Deserted

- Wild riding 2 -

[Months ago]
In Clear lake.

Antonio couldn't stop thinking about the girl from earlier, that fell into their pig pen, and why she looked familiar.

After having dinner with his mom, he headed straight to his room.
He couldn't sleep, so he headed out to the balcony.

He remembers his encounter with Mrs Custer's horse, and the figure in the water. Then it crossed his mind.

"Could it have been Jenny?" He thought excitedly,
"Nah." He added shaking the thought off.

"But it could be, I mean it's been years since I last saw her, and who else would be with Little Henry?"

But she left Clear Lake.

So did I, and I'm back now, she probably returned too." He concluded thoughtfully.

"Nah." He added again.

"Even if she was the one, it doesn't matter." He concluded, heading back inside.
"We aren't friends anymore." He added slamming himself into his bed. But he still couldn't sleep. His mind drifted off to old memories he had with Jenny and her brother.

....................

Outside Mrs Custer's farm house.

At mid-noon

Andrew was chasing after young Jenny and Antonio wearing a blindfold.

"Got you!" He said hugging someone he thought to be one of them.

"Get off me!" Mrs Custer yells, shoving him off. Andrew pulls off his blind fold in shock, and the kids burst out laughing.

"You guys better not get yourself hurt." Mrs Custer warned, heading back inside.

"You heard Mom, we better not get hurt." Andrew repeats.

They both looked down sadly.

"Whose up for a horse ride?" He whispered to them, then they both became excited again.

They took off to the barn, but Jenny seemed to be slowing down.

"Come on Jeans, before mom brings the Cascos." He said playfully, picking her up, he began rolling her around.
Antonio just stood by laughing, then he picked him up too.

They grabbed some horse, and headed out.
As they were about taking off, Mrs Custer came out to get something, so they had to take off immediately.

She ran off to the entrance and yelled, Andrew's name.
"You'd be back here!" She added tiredly, "What would I do with this boy." She said with a smile as she headed back inside. "May Dios (God) protect them." She added.

"We escaped her." Andrew said laughing. He was riding with Jenny in front of him (since she was still too young to ride that wildly alone), and Antonio was riding beside them on Flora.

They stopped at a festival. There were multiple people there, and riders throwing different stunts in a open space, in the middle of the crowd.

It was like a rodeo.

Andrew was the first to stop.
"Should we stay and watch, before heading back to face mom?" He asked Jenny. Then Antonio stopped behind them. He seemed mesmerized.

"You think they'd let a Ten year old compete?" He asked as he stopped.

"Am not so sure." He replied getting off, he helps Jenny down. He wanted to help Antonio as well, but he hopped down himself.
"Okay, At least they'd let us watch." He added, then they headed towards the entrance, but weren't allowed to go in, at least not without paying first.

"Men!, I thought this was just a town's festival." Andrew said acting oblivious.

"Well, it's not just a festival kid. Go home! This place is for grown ups." The well built man in a full cowboy outfit, said coldly.

"But I'm a horse keeper, I work at the barn." Andrew whispers to the man.

"Oh really, where's your pass?" The man orders.

"Forgot it at home." Andrew lies.

"Sure, get lost kid." The bodyguard added, turning away from them.

"Yah. Sure, we're going." Andrew replied, taking them both back to the horses.

"So, apparently, we aren't allowed in either." Antonio grumbles.

"Oh, we're going in." He replies, putting Jenny on the horse.

"How?" Little Jenny asked

"We ride." He replied, helping Antonio on Flora.

"You see those barriers over there?" He asked.

"Hmm huh." Jenny responded.

"We're going over it." Andrew whispers to them, getting on behind Jenny.

"What?!" Jenny questions in fear.

"Antonio, do you happen to remember the leap technique I thought you?" Andrew asked sneakily.

"You bet." Antonio replies with a smile.

"Hey, you've been teaching him again without me." Jenny mumbles angrily.

"You're five. What kind of a brother would I be to teach you that?" Andrew questions confusingly. Jenny just kept mumbling.
"So, Antonio, didn't you say you wanted to compete?" Andrew added.

"Hmm huh." Antonio replied excitedly.

"So, let's blow their minds." He said wearing a devious grin.
"Little sis, hold on tight." He added.

"Why?" Little Jenny asked confusingly, still uncertain about everything going on.

"This." He replied, then they took off with the horses together towards the rodeo's barricades.

"What do you think you're doing?!" The bodyguard man yelled in fright as he saw them approaching.

"Taking a leap of faith!" Andrew replied, then they used the horse to leap over the barricades. You could hear Jenny scream in the background as they did.
Once they were in, they rode to the wide space (the heart of the rodeo).

Security began running towards them, getting on horses as well.
So, they headed straight for the obstacle course, with securities hot on their trail. The crowd goes wild with excitement and shock.
They took their attention from the real contestants and focused on the chase, even the contestants stopped to watch.

Jenny kept screaming, but this time excitedly.

They made it out, and dashed through another root, as the crowd cheered on for them.

"That was crazy fun." Antonio screamed panting heavily.

"Yah, let's do it again!" Little Jenny yells burning with excitement.

"No way." Andrew replied, "We're in enough trouble as it is." Andrew replied.

"Yah, I'm sure they'd report us to mom." Jenny added sadly.

"Yah, I almost forgot about her." Andrew replied in realization.
"Don't worry, I'd be the only one getting the scolding, after all, it was my idea." He assures.

...........

"I missed him too." He concluded before finally dozing off.

************************************

Thanks for your time.

See you soon.

*****************************