July Story Contest

Goodbye
By: Valz1231
Age: 15

The vet inserts the needle,
the horse breathes his last breath,
his shuddering muscles go still,
and a cold wind howls through the barn.

The little girl buries her face into his shaggy mane,
trying to fight the tears dripping onto his sweat-flecked coat.
Her mother tries to pull her away,
but can't unlock her thin arms from around his limp neck.

That night she dreams of him,
the way she could tell him all her secrets
and he never told a soul,
how he careened through his pasture
the first time he saw snow,
the thrill of flying over fences, his deep brown eyes
eagerly looking for the next one.

When she wakes up she knows he isn't gone,
she knows that somewhere he is greedily wolfing down grass,
flicking flies away with his lavish tail,
warming his coat in the sun.
One last tear rolls down her cheek
and she stands to leave stall.
And she says goodbye.