June 2009 Story Contest

Love’s Last Promise by SevenHoofbeats & Elusive

         Worriedly, Jennifer mounted her black pony, Masquerade, and started off down the trail towards Wiggins. While her mom worked almost day and night in nearby Millstown, Jen had to look after the small farm herself, including the Lambert's two ponies. The phone-lines were out, and since Jen and her family had only moved in three weeks ago, she didn't know the neighbors well.

         Forbidden Love, their pregnant grey Connemara, whinnied from her small confinement. It was for her than Jen was riding into town, to find the vet. She looked like she could foal at any moment. She was showing all the signs.

         “I’ll be back soon, Love!” Jen promised. Masquerade willingly trotted through the wooded trail, leaving behind his pasture mate.

         As soon as Jen had arrived in town, she had met Pam Crandel, who had introduced her to the other Pony Pals, Anna Harley and Lulu Sanders. The trio had told Jen to ask them for help if she needed it, and now she needed Pam’s help. Or, more specifically, her dad’s. Dr. Crandal was a vet, and it was a vet Love needed right now.

         As if he could understand the urgency of the situation, Masquerade trotted forward with a ground-covering stride. All went well until they met a fork in the trail. Sensing Jen’s indecision, Masquerade stopped, taking the opportunity to snatch a few stalks of grass.

         “Which way, Mask?” Jen asked, nervously. She didn’t recall seeing the fork before, and she didn’t know which trail led to the Crandels’ farm. Masquerade wandered towards the left fork in search of new grass. Jen decided it was as good a trail as any. The black pony’s gentle hoofbeats resumed as they headed off in search of the vet.

           Half an hour later, Jen and Masquerade arrived at the Crandels’ farm. Masquerade nickered a friendly greeting to Lighting, Acorn, and Snow White, who all grazed together in a paddock. Jen dismounted as the Crandel twins, Jack and Jill, wandered out of the barn.

        “Where’s Dr. Crandal?” asked Jen, digging her lead rope out of her saddlebag.

         The twins grinned mischievously, but Dr. Crandel marched out of the barn at that moment, closely followed by Pam.

         “Hi, Pam. Hello, Dr Crandel,” said Jen. Pam waved in response.

         “Jack, Jill, go help your mother,” said Dr. Crandel. “Hello, Jennifer. What brings you here?”

         “I’ve got a mare back at my farm; I think she’s going to foal today. She’s showing all the signs.”

        “Forbidden Love, right? Connemara? I haven’t got any emergencies to attend, so why don’t we go back up to see her? The Pony Pals can come and help out. I’ll assume your mom is working?”

        “Yes, she is. Said she wouldn’t be back til tomorrow,” answered Jen. Masquerade tugged at his bit, reminding Jen that he was still there.

         “You can turn your pony out with the others,” said Dr. Crandal. “No point in riding – that storm is going to turn nasty soon.”          He gestured at the sky. Dark clouds obscured the sunlight, and ominous rumblings sounded from far away. Hurriedly, Jen untacked Masquerade, helped by Pam.

         “I’ll put your tack away and find Anna and Lulu,” offered Pam, and she headed to the barn with her arms loaded with tack. Dr. Crandal started his truck, while Jen put Masquerade in Lightning’s paddock. The four horses greeted each other joyfully.

         The four girls piled into the truck with Dr. Crandal, and they headed up to the Lambert’s farm.

           Love whinnied loudly as they arrived. Dr. Crandal dug his bag out of the truck.

         “She’s beautiful,” said Anna and Pam together.

         “She looks like Snow White, only slightly darker,” said Lulu.

         Jen haltered Love so that Dr. Crandal could examine her. “She’s not normally this scruffy,” she apologized.

         “She’s definitely going to foal within the next hour,” said Dr. Crandel. “See how she’s all sweaty? And pawing? She’ll have the foal soon.”

         “Cool!” came the chorus from the four girls. Jen grinned.

         “What should I do with her?” she asked.

         “Have you got a big stall for her in the barn?”

         Jen nodded.

         “Then take her in there; it’ll be dry and warm.”

         The rain was just beginning to fall when the girls, vet, and horse moved into the barn. Love stood in her stall, eyes glazed.            Suddenly, a shrill ringing pierced the air. Dr. Crandel answered his cell phone, and his face grew grim.

         “There’s a horse down at the Olsons’ place with serious colic. I’ll probably have to put him down,” said Dr. Crandel. “You girls stay here with Love and help her if she needs it. I know you can do a good job.”

         “We will,” said Pam. The other three girls nodded.

         “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

        With that, Dr. Crandal left, firmly shutting the barn door. Although the storm raged outside, inside the barn was warm.          “I’ll go get some cookies,” volunteered Jen, after a moment of silence.

        “I can go find some disenfectant and stuff in case we need to help,” said Anna.

         Pam offered to find some chairs, while Lulu stayed to watch Love. The girls all came back after a few moments with their assorted items. Pam set up the folding chairs, Jen put the cookies on one of them, and Anna put the bucket of equipment by Love’s stall.            “Have you thought of any names, yet?” asked Lulu. Jen shook her head, her mouth full of an oatmeal and raisin cookie.

         “Who was the sire?” asked Pam.

         Jen tried to remember. “I think it was Last Tango. He was a nice black Connemara.”

         Anna brought out a notebook. “How about we list some names?” She drew a filly on one side of the paper, and a colt on the other. With a scrawl, she scribbled down her names.

         “Forbidden Dance, or Last Love,” she said, as she put the name down on paper.

           Pam took the pen, and wrote down her ideas, in both columns. “Promise, or Misty.”

        “We usually do this to help come up with ideas to solve problems,” explained Lulu. “We have a Pony Pal meeting to help each other out. I think Nightwing is a pretty name for a mare, especially a black one.”

         She wrote down her name, and passed it to Jen. She thought for a moment, before adding “Twilight” in the filly column, and “Samurai” in the colt. She put the notebook down on the upturned bucket.

         Then, grunts came from Love’s stall. The girls abandoned their cookies and names, and raced to the stall. Love was down on her side, heaving and groaning as contractions rippled across her belly. A pair of hooves poked out her rear end.

        Jen watched in amazement as the foal was gently eased out into the stall. The midnight black colt lay still for a while, his wet sides barely moving as he breathed. Love rolled upright, weary, but she knew what to do. She began licking her foal, bathing her son with her large pink tongue. Each lick removed a bit more of the muck covering the foal.

        “He’s adorable,” said Pam and Anna together.

         “Just like Last Tango!” Jen exclaimed.

       Lulu commented, “Pity he isn’t a she – Nightwing would have been perfect!”

         Jen grinned. It was amazing. Forbidden Love had delivered her foal, and she was fine.

         “What are you going to name him?” asked Anna.

         “I’m not sure,” said Jen.

           It wasn’t until the next day that Jen decided what she was going to name the foal. The Pony Pals – Jen was now included in the group – had decided to have something with “Love” and “Last” in it, to commemorate his sire and dam, but it took a while for Jen to figure out the name.  She ran down to the barn in the early morning. The dawn’s first rays of sunshine were just pouring into the stable when Jen entered the stall. She crouched down by the ebony foal.

         “Love’s Last Promise,” she whispered, “I will always love you, the last. I promise.”