Gone

TWO

When I wake up, I here people yelling and speaking outside. "Don't put him down yet! Skylar needs to be with him!!" My mother yells at my father. Oh no. I grab a pair of breeches and a sweater and put them on. I go down the stairs and put on my muck running shoes and go over to the stable. I walk in Barnaby's run in and see a very sick Barnaby laying on the ground breathing heavily. I race over to him and lay down beside him. Hot tears roll down my cheeks as I kneel beside him.

"Barnaby has colic Skylar, we are going to have to put him down," my father explains to me. I wipe my eyes and reply, "Why! Barnaby was just cantering down the beach with me yesterday and, and," I stutter at the lost of words. A lump forms in my throat, but I can't hold it in. Hot tears stream down my cheeks and slide off Barnaby's body laying beneath me. I lay with Barnaby as he takes his last breath. I lay down beside him and stroke his soft head. My head is now throbbing. Barnaby is gone. I have lost my best and only friend. Tears are now streaming down the sides of my face and land on Barnaby's soft coat.

Barnaby can't be gone!! My father calls the veterinarian to come and take Barnaby to be cremated. When they have taken him away, I run to the house and bury my face deep in my pillows. A few hours later I hear a light knock at the door and my mother walks inside my room and sits on my bed. "Oh honey, I am so sorry. I love you so much and know how you feel. When my horse Oscar died, I was heart broken," Mom tells me as she sits with me.

I don't respond at all through the conversation, but I peek my eyes out to see if she is still there. Mom walks out of my room and I sit in my room all alone. My boy is not here with me anymore and I am all alone. The phone in my room starts to ring, so I stand up and answer it. My best friend Lauren is on the other end of the line. "Hi!" Lauren yells. "My horse just had to be put down," "Oh my god Sky I'm so sorry," "While what did you did want," "Nothing. But if you want we can go on a trail ride to cheer you up," "Sure," "Okay I will be there in 5," "Bye," I hang up the phone and go outside.

In a matter of minutes we are back at the trail with a long stream. The long stream gleaming off the sun. "I hope Barnaby is in a better place now," says Lauren, a tear rolling across her cheek. "Thank you so much for always being here for me Lauren, I really appreciate it," I tell Lauren as we continue down the long dirt path. We talk for a while and then finally turn around and head back to the house. Riding Docker is way different then riding my old Barnaby.

I miss him so much and remember all of the fun times we had cantering back and forth down this trail. The aroma of the sweet pine trees fill my nostrils as we continue down the long dirt path and I feel comforted by the memories of me and Barnaby going down this path with Lauren and her mare Sugar. When we approach the house we tie up our horses and untack them and slip them in a unaccompanied paddock filled with sweet tall grass. We head back into the house and walk over to the fridge pulling out a juice. I sit down at the long tangy orange sofa and drink my juice slowly. Lauren comes over and sits beside me. "Are you okay?" Lauren questions me noticing hot tears rolling slowly down my cheeks.

I nod my head slowly as Lauren hugs me an interlaces her hand with mine. "It will be alright Skylar," Lauren comforts me. No it won't be alright. I am alone now. My sweet friend is gone. Lauren stands up and takes my glass of juice and sets it in the table. Her soft blonde hair is in a long beautiful braid. She is wearing a pair of tan breeches and she has a blue polo shirt on her. "Sky is there anything you want to do?" Lauren asks comfortingly. "Can I help you break your colt," I ask. A smile plasters over her face and she nods yes before pulling me up off the couch and dragging me over to pull on my western boots.

When we arrive outside we both run over to the barn and grab Trouble's halter and race out to the paddock. We slip the halter over his small ears and lead him into the deep blue corral with the glistening sand ground. We get the long whip and set it outside of the corral and try to sit on him. Lauren jumps onto his soft pinto body and he immediately starts bucking. Lauren slumps off and a tight smile appears on her face. Suddenly we both burst out laughing and Trouble grunts in dismay. I attempt to jump on after Lauren, but I manage to stay on unlike her. "Haha!" I say to Lauren.

Trouble grunts. I dismount and Lauren attempts one last time to ride him. When she gets on Trouble starts walking around throwing the occasional happy buck. This is so fun! "Want to try and do liberty with him?" Lauren questions me. "Sure!" I say happily. I feel a tug at my heart for being happy the day my horse died. I am a jerk. Aren't I? Lauren takes the whip in one hand and I slip out of the corral while she tries it. Trouble listens very well and follows Lauren around everywhere she goes in the corral. Now it is my turn to try and do liberty with him. I open the gate and slip inside grasping the whip that Lauren hands me. I start to whip and Trouble shakes his head, but manages to run with the little energy he has now.

When I finish I look down at my Rolex horse watch. It is 10:45am now and I lead Trouble back into the paddock and slip off his halter. Lauren puts the halter away. "I guess it is time to go now," I explain to Lauren. "Oh... Okay. You can go and grab Docker from the paddock," Lauren tells me. We both walk over to the pasture Docker is in and I put on his halter and tack him up. I tack him up and ride to the end of the driveway and stop. Lauren runs up to me and I dismount. "It will all be alright Sky," Lauren says.

I say bye and head down the driveway. I feel like I am going to have a meltdown.