Bloodless Day

Merry Christmas

Gold rain drizzled between the trees, blowing against a bronzed canopy. Leaves rattled above us and water splashed gently at our feet, tainting the air with a wet, earthy scent. BD belonged here- his shining coat a patchwork of black and gold, his dark eyes hidden by a long, long forelock.

By contrast, I was grubby and everything the woods did not represent. Holey sneakers, ripped jeans, an old band shirt and baseball cap under a frizzed ponytail. Yet, we belonged together, two healing souls.

I said, "you helped me. Now it's my turn to help you."

BD lowered his head to study me, ears flicking back and forth as he suspiciously surveyed his surroundings. We'd never been out so late before, but between school and dress shopping (thanks, Lilac) and my usual chores, there was no choice but to take the Thoroughbred out just before sunset. Everybody else, I noted with no little jealousy, was probably eating dinner right now.

Summer humidity pasted my hair to the back of my neck, and even BD's mane stuck down where it usually flopped with the motion of his walk. Sighing, I decided we wouldn't be out for very long. Nothing had helped him before, so it wasn't like today would be crucial to regaining the fire in BD.

As we walked, the rain began to fall harder and the sky darkened even more. BD plodded along, but the further into the woods we walked, the more nervous the flickering of his ears got, the quicker his breaths came. "Easy, bud," I said, risking one hand off my lead line to pat him. "There's nothing to be scared of. Remember when you used to be a dragon horse? You scared things, not the other way around."

Apparently BD did remember, because he snorted and lowered his head, chewing softly. 

Then the sky exploded above us.

Rain and light poured down on us, lighting cracking over the star-scattered ceiling. Beside me, BD exploded. His head shot up and he bolted. I hung onto the lead line, now slick with water, as he crow hopped, dragging me with him. My heart bucked. My feet slipped. And then the lead line tore through my hands, a searing heat ripping across my palms.

And BD was gone.

Keeled over in dirt that was now considering a career in mud, I stared out in disbelief as BD's hoof beats rang across my ears. It was too dark, he was too dark, for me to know where he had gone.

Cursing, I stood, scrambling to my feet against the slippery terrain. Lightning occasionally smashed against the world, giving me a blinding guidance before retreating to the heavens. I'd just lost one of my best friends, Piperson's Derby horse, Jack's last hope.

Only too late did I think about my phone- if only I'd checked the weather and seen the rare Kentucky summer storm coming towards us, if only I'd asked somebody more experienced with horses than I to come along- even Wes was better than this... aloneness. But when I reached into my pocket, all I found was nothing. It was in my jacket, and that I'd left at the barn. Resigned to get it and subsequently get help, I turned around- and stopped.

BD's tantrum had thrown me out of direction. So he was lost, and I was lost.

A great many curse words came to mind, but I merely shook my head and began walking. Maybe, I reasoned, I would run out of the woods soon and meet with either the highway or Piperson Farms. Hopefully, BD met with the latter.

Lightning flooded the sky again, illuminating crescent hollows in the ground- hoofprints, panicked and blurry with speed.

I began running, mud splattering up against my jeans. The hat was gone, my shirt was soaked. "BD!" I screamed, trying to be louder than this angry cloud around us. "Bloodless Day!"