Hello! This is a short story I wrote in hopes to win a contest. This is a dramatic story telling the journey of a young black filly name Dakota, born into a family who was left abandoned at their once beautiful farm. Each day is an ongoing battle, can they pull through?
Sorry, the limit was 1,000 words so I was not able to add as much detail as I wanted, I pushed it up to 1,000 words exactly xD
Sorry, the limit was 1,000 words so I was not able to add as much detail as I wanted, I pushed it up to 1,000 words exactly xD
Ṫℎℰ Ṭℝℰℰ
I was born on a small abandoned farm alongside my sister Thunder, a broad shouldered mare with a strong heart. When I first opened my eyes, I saw Thunder, her tattered black coat; mud caked in her mane, yet her soft brown eyes still held emotions. She welcomed me into the world, yet something made me feel uneasy. Staring intently into her eyes, I noticed redness of them, how puffy they were, I thought that odd but paid no mind to it. My mother greeted me next, she too had red eyes, yet they held warm love as she licked me clean and got me to my feet. I suckled for a bit before she allowed my father to sniff my fragile body, but she made uncle Bone wait longer, swatting him away whenever he came to near.
It had been four months since my birth when I noticed my mother and father getting ill. My sister often told me it was due to the lack of grass and water making them ill, although she often reassured me they would pull through; but she had told me it with uncertainty, making me believe otherwise. Several days later, I awoke to see mother’s and father’s body, lying next to each other, unmoving. No one had to explain it to me, it was clear they had passed on, and so, Thunder and Bone buried them underneath the cashew tree where they still lie to this day.
After many months had passed, Thunder and Bone were all I had left. Thunder was my best friend, but when she got ill, I couldn’t bear to see her off. I laid with her for those 21 days, she herself too weak to move, and on a warm spring day she called me over.
“Be strong my beautiful sister, and never give up.” Thunder’s soft brown eyes glazed over, as a tear ran down her cheek and I watched her chest rise for a final time. I buried my face in her mud caked mane and stayed there for days until the hunger pangs grew too strong and my uncle Bone ripped me from her rotting body.
After that day, it has been me and my uncle Bone, trying to survive on what little the humans left us, and so, our journey continues.
The blistering heat shone down upon my field as I sought shelter under the final standing tree, the cashew tree. Bone’s nose was hoof deep in manure searching for food that we had not yet eaten, the sour excuse for food was coated in drying feces while yet still soggy and lifeless from years of rain coating it. Sighing I made way toward the collapsing barn, a chipping structure with rotting beams falling onto any creature living there. Lapping the tinted rain water my hunger pangs began to start up, piercing, snarling, vicious pains that drove me mad. Bone trotted over, huffing, out of breath from years of strenuous labor.
“I can’t find anything Dakota, not one thing,” Bone licked his lips with anguish. “I don’t know what we are-,” cutting his sentence short Bone started to hack, red liquid came from his throat as I backed away, afraid of the disease, I instantly knew, something was wrong. “I’m sorry Dakota, I don’t know what we are going to do honey, right now, it seems we have no food to support us.” Looking down I saw his eyes well up with tears, nuzzling him I huffed, my breath wheezing.
“We will find a way Bone, we always have.”
“Oh I hope your right honey.” Bone sighed looking defeated.
The next morning I awoke to see Bone, looking out toward the forest, a forlorn look spread across his face, downy mane blowing back in the wind. Walking over to him, his breathing sounded hushed, barley audible as the wind whipped around us. I stood with him for hours, but all too soon, unable to keep my vigil, I walked away as my hunger pangs returned.
After walking round the field for some time, still in pursuit for any type of food, I noticed Bone had moved from his fence post. Scanning the rocky field I noticed him lying beneath the cashew tree. Walking over to him I scanned his body. It was littered with flies, buzzing around him like a pack of hungry vultures. Ears pinned I shooed them away and washed him, and with a heavy heart, I accepted it, my last friend was gone, and so I allowed him to join my family, beneath the cashew tree.
Weeks went by, and my pangs become dulled, the sharpness of them seemed to disappear completely. Half the time I stumbled around the field, eating the fallen dead leaves that had blown into the pasture from the great oaks that stood not 100 yards away.
On one particular day, my legs gave way; I dragged myself to the shade as the sun’s heat became unbearable. As the day progressed I started to drift into a slumber where I was met by a dream…
I was trotting in a forest shrouded in mist when I saw a horse with a pitch black coat, glossy and clean, it had taken me some time to figure out that this beautiful horse was my sister.
“Sister, your time has come, the time to let go of this pain, to come with your family.”
“But Thunder, I’m afraid-,” she cut my words short.
“Don’t be my beautiful sister, let the warmth consume you, follow me into the forest, and we can once more be together.” Tears welled in my eyes, as three figures appeared, and took me away.
“John, stop the car!” two men pulled to an abandoned farm, spotting a lump lying in the middle of the field. Only when the two men went and inspected the lump did they realize it was the carcass of a young black filly, lying underneath an old rotting cashew tree.
