The Tail Of A Horse

Chapter 18

🎶Zara's P.O.V🎶

I heard footsteps behind me. Just like in my dream. I was standing in front of Tally's stable door, I had just closed it after giving him a thorough groom. As early as it was, I turned around quickly like I had an overdose of caffeine.  Nobody was there.

The rest of the day, I was jumpy.

"Hey, Zee!" Matthew called across the yard as he climbed out of his red ford fiesta. He walked over to me, grooming kit swinging forwards and back next to his skinny legs. I jumped out of my skin as he shouted. "Woahhhhh. Someone had too much caffeine today,huh?" He reached out and placed his hand over my right shoulder. His hand was warm and soft even on top of my thick riding jacket.

Everywhere I walked, I felt like someone was watching me. I went to check on Tally about what seemed like every 5 minutes.

As I walked at a very fast pace into the stable block, I saw a shadow. A dark, skinny, tall shadow. It wasn't a regular shadow though. It was a person, and as soon as I went into the aisle that Tally's stable was on, the shadow raced away and the stable door of Tally's was open. There was a scatter of apples and carrots mixed into the straw bedding. Tally was digging around and gobbling them all up. There was a small plastic tub, that the vegetables must have been in, sat on the side next to the wall in the corner just under the feeder. I thought I recognised it but clearly not. It was just a clear plastic box. It had no meaning to it. The lid was blue but still it had no meaning to it, so I just put it in the bin in the kitchen.

When it was time to exercise Tally, his tack was already on his stable door and not in the tack room where it was earlier. Tally was sweaty and a grooming kit was in his stable, everything nearly placed inside and it wasn't a grooming kit from round here.

I ran and caught up with Red. He stopped with his wheelbarrow in his hands.
"Do you know if anyone is loaning Tally recently?" I asked him. He seemed paranoid.
"No, why?"
"I was just wondering. I thought Jerry was loaning him to someone whilst I train him"
"I don't know but I really have to get back to work." He hurried off with the wheelbarrow, it squeaked as the wheel rotated.

My phone continued to ring. Voicemail. Damn it. "Jerry, it's Zara. I think someone is either trying to steal or poison Tally. I need your help!! Ring me back asap!"

I returned to Tally's stable after I called Jerry. He seemed safe and sound. I grabbed his harness, his bridle and a lunge. I tacked him all up and went out to the arena to lunge him just for a few minutes.

His legs were working fine. His head and tail bobbed along in sync with his trotting legs. He extended his stride. Perfect. I never taught him how to do that. I heard a whistle behind me. Tally suddenly began to canter and his pace was just right. The whistle again. Tally returned to an energetic walk. Again, the whistle. It was like I had heard it or the voice of the whistle before. Tally stopped in a halt. It was suddenly like s romance movie. I turned to see....

....James!

He whistled with his fingers in his mouth one more and I turned my head slightly to see Tally next to me standing with his hooves square and his head bowing gently. I had no words in my mouth. No mean accusations or comments. I just walked slowly, with Tally by my side, over to the white fence surrounding the arena. James was stood with his elbows and lowers arms resting in the top tail and one leg behind the other, crossed. His blonde hair flipped across his face. His hair was short but he had his fringe long like a stereotypical emo kind of guy, dressed in typical riding clothes; polo shirt, jodhpurs, long black boots - covered in dust and dried, hard dirt. Tally seemed happy to see him. His ears perked forwards as far as they could and his tail swished up against his hindquarters and the back of his dark brown/ black legs.