Athaia and The Secret of Thoughts

An unwelcome meeting

It was a cold rainy day, when Athaia stood outside waiting for the postman. The icy wind made her eyes be even redder than they already were. Her pillow was soaking wet from all her tears that had rolled over her cheeks since her father had closed his eyes forever two days ago. Athaia felt as lonely as ever... not only had she noticed that it hadn't been her imagination that day at the yard but also that her surroundigs had changed. The autumn sun had vanished. Dark clouds hung over the sky and the few people in Athaia's village seemed to be restless and in a bad mood. It had been 13 days since she last sat on a horse. Although she never particularly liked riding it had become a part of her life. It was the first time Athaia noticed how riding had filled up all of her free time. The more days passed the more she wished her father would lie in his bed as he had done for so long. But no matter how many times she peaked through the bedroom door, each time she would feel the same big loss. It was as if someone had ripped off a piece of her heart.
When she turned her head, she finally saw the postman on his bike coming in her direction pedalling like mad. Breathing heavily he came to a stop in front of Athaia and passed her a rather worn out scroll with a black seal. With a short nick of his head he got up on his bicycle again and continued his morning round. After staring at the scroll in her hand for a while, Athaia finally broke the seal with nearly frozen hands. Carefully she unfolded the letter. Although the parchment didn't look nice at all, the handwriting was as clear as if it had been printed. Slowly she began to read:

Dear Athaia Jyrema,
We have received your application for the Hepidaloh-Highly-Considered-Creatures-Academy. We are aware of it, that you are serious about studying at our academy, however our students have to follow some instructions to be able to apply for a scholarship. It is essential that we investigate your riding skills before you may study at the Hepidaloh-Highly-Considered-Creatures-Academy. You are invited to show your talent tomorrow at sun-rise at the yard, where you have been riding for the last few years. We will bring 4 highly-considered-creatures with us as well as the tack and other material for them. You will be asked to wear a black or brown riding gown and have your hair tied up in a strict bon. Your boots shall be polished and nicely tied up. You will show us different styles of riding as well as answer some theoretical questions.
We please you not be late as that would cause the immediate exclusion from the academy.

Yours Sincerely
The Hepidaloh-Highly-Considered-Creatures Academy

Athaia read through the letter many times until she finally understood the words. She hadn't expected that she would be asked to pass an entry exam for the academy. And where shall she get a black or brown riding gown until tomorrow. All she had was her green gown which had been sewed together several times as she hadn't had the money to buy a new one. Quickly she went back inside the bungalow. Athaia hurried to her bedroom, threw the letter onto her desk and opened her wardrobe. With both hands she started throwing out all the bits and bobs she had stored in her wardrobe for many years until she finally found the small wooden box she had hidden deep down inside the wardrobe. Carefully she lifted the lid and turned the little box over. 3 single coins rolled over the floor... hardly enough for a new riding gown. Disappointed and angry that she hadn't paid more attention to her savings she gave the little box a kick. The box sailed through the air and then crashed with a dump thrush into the opposite wall. Athaia felt tears welling up again but she pushed herself into her father's bedroom. The air was thick and there was a slight bad smell. She opened her father's cupboard and started searching through it. There were loads of old sweaters, trousers and shirt but there was no sight of anything Athaia could use to pay for a new gown. After another few minutes Athaia had to give in. There was no money left, all she could do was to wear her green riding gown tomorrow. However she remember, that she had some left over leather oil that she could use to clean her boots. As Athaia didn't know anything else she could do, she spent the rest of the day cleaning her boots until they shone.