After a long while, I pricked my ears forward. There was a great rumble and rattle of...something...nearby. Was it the monster? The boy...I had found his name was Alec...patted me reassuringly. I heard something crash on the ground and jumped aside. The boy tugged on my halter and I followed him. My hoof struck a different texture and I paused, but continued in the next step because it sounded like a gangplank again. Were we going on another ship? Then it wouldn't be so bad, especially as the boy was with me. I was tied to the front of the stall...it didn't seem very big. I tossed my head again to get the sweater off me, but again, it wouldn't budge.
Alec was near me and the stall started to move. Wait a minute...boats don't feel like this! The space seemed too small, and the noise! It started with the stall rattling about, then as it picked up speed, there were other noises outside the stall. Beeping, roaring, banging, people shouting. Where were we? Where were we going? Alec had a hold on my halter and kept murmuring to me, allaying my fears somewhat. Then I heard a terrible noise above me, a great roaring like I had never heard before. I tried to rear but I bumped my head on the top of the stall. Since when was the roof so low?
Eventually, the great noises around me quieted down, and I was able to calm down too. I had no trouble keeping my balance in this little stall...I had been through rough seas before. Finally we went through some careful turns and the thing rumbled to a stop. I gingerly flexed my legs to get rid of any stiffness. The boy left me, but I didn't worry. He'd be back soon. Soon I heard him talking to his father and the other voice I'd heard. The stall started moving again, but I could hear them walking alongside so I wasn't alarmed.
It stopped again, and the boy was beside me again. He removed the sweater from my eyes at last and put it on. I looked around. I was in a small box stall, how strange! Alec untied me and asked me to back up. I did, remembering the gangplank behind me. I went down the ramp carefully and whipped my head around. I was glad to be out of there! I did a small buck just for fun, then stood looking astonishedly at my new surroundings. Green! I had never seen so much green in my life. The trees and grass and many other plants were so green and plentiful. Was this paradise? If so, where are the other horses? I looked around for them, but I only smelled one, not a mare. Alec led me inside a barn, and I took a second for my vision to become accustomed to the darker lighting. A grey head peered at me over a stall door. A male, not a stallion, but only an old gelding.
There was an older man, whose voice was calm and steady. He bustled about, getting the stall next to grey ready for me. Was I going to stay here? I was led into the stall, and my halter was taken off. I walked about looking at everything. It wasn't in the best shape, but I liked it. It had plenty of room for me to stretch my legs, and the straw bed was deep and comfortable. The boy returned with food for me, and put into a box meant for the purpose. I fed, and was happy. The grey gelding looked into my stall, hoping for food. I pinned my ears back, then became curious about him. I hadn't much experience with geldings before. I sniffed his nose curiously, ready to kick or bite. But the old fella, Napoleon they called him, was very friendly. Immediately I relaxed, and turned back to my feed. Napoleon whinnied at me to share, but I wasn't about to do that. He probably had his own food, the fat fellow.
The boy and the others watched me for a while, then left the barn. I whinnied softly after him, but then Napoleon distracted me.
I had settled down and was dozing, being tired from all the action from the day. Some time later, a man walked in, not the grey haired man that seemed to own the place, but a dark man. No! I lost my head, not bothering to use my nose. I was instantly back in the desert with the dark-skinned man who tore me away from everything I knew. He wasn't going to take me anywhere! I screamed in anger at the man, who yelled back. I crashed into side of the stall, wanting to wreak havoc on the man. He yelled something in some language, but I heard the note fear. Good! He was supposed to be afraid of me! I charged again, ears flattened, and teeth bared. This stall was holding up better than I thought. Let me at him. My challenge cry echoed through the barn, and even Napoleon was startled. Finally the man who had been in Napoleon's stall ran out out the barn in terror. Good! Don't come back!
Alec arrived at that moment, and called to me to be quiet. I whistled at him excitedly. I heard people running from all over. It was the middle of the night. There was a buzz of people noises and I pricked my ears curiously. I spooked and wheeled as I heard an awful shriek and great red and blue lights flashed in the barn. The lights and noise turned off soon and I started to calm down again, mostly because I could hear the boy outside. I could also hear the man who owned the barn...Henry I think they called him...so I felt a little quieter. Napoleon, the old fella, didn't seem perturbed in the slightest by all the happenings.
Alec appeared at the door with quite a mob of people behind him. He and Henry, the dark man, and another man in a uniform approached my stall, while the rest watched from the doorway. I pawed nervously, but Napoleon whickered in a friendly manner. He seemed to have eyes only for the dark man. The uniformed man admired me for a few minutes then left, sending the mob out as well. I took the chance to study the man that Napoleon liked. I realized I had made a mistake. This man looked, and talked, and smelled far different than the dark-skinned man I hated. This man was a very kind man, and Napoleon's owner. Whoops. I needed to make amends for scaring him so bad. I leaned toward him, ears pricked. I found he was called Tony. I liked him. Tony reached a hand to pat my muzzle hesitantly. It tickled and I tossed my head. He whipped his hand back, but smiled.
He stayed around to tend to his horse, and Alec and Henry went back to their houses. Tony sang as he worked, and I soon fell asleep listening to him.
