One Blow is All it Takes
The sun shone down through the trees today. I breathed in the
sweet-smelling air, and sighed with content. I looked up at Mom, she was smiling
down at me. I whinnied and stood up, my four legs wobbly. It was my third day of
being alive, and I was loving every minute of it. Mom nuzzled my forehead and we
walked together to a stream. She walked in, encouraging me to as well. At first I
was hesitant. The water was too cold and moving too fast. She told me everything
would be okay, and reluctantly, I ventured in. The water was deeper than I
expected. It came up to my shoulder and tickled as the current ran through. It was
surprisingly warm. I splashed and played and neighed and swam all morning while
Mom watched. When it was time to go, Mom and I drank from the stream and
paced back into the forest. As days went on, Mom taught me what plants to eat and
not to eat (don’t eat the red berries, yuck!), how to find shelter when the weather
was unpleasant, and how to fend off predators.
About two weeks had passed when the little girl came. She was short, with
black hair and brown eyes - just like me. She showed an interest in Mom. She
walked up to us and ran her hands down Mom’s neck, and Mom nuzzled into the
girl’s chest. I was very confused. What was this thing? Why did it walk on two
legs? Why were her ears shaped so weird? But Mom led me over to her and told
me not to be scared. The girl touched my nose, and I loved it. “Hi, I’m Ilya. I’m so
glad you’re finally here,” she told me. I whinnied at her and closed my eyes. I
could tell Ilya and I would be best friends. As the sun was setting, Ilya told us it
was time for her to go. I didn't want her to leave, and neither did Mom. But she
told us she’d be back tomorrow. We watched her walk away into the woods, and
Mom and I layed down to go to sleep for the night.
The next morning, I awoke with energy. All I wanted to do was see Ilya
again! I waited and waited and waited for what felt like weeks for her to come to
see us. Finally, she was here! Today, she brought bright, red fruit for us. I took a
bite and tasted the sweet sweet goodness that the red fruit held. I later found out
they were called apples. Then Ilya pulled something out from behind her back - a
leather strap with a metal piece connected to it. I instantly ran behind Mom, scared
of what she held. Ilya put it on Mom’s head, and Mom told me it was okay and that
it didn’t hurt. ‘This is what Ilya uses when she rides on my back,’ she told me, ‘it’s
called a bridle.’ Ilya hopped onto Mom’s back, and we went to the stream. I
showed Ilya how I played in the stream, and she almost fell off because she was
laughing so hard.
It was time for Ilya to leave again. She said she had something called
‘school’? I don’t know what that is, but I don’t like it. It sounds scary. We said our
goodbyes as Ilya walked back into the woods. Mom and I stayed at the stream. We
drank and swam until we heard the sound. A rustle in the trees. Mom looked up,
and yelled ‘RUN!’ Then I heard the shot.
Everything moved in slow motion - I ran as fast as I could through the
woods, feeling like everything around me was frozen. Mom followed behind me,
but she had a red liquid pouring from her shoulder. Had whatever made that sound
hit her? She collapsed, and fell onto her side. I ran over to her and cried as she took
her last breath. My mom was gone, and that thing had taken her from me. One
blow is all it takes to change your life forever.
I stayed with Mom all night, laying next to her and weeping. I tried to sleep,
but when I closed my eyes, the only thing I could see was the image of my mother
laying in a pool of blood. After countless hours, I finally fell asleep. I dreamt of the
first few weeks of my life - the sweet smelling air, the water, how the grass tastes.
Mom. Her snuggles and her love radiating off of her like magic. But when I awoke,
it all came crashing back.
