Outsides.

2165

"Want to go outside, kiddo? It's beautiful out and I've think you've earned a break."

Andie looked up guiltily from the haptic piano interface where she was practicing her scales. She did want to go outside—anything other than practice her scales—but Daddy had told her to keep Mom inside as long as possible. It wasn't fair, really, because she'd been inside all morning and wanted to go out to play. She knew that he was getting Mom's birthday present ready, but he didn't tell her what it was. Even poking around in the usual hiding spots hadn't produced anything but a lecture from her mother who suspected her of looking for Christmas presents. It was too early for Christmas and Andie was curious about her mother's presents, but she'd managed to hold her tongue, just barely.

Joanna was still looking at her, waiting for an answer.

"Um…" Andie looked around the room for inspiration, eyes falling on her baby sister Gabby, presently pounding her tiny fists against her play-pad, squealing with glee as the electronic toy changed color and sound according to what part of the screen she touched. "Gabby stinks."

"Again?" Joanna came over, lifted the toddler, and sniffed. "Ugh. Okay. Well, we're going outside as soon as I change her diaper, so put away your piano practice book and your interface gloves and be ready when I come out." She hooked the baby under an arm and walked down the hallway to the nursery, Gabby fussing at being taken away from her toy.

Andie slowly took off her gloves and put them in the drawer as she considered what else she might do to keep her mother from going outside. She still hadn't come up with anything when the front door opened and her father stepped in, looking very pleased with himself.

"Any trouble?" he whispered, seeing her.

Andie shook her head, hair swinging wildly around her face. "She went to change Gabby," she whispered back, giggling behind her hands. "Where's the present?"

Matt grinned and ruffled her hair. "You'll find out when your mother does." He chuckled as she wrinkled her nose at him.

"Where's Erik?" Andie asked. Erik had gone with their father to pick up the present. Lucky.

"Outside," Matt said, striding further into the house. "Jo?"

"Matt?" Joanna came back into the room, bouncing Gabby on her hip. "What are you doing home so early?" Her eyes flickered with worry. "Nothing's wrong is it?"

"No, no," he assured her, coming to take Gabby, blowing a raspberry against her cheek that made the toddler squeal with laughter. "It's a surprise. Come on." He took her hand with his free one and winked at Andie as they left the house. Bursting with curiosity and the infectious excitement, she followed.

"Matt, what did you do?" Joanna laughed as he led her away from the front of the pre-fab colonial house. Andie shaded her eyes against the bright sunlight, but didn't see anything that looked like a present. But it was nice to be outside after being cooped up all morning. She inhaled deeply, smelling the sun-baked dirt and the faint hint of honeysuckle and lemongrass coming from the greenhouse a little further down the path. Her mother's lab was in there; specially set up by Colonial Affairs to test how non-native plants reacted to the soil of Mindoir. It had something to do with "terra-forming," though Andie only had a vague idea of what that meant. But her parents were going the opposite direction, so she trotted to catch up.

"As you'll recall, a certain Joanna Shepard's birthday is coming up…" Matt said as they stopped at the end of the house. Normally, this was where Andie could see the yard and its sturdy white fence. Daddy had told her that most colonial plots on Mindoir came with fenced-off yards for the settlers who practiced animal husbandry. Erik and Andie had used it for football with their friends since the Shepard farm didn't have any animals. She was getting pretty good this year with her last growth spurt. Last time they'd played, she'd charged past Colby to the endzone so hard that the boy—thirteen years old to her eleven—had fallen over. He still maintained that he'd tripped over a clump of dirt.

But the yard wasn't empty this time. A big… creature stood just behind the fence, Erik at its side, holding what looked like a leash attached to some sort of straps on its head. Andie frowned. It didn't look like an alien – the only four-legged aliens she knew of were elcor, and they didn't have four legs, really, just two arms that they walked on most of the time. This thing must be an animal, but she didn't know what it was – it was taller than a cow with a longer head and soft brown eyes. A tail with longer fur swished at its hindquarters.

Joanna let out a gasp. "Matt, you didn't—a horse?" Her voice squeaked a bit at the end.

"Papers came through just last week," Matt said. "It takes a long time before Colonial Affairs will allow non-native species on a new colony," he explained, seeing Andie's puzzled expression. "They have to analyze the effects the planet will have on the animal and vice versa. Kinda like what your mom does in her lab but with animals instead of plants." He nodded at the horse. "Go on," he said to Joanna. "Give her a try."

Andie watched wide-eyed as her mother climbed over the fence and approached the animal with slow, gentle motions, talking softly the whole time. Joanna took the straps from Erik who hopped up to sit on the top rung on the fence. Andie crawled up beside him, watching as their mother stroked the horse's short fur, still murmuring. The horse didn't seem to mind, even seemed to nose her mother in a friendly manner, rather like a giant dog might. To Andie's surprise, her mother put her foot in a bit of metal that was hanging down from the horse's side and swung up into a sort of leather seat that was on the animal's back. Without further hesitation, their mother—atop the horse—set off in a gentle walk gradually leading to a run across the field.

Andie climbed to stand on the top rung, one hand on Erik's shoulder for balance. She watched her mother and the horse for a moment, brow furrowed. "Is it… safe?" she asked, turning to her father.

He nodded, a smile lingering on his mouth as he patted Gabby on the back. "Your mother's family used to raise horses on the last bit of prairie in Colorado back on Earth. She was practically born in a saddle. Unfortunately, the ranch went under, and they had to sell the lot of them when your mom was not much older than Erik. She used to talk about raising animals on our farm before we got here—but we didn't anticipate the naturalization process." He shook his head. "Food or product producing animals—cows, goats, sheep, and the like—were researched more quickly; put on the fast track because of the commercial value. They were allowed on Mindoir only after a few years. Horses, though, they're considered recreational. Took 'em this long to approve the import."

Joanna came back around, her short hair tussled by the wind, cheeks pink from the exercise. She slid off the horse and threw her arms around Matt, kissing him with an intensity that made Erik blush and look away with a scowl. Andie giggled.

Matt chuckled when Joanna released him. "So I did good this year, huh?"

"Better than good," Joanna grinned. "Think we could get the Patels to watch the kids tonight?"

"Mmm. If not, we could just tie them up with the horse…"

"Daaad," Erik moaned, still red with embarrassment.

"Fine, fine. We'll talk about alone time later," he said with a wink. Erik stomped toward the house, the tips of his ears still burning. Andie wrinkled her nose in confusion. "Alone time." Whatever that meant. What was so different about seeing each other alone when you could see them any time of any old day? Parents were weird.

#

Andie's mother ended up naming the horse a month later: Shepard's Luck, Lucky for short. The name made both her parents laugh, though she wasn't sure why. The same day the horse was named, Joanna told her children she was pregnant again.