March Story Contest

Mara Beth part 1
By: Mistymyhorse
Age: 10

1905
I woke up early on April 26, 1905 and braided my long blond hair and put on my and ran into the kitchen and went to feed the chickens and collect the eggs. Today was my 18 Birthday and I
had to get my chores over with 7 eggs, enough to make breakfast for her parents and her 3 brothers and one baby sister Emma who was 6 months old. With her light blond hair and big aqua eyes she ran out to the barn and kissed Misty her overo red dun paint on her velvety muzzle.
Then I ran to get her oats and grabbed her pail of water and filled it up with fresh water and put it in her stall and ran inside the house and put the eggs on the skillet and the bacon on it to and went to wake everybody up and flipped the eggs and bacon. I picked up Emma and put on her small lacy dress and carried her into the kitchen and sat her down in her high chair and ran to set down the dishes and silver wear on the table and started making plates and then sat down and relaxed. And then everybody came in and sat down and prayed. Then we ate.

Then I ran over to my friend Elsie and found her feedin the chickens and she ran over to her
when Elsie saw her she yelled
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! and ran inside and came out with a beautifully wrapped gift.
I said "Are you ready to go"?
She said yes and we ran through the field that separated our houses and we ran inside my house and then we sat down in my room and she gave me the present. I opened it saving the paper not to be rude and saw inside a leather halter with misty carved on the side. I hugged Elsie so hard and then once she left I tacked up misty and trotted into Atlantic City. I saw a poster looking for young, brave girls must like water and must be 18 or up.
Mara got so excited it also said to contact Dr. William Carver. It showed his address she galloped Misty all the way she dismounted and found a stable with a cozy little house by and a large and 60 feet deep pool with a large ramp and a small room enough to hold a horse and rider though she led misty to a tree and tied her to it and ran up to the front door and knocked.

A very large man appeared at the doorway with a big smile Mara said "Hello, Dr. William Carver my name is Mara Beth but you can call me Mara I would like to try out The Diving on horses.
He said "Call me William and have you had any experience riding Mara?"
I said yes I have a horse misty shes a overo red dun paint oh ok William said "Meet me here tomorrow 3 o clock".
"Yes sir" Mara said and galloped home.

She dismounted misty and groomed her told her all about it and how excited she was then went inside screaming "Mom and dad"!
Mara suddenly remembered that she had took the poster with her yes honey said her mother look Mara said and showed them the poster I went over to his house and he said for me to try out tomorrow at 3 o clock.
My mother said YOUR NOT GOING in a very stern voice.
"But im 18 "She screamed and ran to Misty and groomed and saddled her up in record speed and galloped all the way to the pond five miles away. She was the only one who knew about it and nobody lived near it. She dismounted and cried into misty’s soft mane and took off her boots and socks and dipped her toes in the cold water and then got up tied misty up to a tree and untacked her and set them on a log and sat down and promised herself she would never go back except when her mother was at work. She would go and get her stuff at home at noon and then set off to William’s house.

And then she would have to find an apartment or at least a place to stay in she fell asleep on the log.
And woke up and saddled up Misty, it was noon by the time she and combed Misty with her fingers and got saddled up. She grabbed food water and clothes and mistys oats and set off to live her life she got to Williams house at 3 exactly.

He welcomed her with a warm smile and
hardy hand shake and said “lets get to work”.
He grabbed a odd looking saddle and bridle once
we got to the barn he said i hope you brought your bathing suit there is a outhouse over their if you need to get changed she nodded and walked over to the outhouse and then she was ready he saddled up a snow white horse and led her over to the large and very tall platform with a very deep pool under it and gave me a leg up and he sat my back in the proper position and showed me how to sit when the horse jumped off.

He made me practice the positions many many times before he let me lead her up the platform and she was really nervous but confident the horse jumped and they where air born she was shaking furiously but she made it William gave her a huge smile.

Welcome to horse diving now let us practice again go on up there, this time she held the reigns tighter and sat up straighter when she landed it she wasn’t shaking.

But the rush of excitement still shot through her it was that thrill she was looking for so long before she saw Misty looking at her. Then her heart dropped like a rock. When would she have time to ride Misty? Would Misty feel abandoned? She asked William when she cleared her mind, "Can you help me teach Misty how to dive?"

William rubbed his hands over his eyes and said ill sleep on it come back tomorrow same time and she left feeling nervous but proud she knew if her mom ever saw her she would regret everything. She said she remembered she had never said goodbye to her dad she then turned sad again he wasn’t even home from work yet and to find his daughter gone is probable amazing she suddenly had a strange ache to go back home again and hug dad when he got home from work smell his clone witch smelt of peppermints.
She scolded herself for not saying goodbye but then scolded herself again for wanting to turn back. She had found what she was looking for that’s all she ever wanted she was suddenly stuck between her father’s kind voice and his broad smile or The thrill of a lifetime for most people it would of just chose thrill but Mara ached to see her father was he out looking for her now she thought:

GUILT VS DIGNIGTY

Who will win? Mara said to herself. I’m not turning back now I’m not turning back ever."kicked a stone. "Misty where will we stay tonight?"
She ran into Atlantic city and looked around her silk blue dress swayed as a soft spring breeze blew it around her ankles. Her parents were not poor and wear not wealthy they had enough of it. The person she called mother was actually her stepmother. Her mother died while in birth with Emma her step mother had a great deal of money and was very proper with grammar she taught English at a very popular collage in Atlantic city. she could be nice she wasn’t the worst but she was over protective never letting Mara do anything she breathed a sigh she road on down the road and went out of city limits she found a abandoned barn with faded paint and led Misty inside she ducked under cob webs and found a stall.

She saw a small room and found it was a old tack
room it had a broom and a dust towel she decided to clean it up some she got to work busily sweeping and dusting and it looked better once she was done she decided she could stay there for a few nights she laid down in the stall next to misty’s she went to sleep she woke up and got misty Misty was rolling around in her stall.
"Oh no" thought Brook Colic.