Night Mares, Stallions, and Ruby Red Slippers Pt. 2

Follow The Yellow Brick Road

Image from heyu1021

My glee soon turned to dismay, though, when I realized that they were all wearing those strange contraptions on their head and attached by rope to each other or other horses. It looked as if they were planting the field.

Were they working for the horses?

I saw no Emerald City and no Yellow Brick Road. I smelled the pungently sweet smell of horse manure and felt the warmth of sun on my back. Unless I had been transported to some strange Planet of the Horses, I had no explanation.

I also had no knowledge of where my daughter had gone or why she been taken from me. I started to plead with the big grey horse but he ignored me. He just yanked harder. At one point I stumbled and fell, and when he yanked me up I started calling to the other humans.

Image from Rob Young

They looked warily at me as if to warn me to behave. A few called back and advised me to calm down; I would get used to this they said. Almost everyone does over time, they advised.

I started backing up in disbelief. I didn’t realize it until too late that there was a gigantic, gnarled oak tree right behind me. I tripped backwards over a large root that seemed to reach up and wrestle me to the ground.

I landed hard with my head smacking a rock. That was the last thing I remembered until I woke up again.

Reunited

I don’t know how long it was, but I woke up with a blinding headache. I rubbed my eyes and stared around the room.

It was my room. My room at home, just as I had remembered it with everything in its place. I heard some noise and froze. Then I realized that it was just my daughter’s laughter coming through the door from the hallway.

I let out a huge sigh of relief, and then I dragged myself out of bed. I opened the door and gave my daughter a tight squeeze. Yes, I was home, and it felt very good.

There’s No Place Like Home

As soon as I was dressed, I hurried out to the barn. I proceeded to open the stall doors and take my horses out to their pasture. Though they nuzzled me and whinnied with affection and glee, I sobbed as I finally realized now, deep in my heart, how they must feel at times.

Image from dbking

I vowed to keep those stall doors open and babies by their sides as long as possible.

My muddy barn boots were no sparkling red slippers. However, as I let loose my horses to roam their freshly green acreage, the small and only plot of freedom that they would ever know, those ugly boots felt just as magical as ruby red slippers.

My horses might not be free, but this was their home, and there is no place like home.

Confused?

Be sure to read part one to get the whole story.