adrenaline and held his hand out. I looked at it for a second and then turned my head away. Adrenaline lay down beside me and laid his head on my thigh gently, his warm breath tickling my neck and cheeks. It was comforting. Erik sat down across from me, and looked at me. This…..mood of mine was going to be hard to explain to him. At least I had stopped screaming and Crying.
Chapter ten, lifted up
We stayed like that for hours. Erik got up stiffly and Adrenaline got up to let me up.
Erik offered me his hand again and I took it. He helped me up and I stretched.
“Sorry. I was mad, and I don’t know why.”
“It’s OK, Alisa, don’t worry about it, we all have those kind of days.”
“Thanks, Erik. Thanks for understanding.”
Adrenaline snorted and stomped his foot. I laughed and started walking.
Just then at that moment, Ben, Duke and Bully bounded out of the trees and Adrenaline shook himself, trying to convince himself he wasn’t scared. He came up behind me and stuck his head between my legs, lifted his neck and head, and I landed on his back. It was trick I taught him, and he did it just to surprise me.
He’s an amazing horse, I thought to myself. He’s also the sweetest horse I have known.