This was a request story by BellaVision.
Eight-year-old twins Connor and Chelsea Nye snuck into their family's stable, a blanket in their arms.
"Connor, come on!" Chelsea urged her twin. "It'll just be for the night."
"But…why, Chelsea?" Connor inquired.
"I want to be near the horses, that's all," Chelsea assured him, her blue eyes meeting his.
"Mother and Father will not be happy with this at all," Connor mumbled. "You know that they don't want us in the stables."
"Connor William Nye," Chelsea chided him. "Our parents won't be back until later tomorrow morning. You know how Mr. And Mrs. Fishman's parties are." The Fishmans were good friends of the Nye family, and almost every weekend, they would throw an elaborate party, with delicious food and fresh red wine to go around, and when the party was over, the guests were too stuffed and drunk to return home.
Chelsea touched her twin brother's arm. "Don't worry, brother, we'll wake up early and run back to bed before it is too late. Besides, our nanny Ms. Gott has friends over, and she thinks we are in our own rooms."
Connor hesitated, but then, he nodded his head. "All right," he said. "But you must remember to wake up early."
"I promise."
Chelsea and Connor slipped into the barn, where they greeted the four horses their family owned. Two were chestnut (Abby and Winnie), a third was gray (Smoker), and the fourth was a bay roan named Royce.
"Where should we sleep?" Connor asked his twin sister.
"Hmm…over there!" Chelsea pointed to where a pile of fresh hay was strewn in an empty stall next to Royce's stall. The parents of the twins were planning on getting a fifth horse as soon as possible, but for reasons unknown, they never got a chance.
The twins trotted over into the stall, flung their blankets down, and lay down upon them. They heard Royce nicker at them.
"Don't worry, Royce," Chelsea assured him. "We'll leave in the morning."
"Hey, Chelsea, did you bring any food from the house?" Connor asked her.
From her pocket, the blue-eyed girl pulled out two cookies. Connor's blue eyes widened and he exclaimed, "Margaret's cookies!"
Margaret Gott was the niece of the children's own nanny, a sweet-tempered, friendly girl in her late teens. Every time she came over to the Nye home, the girl would bring over treats she made for the children. Cookies, cake, pie, you name it. But there was something strange about them: every time she gave the treats to the children, she would always tell them that they needed to eat the treat on the night of a full moon. But of course, Connor and Chelsea did not take her advice and ate them right away.
Connor was about to eat his cookie when he stopped. Standing up, he went over the nearest window, peeked out of it, and said, "Chelsea, come and see!"
Chelsea came over to her brother's side and looked out the window as well. From there, they could see that the moon was full tonight.
The siblings exchanged unsure glances. "Should we eat these?" Connor wondered. "You know what Margaret said…"
"She never said anything bad about her treats if we ate them on the night of a full moon," Chelsea pointed out.
"But she never said anything good about them for that time, either," Connor concurred.
The twins fell silent. From her stall, Winnie pawed at the ground. Abby chewed at some of her hay. Smoker groomed himself with his teeth. Royce, on the other hand, watched the children intently.
Chelsea came up with a decision. "You and I will both eat the cookies at the same time, and we'll see what'll happen," she told Connor, who looked worried.
"Uh…o-okay," Connor murmured.
"On the count of three." Chelsea and Connor put the cookies up near their lips. "Ready? One…two…three!" The children bit down on the treats.
Connor swallowed his cookie. He did not feel anything peculiar. He stared at his sister and asked her if she was feeling okay.
"Of course I am," Chelsea replied calmly. "I don't think Margaret meant anything at all when she said to eat our treats on the night of a full moon."
"Maybe it was just her way of telling us to wait until we could eat our treats," Connor decided. The little boy yawned and added, "Now, it is time for me to go to bed. Good night, sister." He walked back to the stall.
Chelsea stayed behind, looking out the window at the big white moon. She began thinking about how her life as well as Connor's had been.
True, their parents, Herbert and Samantha Nye had wanted children, and Chelsea and Connor had literally been a blessing upon them, but due to the fact that they led rich lives, and marrying each other increased their good fortunes, they didn't have any time for them. The parents went off to faraway places and parties and left their children with Ms. Gott in their Montana home. "If only things were better," Chelsea thought to herself.
"Chelsea? Are you coming?" Connor called out.
Chelsea nodded. "Yes, brother."
It was very strange, this dream she was having. Chelsea Nye could see nothing at first, but then, colors began to waver by. The colors were dark at first, but as they moved by, they became brighter and brighter.
"Chelsea!" The girl turned to her left to see her twin brother just a few feet away from her.
"Chelsea!" Connor repeated again, waving his arms. "What's happening? What is going on?"
"I don't know!" Chelsea cried out in response. The colors were becoming brighter by this point. Hot pink, electric blue, and lime green all spun around them at a fast rate, making the Nye twins very dizzy. From somewhere, Chelsea thought she heard a horse neighing.
"Mother! Father! Anyone, help!" Connor yelled. Chelsea looked over to her left again and was shocked to see that her brother was not there anymore. Another neigh sounded out.
"Connor! Connor William Nye, where are you?" Chelsea shrieked. She scanned the colorful...what was it? A tunnel? A portal? She was too frightened to decide.
Her blue eyes darted around. "Help! Where am I? Where is my brother?" she wailed. Somewhere in the dream, Chelsea heard her brother call out, "Chelsea, look!"
Chelsea looked around. "What is it? I can't see anyth—"
"Chelsea Ruth Nye, look in front of you!" Connor shouted. She did, and boy was she surprised at what she saw.
Standing in front of her was a young woman with short, curly auburn hair. The young woman wore a long, flowing blue dress and was barefooted as well. Chelsea knew who she was.
"Margaret!" she cried. "What's going on?"
"Simple, dear," Margaret replied. "You and your brother have eaten the cookies I baked for you. I have known you since you were little, and I saw that your lives were not going to be luxurious."
"What do you mean?" Connor asked. Chelsea was surprised to find him standing right next to her. "We live luxur…luxury…rich lives! It can't be bad!"
Margaret sighed and shook her head. A portal half her size opened up next to her. She pointed to the portal and said, "See for yourselves."
Chelsea and Connor cautiously peeked into it. There, they saw their parents at the home of the Fishmans. Their mother Susan was sipping wine from her glass while her husband, Edward, was chatting with Mr. Fishman. A piano was playing somewhere.
"So, Mr. Nye, have you thought about the school yet?" Mr. Fishman inquired.
Mr. Nye nodded. "Uh-huh. Looks like a nice place. Pleasant setting, nice building, lots of space for 'em to run around, and smart teachers."
"Don't forget it's miles away from our home, Eddie!" Susan hiccupped. Chelsea gasped, surprised.
She turned to Mrs. Fishman and asked, "It's in England, right?"
"Indeed it is, Susan," Mrs. Fishman replied as she pushed a strand of her own red hair behind her head. "Just outside of London, in the countryside. My little nephew was sent there three years ago, and he adores the place!"
"That's what he said in the letter?" Susan asked, tilting her head.
"Well…that's what my sister in-law said…to be honest, Horace never wrote back for some reason. But I am sure he loves it."
"So, Mrs. Nye, when're you going to tell your brats 'bout the boarding school?" Mr. Fishman questioned.
"Oh, as soon as we get home, sir!" Susan answered. "It'll be a nice surprise. I do believe the children wanted to do some traveling while they were still young. They will be sent there as soon as they turn nine." Chelsea swallowed; she and Connor were going to turn nine in two months.
"Plus the missus and I will get some more alone time," Edward added, putting his arm around his wife. "Parties and trips can take the kids off our minds for a few hours or days, but when we return home…" He shrugged.
"Papa…" Connor murmured. The scene faded and the little boy gazed up at Margaret. He was on the verge of crying.
Chelsea looked up at Margaret Gott as well.
"Is…is the boarding school Mother and Father talking about great?" Chelsea squeaked. "Is…everything that they said true?"
Margaret did not reply. She gestured to the portal next to her. The Nye twins saw that another scene was being brought in. It was going to be Murphy Academy, no doubt. Chelsea and her brother gazed into it, hoping.
But what they saw was anything but perfect.
Instead of being in the countryside, Murphy Academy was smack-dabbed in what Chelsea thought was the filthiest area in London. Out in front of the boarding school's gate, an elderly woman in rags was begging for money. Two half-dead birch trees were growing in the schoolyard, nearly all of their bark stripped off. The building itself was an ugly shade of red and tinted with black here and there, possibly from the soot. The roof was losing some of its tiles, and Chelsea noticed that some of the windows were cracked. It was late at night.
Inside the school, Chelsea and Connor saw six little children around their age sitting at desks. Two were girls and the rest were boys. Their teacher, a big fat woman, was writing many words on the blackboard, ordering the children to write them down.
One of the boys yawned. The teacher whirled around to face him.
"Mr. James Clarke! How dare you interrupt my lesson?" the teacher barked at him. Fury was burning in her dark brown eyes.
"I…I am sorry, Mrs. Moore," James Clarke apologized before yawning. "I…I am just so tired…"
"Yes, Mrs. Moore," one of the two girls whimpered. Her blond hair fell to her shoulders and she was clad in a purple dress. "It's almost three o'clock. We should go to bed." The children nodded in agreement.
"You will not do that!" Mrs. Moore roared at them. The children cowered. "You will not being going anywhere until you are able to correctly spell 'university!' And I don't want to see anyone copying the word off the blackboard this time. If you do, I will beat your little rear ends until they are as red as a tomato!"
Another boy began wailing. Tears rolled down his face. "I want to sleep, Mrs. Moore," he sobbed. "Please let me sleep. I am so tired."
"Never!" Mrs. Moore stormed over to the little boy's desk and boxed him on the ear. His cries rose an octave.
"So, little Edwin Stewart wants to go to the bedrooms? Well, you can go to the bedroom and scrub its floors! And I want it to sparkle in the sunlight!" She dragged him out of the room as the children looked on helplessly.
The image faded. Chelsea and Connor could not believe what they had seen.
"All of this is true, little ones," Margaret said with a sigh. "I am very sorry you had to see it, but it was for your own good."
"How…why…I can't believe this!" Connor exclaimed. He grabbed his twin sister's hand. "Chelsea, this can't happen!"
"I know, Connor," Chelsea sighed sadly. "But what can we do? Mother and Father will send us away, no matter how much we plead with them."
"You have already found a solution," Margaret said to them, a small smile showing. The Nye children looked up at her, confused. "What do you mean, Margaret?" Connor asked.
"Remember the treats I sent you?" the woman asked them. When the children nodded, she went on. "Well, I sprinkled a special powder into the mix before putting it in the oven."
"A special powder?" Connor gasped. "What is it?"
"I'm afraid I can't say," Margaret told him. "I'd be going against my promise to them."
"Them? Who are 'them?'" Chelsea demanded.
Margaret leaned towards them. "The magical ones, children," she murmured. "The magical ones strive to improve unfortunate people's lives for the better."
"Y-Y-You can d-d-do magic?" Connor gasped.
"Does your aunt know?" Chelsea inquired.
"No, no, dear Chelsea," Margaret assured her. "I am only a magical one through my mother's side." The colors surrounding them were beginning to fade. Margaret saw this and gasped. "Oh dear! Our time together is almost up! And I haven't said the spell!"
"What spell? What's going on?" Connor demanded. "Miss Margaret Gott, please tell us more!"
"I'm sorry, Connor Nye, but there is hardly any time left," Margaret explained quickly. "But I have to do this spell for your sake. You are almost ready to wake up." She stepped back a few feet and rubbed her hands together. The Nye twins exchanged puzzled looks with each other.
"Chelsea, Connor, listen carefully to my instructions, or this will not work," Margaret ordered. "First, I want you two to hold each other's hands." They did. "Next, I want you to repeat what I say. Got it?" The two nodded. "Very good."
Margaret cleared her throat and stated, "Funcionaré con las águilas y cantaré con el viento." (1)
Chelsea and Connor Lockheed puzzled, but nevertheless, they repeated her words. "Funcionaré con las águilas y cantaré con el viento."
There was another verse to say. "Los animales serán mis amigos y los seres humanos mis enemigos." (2)
"Los animales serán mis amigos y los seres humanos mis enemigos," the children repeated, not even caring what the words meant.
"Seré feliz y liberaré para siempre," Margaret breathed. (3) "Seré feliz y liberaré para siempre," the children echoed alter her.
The young woman smiled at them. "Very good, you two. The transformation is almost complete." Chelsea and Connor smiled and asked her what was to happen next.
"Keep silent," Margaret ordered them. "Now it is time for me to say the spell, and it will be complete." She closed her eyes and started to chant.
"Great spirits of the past and future, hear my cry!
Bring these children out of their old lives and into lives so full of life!
Give them hope, give them joy,
Give them happiness and give them merriment!
Never again will they worry of their futures;
Now their futures will be bright and prosperous!"
Chelsea's eyes widened when she saw that the colors, though getting darker by the minute, were reaching out towards her and her twin. The dark streaks surrounded the twins, and, without warning, flashed into vibrant colors. The last thing the twins heard before being taken out of their dream was Margaret whispering, "Goodbye and good luck."
Sky blue eyes opened to see that the sun was up and shining, its rays seeping through the window. From outside, Chelsea thought she could hear Ms. Gott calling out for her and Connor.
"Oh my goodness!" Chelsea exclaimed, scrambling to her feet. "Connor, we have to go! Ms. Gott's looking for us already!"
"Mmm…Chelsea, let me sleep," Connor muttered.
Frowning, Chelsea looked down and was about to say something when she saw what lay where Connor had been.
A foal white as snow was blinking the sleep out of his own blue eyes. His mane and tail were short and black, as well as the huge blaze upon his face and the stockings upon his legs.
"C-C-Connor?" Chelsea stuttered. "I-Is that you?" The white colt looked up at her and gasped.
"Chelsea! Look at you!" he exclaimed. "You're a…a…"
"A what?"
"A horse! You're a baby horse!"
Chelsea was too shocked for words as she looked at herself. She was a chestnut pinto, with a stocking on her left hind leg. A white star was splashed on the space between her eyes, and her brown mane and tail were streaked with white. Like the horse Connor, Chelsea managed to keep her blue eyes.
Connor got to his feet and studied his twin sister, speechless just like her.
Swallowing, Chelsea murmured, "Connor…what happened to us? We're little horses!"
"Actually, the correct term for you two would be foals," a feminine voice pointed out.
Connor looked around. "Who said that? Where are you?"
"Over here!" the voice said in a cheerful voice. The two poked their heads out of the vacant stall to see Annie's head sticking out of her stall.
"Annie?" the foals gasped.
Annie nodded and smiled. "That's right," she said cheerfully. "You two got turned into foals."
"But…but how?" Connor wondered.
"We don't know." The other chestnut, Winnie, poked her own head out of her stall. Unlike Annie, who had no markings on her face, Winnie proudly bore a star and snip on her face. "All we could see was a bright light comin' from the stall you two little ones bedded in. By the way, what were you doin' in here?"
Before either twin could answer, they heard a new voice. This one was gruff and masculine. "They can't answer that, Winnie. They have to get out of here before they're discovered."
It was Smoker, the gray horse. Smoker was the Nye family's oldest and most trusted steed. He glanced at the twins for a moment before looking at the chestnut mares. "If Master and Mistress Nye come back and find out that their two little children are foals, pandemonium will break out. People will be coming here for miles and searching for the ones that were once human. And the foals...what of them? They will probably be sold into a world where human doctors will poke and prod them, hoping to figure out what became of them. They must leave."
"B-B-But our parents! And Ms. Gott! And our friends! They'll be so upset!" Connor exclaimed.
Chelsea touched his shoulder with her muzzle. "Connor, Smoker is right. We have to go. Besides, you saw what Margaret showed us."
"Margaret? Who's Margaret?" Annie inquired.
"She our nanny's niece," Chelsea explained to her. "We saw her in our dream last night. She showed us that our parents were going to send us away to an evil place far from here!"
"Oh, that's terrible!" Winnie said, feeling sorry for the two.
It was here that the bay roan, Royce, joined in the conversation. Royce had once been a foal who was captured from the wild and trained to carry people on his back when he was old enough. He knew where they should go.
"Chelsea, Connor, listen to me," Royce told them. The foals looked up at him. "Smoker is right; you two must leave this home behind. But there is a place for you to go: the wilderness. There are many groups of horses called herds that might take you in. They will look after you until you two are old enough."
"Really?" Chelsea murmured, feeling hopeful. "Oh, Connor! Did you hear that? We're to going to find a herd!" She reared up and let out a squeal of joy.
"Shh! Keep quiet!" Royce commandeered. "Now, I must give you a warning: only travel by day, not by night. Keep to the open fields and don't go into forests unless it rains. When it does, stay near the edge."
"Why?" Connor asked him.
"Mean critters will come and attack you," Royce stated. "They won't care if you are too young to be out here; to them, you two are nice meals." Connor gasped. "Now go; hurry!"
"Goodbye, Connor and Chelsea!" Annie called to them as they made their way to the door. "It was real nice seeing you!"
"Take care!" Winnie added.
"And be safe," Smoker grunted.
"So long, everyone!" Connor responded as he and his twin reached the door. It was open at a crack. Using her nose, Chelsea pushed it open. She and her brother stepped out into the sunlight, where they saw Ms. Gott running towards the front of the house.
"Goodbye, Ms. Gott," Chelsea whispered as she and her twin snuck away. "Tell your niece that...we thank her for helping us."
Translated text:
1. "Funcionaré con las águilas y cantaré con el viento" is Spanish for "I will run with the eagles and sing with the wind."
2. "Los animales serán mis amigos y los seres humanos mis enemigos" is also Spanish for "The animals will be my friends and the humans my enemies."
3. is Spanish for "I shall be happy and free forevermore."
And yes, I am aware of the fact that the chant doesn't rhyme at all.