June Story Contest

Lasso
By: 1357abcd
Age: 11 

Jessie walked outside and into her horse's stable. It was a hot, humid day at the Texas ranch.
    "Hey boy," she said to her horse, Lasso, a dark, reddish brown chestnut. She handed him a carrot. "I know that you surely don't want to go out for a ride," she said in a sarcastic tone. Lasso nickered and nugded his tack. "Okay," she said. "Whatever you want." She put a red rope halter and lead rope on her horse and led him out to a hitching post.
     She looked around for a moment, admiring the ranch that her dad had bought a month ago. She lived with her dad after a car accident that had killed her mom. They were depressed for weeks when they took up a new hobby to cheer them up. Ranching. Returning to her priorities, she tied Lasso to the post and brought out the riding tack. Jessie grabbed the dark blue blanket and back pads and gentley slid them onto Lasso's back. She looked back up and saw him chewing on the lead rope, making funny grunting sounds the whole time.
    "You silly," she said. "Quit trying to eat the rope!" She took her horses muzzle and kissed it. "I love you Lasso," she said. "You are so funny." After putting on the rest of her tack and mounting up, she wondered aloud, "I wonder if I can go before dad gets home." Her father had gone for a few hours to a cattle ranch to look at some milk cows. She looked at her horse and he whinnied. "Confirmation enough for me," she said. "Let's go boy," she shouted. They were off.

    Jessie looked up at the sky and watched the clouds. They had stopped at a stream about 2 miles from the ranch, surrounded by small canyons. She had been there with her horse for half an hour. She suddenly noticed something queer. There were no birds and no other animals. It was strangely quiet. She got up and walked to her horse.
    "Let's leave," She said to Lasso. She noticed that he looked a tad feared and anxious. "I'm starting to think something is wrong." She was about to mount up when Lasso pranced around and chewed at the rope he was tied with. She thought maybe he was thirsty so she walked him to the stream and told him to drink. He eyed her. A movement shook her feet and knocked her on the ground. "It's an earthquake," she screamed, terrified. This was the first in 14 years. She scrambled to her feet and ran with Lasso to the nearest tree. The ground shook again, massively. Jessie fell to the ground and hit her head against a canyon wall and eveything went black.

    Jessie woke with Lasso at her face. She tried to pat his muzzle and realized she couldn't move her arm. Her head throbbed as she remembered what had happened.She looked over to her arm. She gasped as she saw that there was a huge, bloodcaked gash on what was her most likely broken left arm. She used her other hand to feel around on it for any breaks. She yelled in pain when she found it.
    "I know boy," she said to Lasso, to whom she'd spooked. She then took notice of her surroundings. Three trees had fallen and it was most likely 6:30 AM considering that off in the the distance the sun was rising. She tried to sit up but only getting massive pain. She was suddenly dizzy and she turned to the side and vomited. "We have to get home," she said to Lasso. "But I think first I should rest." In no time she was asleep as her body tried its hardest to heal.

    She woke maybe 14 hours later for it was dark and a moderate amount of stars were out. She waited a while and tried to sit up, this time succeeding. Lasso had broken his rope but had stayed. He was grazing six yards away.Jessie looked around for maybe some fruit. She saw a fallen apple very close and she used her right arm to get it. She bit into it and examined her broken arm. It was turning yellow. An infection had quickly set in.
    "Come here, boy," she said to Lasso. He looked at her and slowly came over. He nugded her and whinnied. She patted him with her good arm and murmured nice words to him. "We'll leave sometime," she said. "Soon, boy. Soon."

    She had stayed awake for a few hours when she succumbed to sleep. She was awoken by a wetness. A rain drop had fallen on her face. Soon it was pouring like it was the last time it could rain in years. It was harsh and the raindrops hurt as they hit her. We need to leave. We need to leave. She thought. She called Lasso and looked to see if he still had his saddle. No. There's no saddle anymore. I have to leave. I am hungry as Lasso and very sick. She remembered a horse she had seen a few months ago and the rider was bareback. She tried to climb onto Lasso and copy that rider. She had to steer and she sucked in a breath as a major pain shot through her arm.
     "AHHH!" she screamed. She flailed and fell off of her horse, this time fracturing her leg. "Oh my gosh," she said, trying to contain herself. "It hurts, it hurts, it huuurts." she said. Tears rolled down her face. She searched and felt a crack right under the knee. Lasso turned to her and nuzzled her face. It reminded her of home and that they were only a mile away. "Oh my gosh," she said. "Dad! He must be looking for me!" She carefully got up, yelling whenever her arm or leg went the wrong way. She eventually got mounted and clucked to Lasso. He had such a connection with Jessie. He carried her in a way that minimized pain and whenever she yelled or acknowledged pain, he stopped and waited. And before starting back, he made sure Jessie was ready and pain had subsided.

    About an hour later, Jessie saw smoke in the distance. It was getting dark. They had to hurry. Smoke might have been a good sign or a wildfire. She kept on moving, talking to Lasso to take her mind off her leg and infected arm. She heard a warm nicker and saw Pinto, a black and white paint from the ranch.
    "Pinto," she said, excitedly. "I am so happy to see you!" She clucked and Lasso moved to a trot. Jessie no longer thought much of her pain. She wanted to be home so much. Then she saw it. The ranch. She saw a dark figure in the back yard. It was dad. He looked much older and was rubbing his chin. But most of all, he was sad and totally exhausted. He looked up and saw Jessie.
     "Jess, " he yelled. "Jess you're home!" Jessie saw her dad running toward her. He picked her up off Lasso's back and carried her to the house. Lasso found his way back to the pen. She was taken to the hospital and given many hugs and kisses. Meanwhile Lasso got lots of carrots and apples. And the whole time Jessie only thought one thing.  I'm home. Finally. And all because of Lasso.

As if horses could get any better than that.