Little Horse on His Own

 

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About the Authors

Copyright Page

 

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For Edgar

—
B. B.

 

For Gabe and Jaim, my girls

—
D. McP.

1

Dream

Little Horse slept on a bed of soft straw. He dreamed.

In the dream, he was back in the Valley of Little Horses. He ran in the meadow with the colts.

They frisked. They leaped into the air. Their hind legs kicked out behind them. They neighed with joy.

Suddenly the dream was scary. He heard his mother's long, high whinny. That meant danger. He ran for the cave. In the cave he would be safe.

Little Horse awoke before he got there. He stood up at once. His legs wobbled.

He heard the long, high whinny again. Then he knew the danger was not in his dream. It was real.

He moved shakily to the door of his stable. He looked out. The night was dark. There were no stars, no moon.

The high whinny had come from the stable of the big horses. One of the big horses whinnied, then another.

Little Horse's heart beat faster.

Big horse, little horse, that high whinny meant the same thing.

Danger!

2

Danger

Little Horse had never known the sky to be so black, the air so still.

He heard the big horses whinny again. Little Horse's fear grew.

BOOM!

He knew that sound. It was the clap of thunder. At once the world was white with lightning.

Little Horse began to run around his small stable. He could not get away from the terrible sounds, the blinding light.

BOOM!

There was only one place he could be safe from a storm. That was in the Valley of Little Horses. That was in the cave, shielded by his mother.

He whinnied with fright. Answering calls came from the big horses.

BOOM!

The thunder was overhead now. The lightning seemed to point to his small stable. To him!

Then came the worst sound Little Horse had ever heard. It was as if the earth was being split in half.

Little Horse reared in fright, his head up, his eyes wild. Then, something huge crashed down upon his stable. Little Horse was thrown to the ground and pinned there. He gave one last whinny, a cry for help, but no one heard him.