'The people you love, truly love, never die.
You keep them with you,
And like this,
You keep them alive.'
She looked down at the grave, realizing that nothing lasts forever. She read the name and dates over and over like a mantra.
Jacob Ely
1983-2007
Best friend, brother, and son.
'Your memory will live on forever,
And like it,
You will live forever in our memories,
And in this way you will never be gone from us.'
Then she thought of a similar grave, far in the mountains, not a standard one by any means, it was a huge rock-like pile, the debris from a few days old landslide. And underneath it was buried a magnificent, wild and free grey stallion, never more to run. He paid for his love of freedom dearly; with his life. One of the stones at the base bore this inscription:
"The people you love, truly love, never die.
You keep them with you,
And like this you keep them alive."
Goodbye Zanzibar, I will miss you both for eternity.
For not one, but two beings were buried under that massive stonework: her best friend and her favorite horse; her first horse; the only horse that she would ever have that kind of connection with again. Just behind that pile, was an entrance that was now only able to have one horse enter it at a time, but still the wild horses continued to use it. New Moon came almost three days after his father's death, and proceeded to take over leadership of the herd, just as his father had before him. Of course Moon was now greying, and no longer ebony black as before. His father had given his life to see that all of his mares and foals were safely in the hidden valley before the landslide. And his son would do the same.
In a way it was fitting, she thought sadly, Jake was dead and, so was the horse that he had trained from a small colt. She went to her truck, well it was Jake's– "No," she reminded herself, "Mine." She started the journey home. "I have lost almost everything I love; first Mom, Jake, and then Zanzibar!"
She pulled over to the side of the road and let her pent-up tears fall. Tears that have never been better spent, I think. When she looked up, an amazing sight spread before her. Four grey or almost white colored horses were galloping around playfully on the playa, bucking and mock fighting. Then, one that was still mostly black let out a shrill whinny and galloped toward her.
"It's Moon!" she thought, surprised. He stopped five feet away from her, reared, and then let out a long drawn-out, mournful whinny. He turned back to the other grey horses and as quickly as they had appeared, vanished; far, far into the mountains.
She started the truck and went home. Later that night Gram couldn't sleep, thinking how sad Sam had looked the past few days. As she passed Sam's room, she heard weeping. "Sam, Honey what is it?" She asked, knowing full well what it was.
"Oh, Gram! When will the pain ever go away? It seems so long ago that everything was normal!" she turned her face to the window and sobbed, long and drawn-out, in pain. Gram sat down on the bed beside her.
"It seems long, but it won't last forever."
"Are you so sure?"
"Yes, Sweetie, I'm sure; now please try to get some rest."
"Yes Gram." Gram got up and closed the door.
"Today we have come to bury Samantha Anne Forester- loving Mother to Jacob and Joan Ely, and loving Grandmother to Sam, Jake, Louise, Max, Taylor, Luke, and Wyatt Ely. She was founder of 'Zanzibar Forever' a 20,000 acre place she dedicated to wild horses, where they are safe from round-ups and can roam safely free, no human is allowed to go on the property except to check, four times every month, that the horses have plenty of food, water, and have not been trapped by poachers. She has passed from this world but will never be forgotten. Amen."
Slowly the people said their respects to her children, and then went to their cars. As Joan and Jacob watched the cemetery men bury the casket a gentle wind came up, and almost as if it carried their mother's voice, they heard her words that she had told them the day they had had to let their pet bird go that they had found;
"Mama, why do I feel so sad?" They both asked. "Will it ever go away, it seems like it won't ever!"
"It seems long, but it won't last forever." she had told them, smiling softly.
"Good-bye, Mama," they said, the winds making it echo on, and on, forever...
Three years later:
The elderly woman stared at the tombstone, repeating it over and over, like a mantra.
Samantha Anne Forester
1986 ~ 2051
Kind benefactor, Loving Mother,
Friend, And Grandmother,
'The separation seems long,
But it won't last forever.
We will stay strong,
Until we meet again'
There is a poem called 'the rainbow bridge' I will not write it all, but I will say this; "When someone's loved one, or pet dies, it crosses the rainbow bridge, and that I hope is where she is, enjoying, her friendship with those she missed more than anything. And who am I? Well, that's another story. Let's just say for now, that I'm a friend, and good friend of his, and of hers...
'A million white horses'
Don't cry for the horses that life has set free,
A million white horses forever to be
Don't cry for the horses now in God's hands,
As they dance and they prance to a heavenly band.
They were ours as a gift, but never to keep,
As they close their eyes, forever to sleep
Their spirits unbound, on silver wings they fly,
A million white horses against the blue sky.
Look up into heaven; you'll see them above,
The horses we lost, the horses we loved
Manes and tails flowing, they gallop through time,
They were never your, they were never mine
Don't cry for the horses, they will be back someday,
When our time has come, they will show us the way
On silver wings they will lift us, to the warmth of the sun,
When our life is over, and eternity has begun
We will jump over the sun, and dance over the moon,
A ballet of horses and riders, to a heavenly tune
Do you hear that soft nicker close to your ear?
Don't cry for the horses, love the ones that are here
Don't cry for the horses, lift up your sad eyes,
Can't you see them fly by?
A million white horses, free from hunger and pain,
Their spirits set free, until we ride again. ~ By Brenda Riley Seymore.
A/N: well what did you think? This story is supposed to be told by Darrell, I know he's more of a jokes and pranks type of guy, but when you look at this you've got to realize that bye now he's an elderly man in his sixties or seventies.
'The People You Love' by Robert Montgomery.
"Your Memory' by Wildhorses1492.
Yes, you're supposed to think that Sam was pregnant, with Jake's children, twins; because twins run in my family, but also because I wanted there to be both a boy and a girl. If you have any questions about this you can Review me or PM me, whichever you choose. If anyone knows Bambi, (the movie, NOT the book!) then you will know where I got; "It seems long, but it won't last forever." I used
"A million White Horses" because of the four grey horses in this story,
WH