Author's Note: All characters with the exception of The Black, Alec Ramsay,
and Henry Dailey, and maybe a few others, belong to me. Also, let it be
known that I do not worry about time frames to make these things realistic
with the series. I ask, please keep in mind that this is fan FICTION.
Thanks!
Chapter 1
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Eighteen year old Gidget Thornton watched as her father disappeared into the mine. She smiled and brushed a strand of her shoulder length brown hair behind her ears. Her hazel eyes glistened with pride as she watched him. He'd spent years digging the thing, and like a good daughter, she had assisted him when he needed her to. Just like she'd done with everything since her mother's death. Cooking, cleaning, washing clothes. She'd taken the job of mother, daughter, and son. It was hard being an only child, and motherless on top of that.
Her mother had died when Gidget was eight years old. It was hard for Gidget. But being the type of person that she was, she took life one day at a time, and eventually the pain subsided a bit. Gidget was strong. She did man's work everyday to help her father, as well as usual women's work. She loved horses. She helped her father run the Brumbies, when she had a decent mount to work with. She enjoyed the time with him when they gathered herds and took them to market. He taught her everything he knew. She was an exceptional rider.
They had two horses of their own. Denny and Lucy. Lucy was a bay mare, a common packhorse. She was Gidget's usual mount when they went riding. Lucy was a spirited mare, having speed, but lacking heart. Denny was the more prestigious of the two.
In fact, Denny was practically a legend. He was her father's personal horse, a hearty mountain horse. Bred for the rugged terrain of the high country. He was the horse her father used to run down and capture Brumbies to be sold. And also to herd horses to the auctions. Men offered to buy him all the time. He was fast, rugged, loyal, brave, and had more heart than any horse she'd ever seen. To Gidget, the dun gelding was the perfect horse.
Moments later, her father emerged from the mine, sweating and breathing heavily.
"Let's take a break, kid," he said, going to sit on a nearby log.
"Alrighty," she replied. She went to sit beside him.
"Heh heh. You know what? I was thinking, maybe we should go out of town this weekend. Go down to the horse races."
She laughed aloud. "Out of town? As if we live in town." She gestured to their surroundings. "We live in an untamed wilderness."
"Ha ha ha! Well, it beats the heck outta stayin' around here and working when we can get someone to come up and take care of the horses and we can go have a little fun. And I know you love the races as much as I." He nudged her with his elbow.
She smiled. It was true. She loved the races. She loved to see the beautiful Thoroughbreds, horses never really seen in the high country. Most weren't bred to handle the terrain. And they were rare to her. Her only problem with going down from the mountains was being around the rich people. Sometimes they made snooty comments about people from the high country because they dressed different and acted different from them. It made her nervous.
"And you know what else? One day, when I strike gold in that mine over there," he pointed to it, "we're gonna buy us one of those racehorses and raise it up here, cut us some logs and make us a decent training track and train it, and then we'll take it down there to the races and win em' all. We'll get just plain filthy rich. Ha ha! Maybe one day we'll start our own farm."
She looked over at him. He had such a dreamy look on his face. He got that look everytime he talked about racehorses. Owning one of those meant you weren't just some poor fool. They were poor peoples' dreams, well, poor horselovers' dreams. The racehorse owners had status in society.
She reached over and wiped a smudge of dirt off of his face. He looked at her and smiled.
"Well, I guess I'll get back to work now. Can't strike gold sittin' around, eh?" He patted her on the back and got up.
She watched as he disappeared into the mine again. She walked over and put her hand on the bay mare's forehead.
"Well, Lucy, you ready to pull, old gal?"
The mare tossed her head a bit under Gidget's hand. Lucy was hooked up to a hand-made plow-type thing that Gidget's father had made. It wasn't really a plow, more like a large bucket. He'd fill it to the brim with debris and dirt from inside the mine and then yell for Gidget to have Lucy pull it out and dump it.
Gidget listened to the sounds of her father grunting and hammering and shoveling away in the mine. While waiting for his signal, she began to daydream about what her father had just been talking about. She felt the wind in her face as she crouched over a chestnut filly's neck. She could hear the other horses behind her, but she knew they'd never catch up. She could feel the reins in her hand as she guided the filly under the wire.
She was jolted awake from her daydream by her father's voice.
"Alright Gidget, have her pull it out! Gidget! Pull it out!"
"Alright, Lucy, c'mon, pull hard, gal!" Gidget took Lucy's reins and tugged. The mare obediently pulled with all her might. Finally the huge bucket emerged. As she dumped it, she heard her father yelling again.
"Gidget! Gidget! I found it! It's here! Gold! I found gold!"
She heard more clinking from within the mine, but before she could react to what he'd said, she heard, and slightly felt, a rumbling in the earth. Suddenly there was what seemed to be an explosion inside the mine. Dust and debris flew out. And then there was silence. Gidget's eyes widened.
"Dad!" She screamed.
No answer.
"Dad!"
She ran to the mine. Using her hands, she clawed and clawed through the dirt. Tears began to trickle slowly down her face. She clawed until her hands hurt. Finally, she felt something. She dug a little deeper, and saw that it was his hand. She kept digging until finally his head emerged. She brushed the dirt away and unclogged his airways. But he was silent and still.
She closed her eyes tightly, and tears trickled.
"Daddy, please wake up. Please. Dad!"
But he was silent, and still. She cradled his head in her arms, and wept.
Chapter 1
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------
Eighteen year old Gidget Thornton watched as her father disappeared into the mine. She smiled and brushed a strand of her shoulder length brown hair behind her ears. Her hazel eyes glistened with pride as she watched him. He'd spent years digging the thing, and like a good daughter, she had assisted him when he needed her to. Just like she'd done with everything since her mother's death. Cooking, cleaning, washing clothes. She'd taken the job of mother, daughter, and son. It was hard being an only child, and motherless on top of that.
Her mother had died when Gidget was eight years old. It was hard for Gidget. But being the type of person that she was, she took life one day at a time, and eventually the pain subsided a bit. Gidget was strong. She did man's work everyday to help her father, as well as usual women's work. She loved horses. She helped her father run the Brumbies, when she had a decent mount to work with. She enjoyed the time with him when they gathered herds and took them to market. He taught her everything he knew. She was an exceptional rider.
They had two horses of their own. Denny and Lucy. Lucy was a bay mare, a common packhorse. She was Gidget's usual mount when they went riding. Lucy was a spirited mare, having speed, but lacking heart. Denny was the more prestigious of the two.
In fact, Denny was practically a legend. He was her father's personal horse, a hearty mountain horse. Bred for the rugged terrain of the high country. He was the horse her father used to run down and capture Brumbies to be sold. And also to herd horses to the auctions. Men offered to buy him all the time. He was fast, rugged, loyal, brave, and had more heart than any horse she'd ever seen. To Gidget, the dun gelding was the perfect horse.
Moments later, her father emerged from the mine, sweating and breathing heavily.
"Let's take a break, kid," he said, going to sit on a nearby log.
"Alrighty," she replied. She went to sit beside him.
"Heh heh. You know what? I was thinking, maybe we should go out of town this weekend. Go down to the horse races."
She laughed aloud. "Out of town? As if we live in town." She gestured to their surroundings. "We live in an untamed wilderness."
"Ha ha ha! Well, it beats the heck outta stayin' around here and working when we can get someone to come up and take care of the horses and we can go have a little fun. And I know you love the races as much as I." He nudged her with his elbow.
She smiled. It was true. She loved the races. She loved to see the beautiful Thoroughbreds, horses never really seen in the high country. Most weren't bred to handle the terrain. And they were rare to her. Her only problem with going down from the mountains was being around the rich people. Sometimes they made snooty comments about people from the high country because they dressed different and acted different from them. It made her nervous.
"And you know what else? One day, when I strike gold in that mine over there," he pointed to it, "we're gonna buy us one of those racehorses and raise it up here, cut us some logs and make us a decent training track and train it, and then we'll take it down there to the races and win em' all. We'll get just plain filthy rich. Ha ha! Maybe one day we'll start our own farm."
She looked over at him. He had such a dreamy look on his face. He got that look everytime he talked about racehorses. Owning one of those meant you weren't just some poor fool. They were poor peoples' dreams, well, poor horselovers' dreams. The racehorse owners had status in society.
She reached over and wiped a smudge of dirt off of his face. He looked at her and smiled.
"Well, I guess I'll get back to work now. Can't strike gold sittin' around, eh?" He patted her on the back and got up.
She watched as he disappeared into the mine again. She walked over and put her hand on the bay mare's forehead.
"Well, Lucy, you ready to pull, old gal?"
The mare tossed her head a bit under Gidget's hand. Lucy was hooked up to a hand-made plow-type thing that Gidget's father had made. It wasn't really a plow, more like a large bucket. He'd fill it to the brim with debris and dirt from inside the mine and then yell for Gidget to have Lucy pull it out and dump it.
Gidget listened to the sounds of her father grunting and hammering and shoveling away in the mine. While waiting for his signal, she began to daydream about what her father had just been talking about. She felt the wind in her face as she crouched over a chestnut filly's neck. She could hear the other horses behind her, but she knew they'd never catch up. She could feel the reins in her hand as she guided the filly under the wire.
She was jolted awake from her daydream by her father's voice.
"Alright Gidget, have her pull it out! Gidget! Pull it out!"
"Alright, Lucy, c'mon, pull hard, gal!" Gidget took Lucy's reins and tugged. The mare obediently pulled with all her might. Finally the huge bucket emerged. As she dumped it, she heard her father yelling again.
"Gidget! Gidget! I found it! It's here! Gold! I found gold!"
She heard more clinking from within the mine, but before she could react to what he'd said, she heard, and slightly felt, a rumbling in the earth. Suddenly there was what seemed to be an explosion inside the mine. Dust and debris flew out. And then there was silence. Gidget's eyes widened.
"Dad!" She screamed.
No answer.
"Dad!"
She ran to the mine. Using her hands, she clawed and clawed through the dirt. Tears began to trickle slowly down her face. She clawed until her hands hurt. Finally, she felt something. She dug a little deeper, and saw that it was his hand. She kept digging until finally his head emerged. She brushed the dirt away and unclogged his airways. But he was silent and still.
She closed her eyes tightly, and tears trickled.
"Daddy, please wake up. Please. Dad!"
But he was silent, and still. She cradled his head in her arms, and wept.