Something drew me to that animal. She looked savage, unbroken, and even a bit evil. Black, no colour but the fire in her eyes, oh her eyes....you could see the reddish-orange fire in those amazing eyes. Anger and fear filled her soul. Sympathy flooded over me. Shivers covered my body. This thing wasn't just a horse. She was a tortured soul. You could tell by the look of her. You could tell by the way that she loved the darkness; by the way she flinched when you led her outside on a warm summer day. With a gash on her side that made you feel like there was a hole in the world, she was just.......simply....."Em? Em? We have to take Tzarina outside." Hi, my name is Emily T. Roddum and I work at Poseidon Riding stables. My friend who just called me? That's Samantha, she works here too. I reacted quickly to her words. I grabbed a lead rope from the tack room and stood in front of Tzarina's stall. She overpowered me. I always did this. I just stared at her, her face, studied her like I had an exam the next day where I had to describe her in the most descriptive way. I grabbed her halter off her stall door. I opened the door and stepped inside. She jumped. Got startled, but I stayed calm. I slowly walked over to her, halter behind my back, making sure that I didn't spook her again. I pet her, calming her down a little bit. I slipped her halter on her head. She raised her head up high and the fear almost looked like it would pour out of her eyes like tears. She lowered her head again and I clipped the lead rope onto a loop on the halter. I lead her outside and she flinched, just like I thought she would. It was 5 minutes to 12, so I let Tzarina into the paddock and went back to the stable. By the time I had walked back, my mom was there to pick me up so I quickly grabbed my things and went to the car.
That night, I couldn't stop thinking about Tzarina. The way she just stared at me, the way she got spooked when I put her halter on her head. What had happened to her? Why did she not like anyone except for the woman who came in four times a week to see her? She hated the barn owner, Steve. Alana, my friend there, had told me that she hated Steve because he held her when the vet came to check her out. I think it was more than that, though. I think that she had a bad experience with Steve maybe. "Emily? Time for dinner!" Oh that's just great, break my concentration. Oh well, I need something to eat anyway, I had a tough day. I went downstairs to eat dinner and then headed to bed. I dreamed about a woman, she looked kind of like me, but she was older. She was riding a white horse. I don't know what horse it was. It looked like a horse from the stable. The woman fell off her horse. The horse came around and picked the woman up off the ground. They both came towards me and the horse gave me a look that I translated to something like "will you help save my owner?" I reached out to pet the horse and then.........something happened. What? It couldn't be. I grabbed air. It was all a dream. I felt the wind in my hair and the sun on my face. It must have been real! It was 2 o'clock in the morning. Oh jeez, why did a dream have to wake me up THIS early? I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Who was that? That, woman? And that horse? Who were they? Maybe it was me and some horse that I'd meet later on in my life. But, what about Tzarina? Maybe Tzarina turned into a white horse. Oh, Emily, think normal here. How would Tzarina turn white when she's pitch black? It didn't make any sense. I kept thinking about Tzarina when my eyes finally got too tired to stay open and I drifted off to sleep.
I was up and ready for work the next day at 7:30. My mom was making pancakes and Dad was raving on about how the science lab had found a cure for allergies to dogs. "Onions and Mushrooms," he said. I didn't think that that would work, but I didn't say because I didn't want to dampen dad's spirit. By the time we all were done our pancakes, my mom and I were rushing out the door because it was 8:15 and I had to be there at 8:30. I got there and no one was there. There was a note on the door that said that they would be back in 10 minutes. I said to my mom that I was fine waiting there and she jumped in the car and drove home. I went to the first place that I could think of, Tzarina's stall. Either she wasn't there when I got there or she was camouflaged into the darkness of the stall. I looked closely and I didn't see her. She was probably in the paddock. I went outside and I didn't see her in the paddock. I started to get worried at that point. I went back to her stall and saw her laying on the ground of her stall. Unconscious.
That night, I couldn't stop thinking about Tzarina. The way she just stared at me, the way she got spooked when I put her halter on her head. What had happened to her? Why did she not like anyone except for the woman who came in four times a week to see her? She hated the barn owner, Steve. Alana, my friend there, had told me that she hated Steve because he held her when the vet came to check her out. I think it was more than that, though. I think that she had a bad experience with Steve maybe. "Emily? Time for dinner!" Oh that's just great, break my concentration. Oh well, I need something to eat anyway, I had a tough day. I went downstairs to eat dinner and then headed to bed. I dreamed about a woman, she looked kind of like me, but she was older. She was riding a white horse. I don't know what horse it was. It looked like a horse from the stable. The woman fell off her horse. The horse came around and picked the woman up off the ground. They both came towards me and the horse gave me a look that I translated to something like "will you help save my owner?" I reached out to pet the horse and then.........something happened. What? It couldn't be. I grabbed air. It was all a dream. I felt the wind in my hair and the sun on my face. It must have been real! It was 2 o'clock in the morning. Oh jeez, why did a dream have to wake me up THIS early? I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Who was that? That, woman? And that horse? Who were they? Maybe it was me and some horse that I'd meet later on in my life. But, what about Tzarina? Maybe Tzarina turned into a white horse. Oh, Emily, think normal here. How would Tzarina turn white when she's pitch black? It didn't make any sense. I kept thinking about Tzarina when my eyes finally got too tired to stay open and I drifted off to sleep.
I was up and ready for work the next day at 7:30. My mom was making pancakes and Dad was raving on about how the science lab had found a cure for allergies to dogs. "Onions and Mushrooms," he said. I didn't think that that would work, but I didn't say because I didn't want to dampen dad's spirit. By the time we all were done our pancakes, my mom and I were rushing out the door because it was 8:15 and I had to be there at 8:30. I got there and no one was there. There was a note on the door that said that they would be back in 10 minutes. I said to my mom that I was fine waiting there and she jumped in the car and drove home. I went to the first place that I could think of, Tzarina's stall. Either she wasn't there when I got there or she was camouflaged into the darkness of the stall. I looked closely and I didn't see her. She was probably in the paddock. I went outside and I didn't see her in the paddock. I started to get worried at that point. I went back to her stall and saw her laying on the ground of her stall. Unconscious.