Allamenea

LOST

“Please with a cherry on top?” Mom asks me in a desperate tone. “Natalie, now, come on. You know I can’t get Starry on my own."
I bite my lip, unsure whether I can or not. Starry is my mother’s horse, and I love him, but I hate being alone in the forest. You can't do anything, prevent any danger.
 “Will you at least follow as close as you can?” I whine.
 Mom smiles, as though she already knows that I would ask that question. Mom has that weird motherly intuition. She always has. She knows me almost better than I know myself.
 “I will be so close you’ll be able see me the entire time. And, if you can't, call out to me and I will try to come a little closer.”
 I nod. I know it is too much to ask of Mom, that it is hard for her to do that.   My mother had been in a car accident, four years ago, you see.  She is paralyzed from the waist down, and so she has a wheelchair.  Mom’s wheelchair can’t go in the forest; it is too hard to get past the rocks and twigs. Or if she gets stuck in it, it is very hard to get her out. Other than her paralyzed legs, though, Mom is very beautiful and healthy.
  Mom doesn’t ride Starry, obviously, but she enjoys him. Mom has always been a horse person. Somehow, though, the gate had gone loose and Starry has nudged his way out and into the forest.  Mom has been trying to convince me to get him for her for at least 10 minutes.
 “Natalie, are you coming?” Mom suddenly asks impatiently.
 “Yes, Mom,” I reply quickly. “I’m coming.”
 I gently wheel her out of the barn into the glaring sun. It is very humid here, making the sun even more hot than it should be.We live on Anna Maria Island, in West Florida.  I love where we live. The whole place is absolutely beautiful. However, the downside is it gets very hot. Even now I am already sweating as I push Mom down the wooden ramp. Suddenly, Mom screams and her wheelchair falls! I squeal a little of my own, trying to see what happened.
 The ramp had split under the weight of Mom, her wheelchair and me. Mom has her eyebrows gently furrowed, her lips contorted downwards. She looks perplexed and confused. After a few moments, though, Mom laughs out a cute, pixie tingling sound.
 “Oh my goodness,” she breathes. “Could you help me out a little, pumpkin?”
 I nod, and get a good grip on the handles of her chair from the back and lift up with all my might.  She leans forward, too, until the chair suddenly pops up and I quickly push her forward onto the ground. Her wheelchair slams down with a clang, and I see Mom flinch.
"Sorry," I mutter.
 Even here I could already see ocean spray a little ways off.  We have a small house near the beach, right next to what we call ‘The Forest.’  The Forest has trees that look sort of like a cross between palm trees and fir trees. I really like our trees; they are unique. I also adore our tiny section of the beach.  At a certain time of the year, we get to watch sea turtles lay eggs, and when the eggs hatch, Dad and I help sometimes help them get to the ocean, or shoo seagulls away when they dive in for the kill.
 “Come on,” Mom urges me to go faster.
I grin, and speed up my walking into more of a run. When we reach the very edge of The Forest, Mom tells me to let go of her chair. I slowly release the handles and take a  small step forward.
 “Go on, Natalie,” Mom encourages.
 I gulp and race down the path Dad cut down, yelping as leaves crunch  beneath my feet.
“Are you okay?” Mom calls.
 “I’m fine,” I call back shakily.
 A huge, dark shape moves in the trees, and I scream. Suddenly, a white gelding becomes visible, rearing and neighing loudly. Once I calm down, I remember that Mom told me how to handle a horse when it is upset.  First, I have to calm down myself.  I cannot have any fear or anxiety whatsoever, or I will make this worse. I take three, slow deep breaths. Next, I have to smile. This will show Starry that I am not worried. I do a small smile. Now I have to find the cause of Starry’s unsettledness.  I am pretty sure that he senses a storm coming. The weather forecast predicted one, anyway.  This can upset some horses, I think.
 “The storm isn’t here yet,” I whisper. "It's okay. I'm here now. Come on."
 I hesitantly smile again, trying to reassure him that there is nothing to worry about. I remember that now I have to let him do what he wants for a few seconds.  Starry seems to have calmed a little, although he is breathing fast and his eyes are darting nervously. I take a step back for a while, watching as he starts to graze. Finally, I have to get him to hold still and exhale in his face in time with how Starry breathes.
 I wait one more second to make sure he is calm enough, and I slowly approach him and hold his head to mine.  I feel Starry’s breathing slowing a little, and I exhale when he does. Starry quietly neighs. I gently rub his neck.
 “Natalie, how is it going?” Mom yells too me, breaking the silence.
She sounds very panicked, so I decide to respond quickly.
“I am perfectly fine, Mom,” I call back as quietly as I can, trying not to make Starry scared again.
It doesn't seem to affect him at all. Sighing in relief,  I take a hold of his reigns and gently guide him to the path, letting him go to Mom.
 “Call him!” I yell to Mom.
 Mom starts to call for Starry. His ears perk, and he trots to her voice.  I smile, peering at Mom. She winks and smiles back. I wink, too.
 Then she is gone.