Courage blinked, a bright light piercing his eyelids. Then he heard a loud squeak. A revolting squeak. A squeak that meant it was time to get up. Courage lifted his neck and tried to blink the drowsiness away. "Mustard mixed with pancakes . . . then if you eat eggs . . . you could pass a poot so big it can knock . . ." he stopped his mumbling and opened his eyes. A figure was standing by the barn doors. Courage looked left and right with embarrassment. Had he been talking in his sleep? "You didn't hear that, did you?"
But the figure didn't seem interested. "You said I could use him, right?" the figure asked. A female's voice. "I just think he'll know where she is. The boys are on the motorbikes looking, too."
"Nah, go ahead," a different female replied, sounding nervous. "They be together a lot, so I expect he knows something."
Courage's heart began pounding as he realized they were talking about him. He recognized the second lady: the fifteen-year-old girl who won him from an auction. That was his favorite person in the whole world. But why did she sound frantic?
From his position near the stall, he couldn't see more than just an outline of the lady he didn't know. She was standing beside the doors but later entered the barn, rushed straight toward him, and kicked his belly.
"OUCH!" he cried in his deep voice. His owner would never do that.
"Courage, hurry. I need to saddle you up," she replied, walking toward a stall full of horse supplies.
Courage dropped his head on the hay and sighed. "No. Is that you, Rebecca?"
"Courage, I need you."
Courage looked up when her voice cracked. He caught her stare through the dim light and the ever-lingering dust. The pity in her eyes. Not to mention the bags under them. He yawned long and curled his legs under his chest tighter. "Let's think about animals needing sleep-who rides for his owner three times a day . . ." Another kick on the belly made him jolt.
"I need you, Courage. Gina said I could ride you. Get up."
Courage saw Rebecca holding a saddle, so he sighed, stood up, and stretched. "If Gina said so."
"You have to," Gina suddenly declared, standing near the barn doors.
Courage looked at his owner. Then Rebecca dropped the saddle on his back. "Do I get carrots for this?"
Gina smiled. "A full bucket."
YOU ARE READING
Rosa and the Graven Kings - A Spiritual Warfare Novella
AventuraShe's great at spinning yarn. Her parents are Christians. But she's also unforgiven. Or is she? Rosa doesn't think God will forgive her, not when she's done the wickedest thing on the planet. She abandoned what her parents taught her, and now her li...
