Ghost

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Bad news.

The other horses here know I'm not really alive.

"Get out of here!" My neighbor, Trix, a bay mare, hissed at me. She is Sylvia's father's horse. Then there's Sam, Sylvia's brother's (who I now know is Michael) horse. He's a big, muscular chestnut horse with a white blaze. Lastly, there's Prince, a plump Shetland pony with a shaggy white mane. None of them like me very much.

Correction: they all hate me.

"I know what you are." Sam said to me, his eyes locked on mine.

I flicked my ears, and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Prince scoffed at me. "Yes, you do. You're dead. You're not supposed to be here." Sam nodded.

"I'm as alive as you are." I retorted. Prince huffed and swished his long tail. Sam turned away from me.

"Whatever." Prince muttered, and returned to his hay.

Despite all this, Sylvie still paid attention to me. The whole day, she stayed in the barn with me, feeding me carrots and brushing my pale grey coat until it sparkled. She made everything perfect. It was just her nature.

"Sylvie!" Her father called. "Dinner! Put the horses out in the pasture, please."

"Ok, Dad!" Sylvie called back. She took out a teal halter, and slipped it over my nose.

"C'mon, buddy. Let's put you out in the pasture." I followed her out into the field, and she took the halter off of me.

"Good boy." She said, petting my nose.I nickered as she walked away. She came back with both Trix and Prince. After she put Sam in the pasture and shut the gate, she left.

Uh oh.

Something tells me Trix, Sam, and Prince aren't going to be too happy to see me in here.

Sure enough, they are pretty much ignoring me (Trix), kicking at me if I get too close to the alfalfa (Prince), and biting me (Sam). I wish Sylvie would go ahead and eat so that she can take me back inside. At least in there, Prince and Sam aren't trying to maul me.

After the horses had finished their alfalfa, promptly leaving me none, they cornered me in the back of the pasture.

"Get. Out. Of. Here." Trix said through clenched teeth. Sam swished his tail and bared his teeth.

"Go back to wherever the heck you came from!" Sam growled. I never thought it was possible for a horse to growl, but here we are. Prince simply nodded and swished his tail from side to side, his ears pinned back.

"Who are you?" Trix demanded.

I lowered my head. "Fine. My name is Atlas, and you're right. I'm not supposed to be here."

"That's quite the story you have, but you still can't be here. It's just not natural. I need you to go back to your home now."

I flicked my ears, and blinked. "And how am I going to do that?" Trix fell silent. I raised my head triumphantly. "That's what I thought. Also, I am home."

And it was true.