Dream Dancer

”Ellie, let me put that horse away.” Sarah said as Ellie came around the corner with the massive horse.
“I got him mom, he is a good boy. He won’t hurt me.”
The horse towered over the little girl but he walked at a respectful distance and did everything she asked of him as she opened the gate and put him away.
“I love it when he is all dressed up for the parades mom,” Ellie said as she walked back towards her mom with the halter in her hand.
Sarah watched her petite daughter of nine years approach her with the halter that was almost as big as she was and marveled at how she had grown into such a great little cowgirl. Dream Dancer was a special horse; But Ellie had a way with any horse. It amazed her more every day. She also had no fear and thought she was invincible.
Ellie hung up the halter and turned to her mom.
“Mom can I drive the buggy in the next parade? It’s fun to ride in it but it would be awesome to drive it!”
“We’ll see. The next parade is a few months away.” Mom answered as she ruffled Ellie’s blond hair with a smile.
“I know what that means… NO… you always say we’ll see.”
“Oh Ellie don’t be so dramatic. It simply means I will think about it. But if you don’t want me to then…”
“No of course I want you to think about it. But you always say that then you always say no.”
“Well we have a couple of months. For now enjoy your summer. It always goes faster than you think.”
“Thanks mom,” Ellie said sarcastically as she trotted away towards the paddocks.
Dream dancer was closest to the barn. In his pen was a huge oak tree that Ellie loved to climb. She could see out across the pasture where the mares and foals grazed. She loved to watch the foals frolic in the lush green grass and the mares grazing contentedly.
As she climbed the twisted tree to her favorite branch she saw the car pull into the driveway. She knew it was her aunt Beverly and her two bratty cousins Dennis and Richard. She hated it when they came over because Beverly always made mom grumpy and mom always expected her to play with the boys even though they were mean to her. She decided to stay put in the tree safe from the pair for now.
Ellie could hear Beverly telling mom the latest gossip as they stood in the driveway. She shifted her focus to the pastures and chose to ignore the boy’s calls for her. Mom had told them they would find her near the barn somewhere and they were searching for her.
She was watching a couple of foals race across the open ground when she heard Dennis say. ”Ellie are you deaf? We are looking for you!” He was just beneath her in the paddock with Dream Dancer. She stayed silent and hugged the massive tree limb staying as still as possible. She hoped that Aunt Beverly would hurry with her story and be on her way soon. It was then that she noticed that Beverly and mom were no longer in the driveway.
Richard hung on the Paddock fence and asked, “Did you find her?”
“Nope, not a sign.” Dennis said as he moved away from her towards his brother.
“I was sure she would be near this big dumb horse! She always is.” Richard said with irritation as he leaned harder on the rail.
“I know, wonder where that brat has gotten off to!”
Ellie wondered silently how her mother’s sister could have raised such awful children. As she perched on the branch trying not to move she studied them. They were just a few feet away and they were both standing like they were ready to pounce. Ellie just couldn’t understand why someone would behave as they did. Just when she thought they were going to leave Richard looked up. He saw her and when their eyes met she felt the rage burning in his eyes.
“Look!” Richard hissed to Dennis as he pointed at her.
Dennis turned and saw her hiding. His body launched towards the tree like a rocket. Ellie scrambled to get away from him but her only escape was up. She scaled the tree like a raccoon but both brothers were right behind her screaming.
“You little brat why would you hide from us! I’m gona pummel you.” They were her age but much bigger and she was afraid of them.
Ellie was now afraid to look down. She had never been this high up in the tree. The brothers could reach her now but she was trapped. She couldn’t get any higher and when Dennis swung at her she recoiled. Her hand lost its grip and she slipped. As the tree bark rasped at her hands she tried to hold on. Dennis was still coming at her. Her body was now leaning to one side and gravity was pulling at her. She dodged his blows again only this time she lost her grip with both hands. She felt the bark scraping as her hands slipped away. She heard Richard screaming at Dennis as she plummeted to the ground striking tree limbs as she went. She hit the ground with a thud and could not move. She heard Dream Dancer as if she was in a fog. His whinnies were frantic and she felt his warm breath as she drifted off into unconsciousness.
She came to in the ambulance for only a split second. She saw her mom crying and a strange young man in a uniform; then she was out again.
The next thing she remembered was the hospital. The click whirr of the machines as she woke up. Mom told her she had fallen out of the tree and that she had been asleep for a week. Mom explained that her head was hurt in the fall and the doctors had given her medicine to keep her asleep so her head could heal. Ellie couldn’t talk she couldn’t move, and she hurt all over. She looked around the room and noticed a picture of Dream Dancer from the last parade sitting on her bedside table. Mom saw her eyes move and when she realized what Ellie was looking at she said,
“Dream dancer saved your life. When you fell he called for me and stood over you screaming until I arrived. He knew you were hurt Ellie and he knew you needed help.”
Ellie looked at the picture of Dream Dancer all glitzed up for the parade and fell back asleep with dreams of riding upon his massive back. Someday she knew she would.
The hospital stay was long and she was glad when they said she could go home. She rode silently in the car with mom. When the tires crunched on the gravel in the driveway Ellie felt a need to be near Dream Dancer. She got out without a word to her mom and headed toward the paddock. Her mom watched her and let her go without a word.
The wind was softly blowing through the trees. Ellie walked easily into the pasture where Dream Dancer grazed. It had been a month since she had fallen out of the tree in the paddock where Dream Dancer was spending a lazy day.
She remembered faintly the screaming whinny of the horse; that had alerted her mother to her as she lay limp beneath the massive oak, as she drifted into unconsciousness. In the last month she had been in the hospital recovering from the head injury she had longed to be here again. It felt good to walk in the breeze.
The horse was massive; a huge gentle giant of a horse. His head was as big as Ellie’s body, his feet as big as her head. He could have easily injured her that day but instead he had saved her.
Ellie stroked his leg and reached as high up his neck as she could. His hair was soft and silky under her hand. Dream Dancer’s breath was warm as he sniffed her blond head. She longed to ride upon his strong back but she knew she must wait. She whispered to him thanking him for taking care of her, thanking him for loving her. She stayed with him for some time, not wanting to leave finding comfort in Dream Dancers easy breathing and warm softness. Then Ellie walked towards the house knowing tomorrow she would visit again; and every day after until she was strong enough to climb on his back and ride.