Changing Strides

~Epilogue~

  I glanced at the local section of the newspaper.  There I noticed the picture Moon and I at our final show.  Below, the headline read: "Groom Fined and in Jail for Six Months"
  I thought the headline was lame, but I still read the article:
  A groom at Pine Wood Stables is in the county jail for six months.  The groom, Michael Bay, also worked at Stone River stables as a groom as well.  He was charged for attempted murder of an equestrian by the name of Claire Willows.
  As it turns out, Michael Bay had actually tacked Golden Eagle with a faulty saddle.  He had slit one of the stirrup straps.  So when Claire and Golden Eagle jumped a fence, the stirrup fell.  This started a domino effect of tragedy.  When the stirrup broke, Claire had formed Achilles tendinitis.  Her horse, spooked, clumsily landed, though he didn't clear the fence.  As the pair crashed to the ground, Claire was thrown over his neck and landed in the arena dirt.  The sudden impact developed a strained muscle midway down her spine.  Believe it or not, this injury can sometimes be diagnosed as partial paralysis at first because they have similar symptoms.
  These injuries took months to heal.  Though when she finally started riding again, her troubles didn't come to an end.  Claire came to the barn and tacked up her other show horse, Dynamic Blue Moon, or Moon for short.  As they practiced jumping, Moon fell over a fence.  Claire and Miss. Amelia Woods later discovered that Moon had bruised her hind right cannon bone.
  Another event soon followed.  Golden Eagle was found tacked once again in his stall at Pine Wood Stables for a practice.  Claire was suspious and reported her findings to Miss. Amelia Woods.  After a thorough inspection of the tack, there were some suspious signs of trouble.  The bit was very aggressive, and not one owned by Pine Wood Stables. Nor was the saddle.  It was soon discovered that the owners of the tack was none other than their rival, Stone River Stables.
  After all of these freak events in a short span of time, Miss. Amelia Woods started to suspect that these events weren't coincidental.  So when Claire was entered into an eventing competition at Stone River Stables, both Miss. Amelia Woods and Claire searched for a person who worked at both stables.  They found a match at the event, Michael Bay.  They contacted the local police.  The police did an investigation into the story and charged Michael Bay with attempted murder of Claire Willows.  Though the justice department in South Elm didn't feel that this was enough.  So Michael Bay, as a fine, was demanded to pay for all medical bills for Claire and her horse's injuries.  The amount was extraordinary, though if Michael Bay had insurance, the insurance would be forced to cover what they could.
  In conclusion, Claire Willows and Dynamic Blue Moon literary soared to victory in their eventing class.  Now a graduated senior, Claire has big plans as an equestrian and track star.  She has been accepted into a local college through an equestrian program and track scholarship.  This is one of the rare stories of perseverance, courage and mystery that was overcome by the determination of Claire Willows.
  I bit my lip.  Even though it may not have been the most interesting story, it was powerful.  Sure enough, later in the news, my story made it.  It seemed like justice was finally served, and I cracked a small smile, I was back, and it felt amazing.
____________________________________ 
  I glanced down at Storm.  His golden coat simmered with strength in the breezy summer sun.  I fastened my helmet tighter. My nerves pulsed through my body, but I tried to stay calm.  I tried to keep my body from showing I was fizzing with excitement.
  I gave Storm a gentle pat, then I rubbed his whithers.  This was the biggest show jumping competition I was in to date.  The shortest jump was at my waist, when I was mounted on Storm, who was 16.1 hands high.  He wasn't small, nor were the jumps.  The tallest jump was about as high as the tips of Storm's ears.
  The order was simple, and the distance between the fences were greater.  I circled around the jumps, gathering my composure.
  I glanced at the jumps once more: first, a square oxer, followed by the shortest jump, a wall and rails.  This was followed by a wall, triple bar, the tallest fence, post and plank.  The final two jumps were a gate and an oxer.
  I took a deep breath, sitting deeper in the saddle and took off.  Storm developed into a nice easy canter and sped up in the last strides as I stood up.  We flew easily over the square oxer, clearing with room to spare.  Next came the wall and rails.  We soared high over the jump, maybe jumping too high.  Though I pushed aside te nerves that tried to take root.  I couldn't take back the jumps I've done.  As we approached the wall, Storm started to slow.  I pushed him forward and he complied as I prepared to stand.  We soared over the wall, it seemed like Storm was never fazed with the jump to begin with.
  Then we easily flew over the triple bar.  The triple bar had become second nature with Storm.  I pushed away any thoughts of Moon away and dug deep.
  Next was the tallest obstacle, post and plank.  It was decorated with vivid, bold colors.  I clicked to Storm to get him to stay focused.  He flicked an ear back as I prepared to stand up.  He rushed forward, gathering his hunches and taking off.  His power was emmense and it took me by surprise.  As we landed, I could only pray that our timing was right.
  I smiled as silence followed our jump.  Though the smile quickly disappeared as I focus back onto the course.  We leaped over the gate.   I smiled once more, only an oxer was left.  Once again, Storm had yet to prove my hopes wrong.  We cleared the jump, Storm showing off by creating a massive gap between him and the top rails.
  As we exited the course, I showered Storm in love.  His coat had formed a layer of sweat, and his nostrils flared, taking in massive amounts of air.  Though his fatigue was disguised by his heart.  He stood tall, head high, ears pricked.  His steps were long and relaxed.  He knew we did amazing.  Even as I led him into cross ties, his sight took my breath away.
  I set aside my formal riding gear in my bag and went back to Storm.  After washing him and drying him off, I gave him a groom.  That's when I heard someone walking down the aisle.  I turned to see Ben.  His arms were outstretched, his eyes were lit with joy, "Claire!  That was amazing!"
  I laughed, my breathing had not fully returned to normal yet.  There were no words for the exuberant, joyous adrenaline that coursed through my body, and it felt like this moment would never end.
  I looked back at Storm as he nuzzled me.  I stroked his golden coat and Ben came over and did the same.  Then, Ben locked his emerald eyes on me, and I turned to him, Storm's head still lowered near my head.  Ben embraced me, and our lips were drawn together.  I felt like I was on cloud nine, like the best possible version of myself.  After all the years of stuggle, I finally made it, my dreams had come true.  And even though my days with Moon had reached their sunset, I knew that sunrise was just around the corner with Storm and Ben, and only better times were ahead.