Spook
June 21st, 2011, 03:25 PM
I giggled and hugged the swollen, pregnant horse. She nosed my face, and I gave her a handful of hay. "The babies will be big and strong like you." I whisper. I have been sleeping out in the barn because the horse could go into labor at any time now this week or next, and I wanted to be there. I lay farther into the hay, stroking the horse's neck, and looked up at the stars. "Orion's belt. The big dipper." I whispered. It's my thing. I count stars and constellations instead of sheep to fall asleep....
I awake to a wheezing sound. Bess's chest is convulsing. I yell in excitement. I run to the house and turn the knob, but it's locked. I go to the front door and ring the bell. No answer. I look in the windows, pound on the window of my parents' bedroom. No answer. Then I remember they were on a shopping trip downtown today- all day. I was going to have to go it alone? I looked down the road. No more houses for miles. No help. I went to the wash bin and soaked a rag, then squeezed it out. I return to the barn, and press the cool rag on the horse's forhead. Maybe that works for horses, too. It seemed to calm her down, but maybe it was because I was back. I hand Bess a carrot, and head for the shed. Scissors, scissors, scissors. I find a pair of hedge clippers. Not real scissors, but the best I have. I find a bottle of sanitizing fluid my dad keeps in the shed for plastic playhouses and such, and I grab an armful of rags. I go to the ice box and fill a bucket with ice chips, then put the load in a wagon and wheel it to the barn, where Bess lies wheezing. I hand her a handful of ice chips, and she gobbles them up. I put rags under bess, and a couple of old cushions. That way if the baby horse drops, it will fall to a padded ground. I feed bess more ice chips, but the scissors where I can see them, and grab my dad's garden gloves and put them on my hands. Everything's in place. Sanitizing fluid and all. I have a fresh bucket of water near the trough, and I bring that, too. Now what? I wait. I think of cute baby horses, and how I will raise them and train them.
I realize I have dozed off to sleep when Bess lets out a loud whinny. I open my eyes, and bolt upright. I check under her belly. No babies yet...but! A head! I can see a little nose! That's what the commotion was about. I have an idea. I grab Bess's harness from when she had a broken leg, and hook her in so she can't move and crush the baby when it comes out. I smile, and stroke Bess to comfort her. "We'll do this together." I whisper. This is most likely scarier to me than to her. Well, I have had a little experience, but still.
Bess whinnies again, and I see the head drop all the way out, and I see a little hoof. It is adorable. 5 minutes later another head pops out. My heart stops. This isn't right. If a horse is birthing more than one colt, they come out at different times, right? Not at the same time. That's how it is with humans. I decide to jump in at this time. I tighten the gloves, and put all the rags in place. I reach up and carefully hook one colt under the shoulders. I pull gently, and it slides out somewhat. Now I take the other, and slide it out as far as the other. I notice something completely different now. Their heads- are joined. My horse is giving birth to conjoined calfs! I pull the calves out gently still, making sure to keep my hold loose and calm. Finally, they come out! I take the scissors, smear antiseptic on them, and cut the cord. Bess gets to work. She doesn't seem to mind their two-headedness. She licks away, snuggling and cleaning them. The calves have 2 heads, and 1 body. Something I have never seen before in my life!
After Bess has her share, I take the young to the washtub, dip a rag in the water, and slowly clean them. Their eyes are closed, joints bent, not yet ready for use. Suddenly I hear footsteps. Father!
"You're back early!!!" I exclaim. Father nods. "There was a bull stampede and we had to be evacuated. Escaped from a nearby farm." He says. "Bess gave birth!" I say, excitedly. "Lets see em'." Father says. I pick the newborn conjoined colts up, and father stares. He commands me to put them down. I obey, and he grabs them by their necks. The colts squeal. "What are you doing?" I ask. He ignores me, and begins to drag them to the shed. I follow. He searches the shed while the calves and I wait, and he comes back with a sharp, shiny axe. "Tain't right. Creature like this don't exsist. We get good meat from im'." He says in his distorted English. "NO!" I scream. He nods. "T'whats best." He says. I put my foot down on this one. "Father, I said NO. You are not going to kill an innocent baby creature." I say sternly. "He can't ride." Father says. I narrow my eyes. "If I can teach him to ride...give me a year...promise you won't kill im'." I say, my eyes watering.
Boy, that was the day. I taught that beauty to ride, fast as his mother. Charmer rode faster than ever. Charmer and Charmer. I remember the look of proudness in my pop's eyes when he saw them win the world championship. I will never forget them. Died in '96, but they live on in my heart, and so many others. They surpassed all standards of survival, and even exceeded that. A two-headed world champ. Just think of it.
-All events and characters in this story are fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is not intended.-
I awake to a wheezing sound. Bess's chest is convulsing. I yell in excitement. I run to the house and turn the knob, but it's locked. I go to the front door and ring the bell. No answer. I look in the windows, pound on the window of my parents' bedroom. No answer. Then I remember they were on a shopping trip downtown today- all day. I was going to have to go it alone? I looked down the road. No more houses for miles. No help. I went to the wash bin and soaked a rag, then squeezed it out. I return to the barn, and press the cool rag on the horse's forhead. Maybe that works for horses, too. It seemed to calm her down, but maybe it was because I was back. I hand Bess a carrot, and head for the shed. Scissors, scissors, scissors. I find a pair of hedge clippers. Not real scissors, but the best I have. I find a bottle of sanitizing fluid my dad keeps in the shed for plastic playhouses and such, and I grab an armful of rags. I go to the ice box and fill a bucket with ice chips, then put the load in a wagon and wheel it to the barn, where Bess lies wheezing. I hand her a handful of ice chips, and she gobbles them up. I put rags under bess, and a couple of old cushions. That way if the baby horse drops, it will fall to a padded ground. I feed bess more ice chips, but the scissors where I can see them, and grab my dad's garden gloves and put them on my hands. Everything's in place. Sanitizing fluid and all. I have a fresh bucket of water near the trough, and I bring that, too. Now what? I wait. I think of cute baby horses, and how I will raise them and train them.
I realize I have dozed off to sleep when Bess lets out a loud whinny. I open my eyes, and bolt upright. I check under her belly. No babies yet...but! A head! I can see a little nose! That's what the commotion was about. I have an idea. I grab Bess's harness from when she had a broken leg, and hook her in so she can't move and crush the baby when it comes out. I smile, and stroke Bess to comfort her. "We'll do this together." I whisper. This is most likely scarier to me than to her. Well, I have had a little experience, but still.
Bess whinnies again, and I see the head drop all the way out, and I see a little hoof. It is adorable. 5 minutes later another head pops out. My heart stops. This isn't right. If a horse is birthing more than one colt, they come out at different times, right? Not at the same time. That's how it is with humans. I decide to jump in at this time. I tighten the gloves, and put all the rags in place. I reach up and carefully hook one colt under the shoulders. I pull gently, and it slides out somewhat. Now I take the other, and slide it out as far as the other. I notice something completely different now. Their heads- are joined. My horse is giving birth to conjoined calfs! I pull the calves out gently still, making sure to keep my hold loose and calm. Finally, they come out! I take the scissors, smear antiseptic on them, and cut the cord. Bess gets to work. She doesn't seem to mind their two-headedness. She licks away, snuggling and cleaning them. The calves have 2 heads, and 1 body. Something I have never seen before in my life!
After Bess has her share, I take the young to the washtub, dip a rag in the water, and slowly clean them. Their eyes are closed, joints bent, not yet ready for use. Suddenly I hear footsteps. Father!
"You're back early!!!" I exclaim. Father nods. "There was a bull stampede and we had to be evacuated. Escaped from a nearby farm." He says. "Bess gave birth!" I say, excitedly. "Lets see em'." Father says. I pick the newborn conjoined colts up, and father stares. He commands me to put them down. I obey, and he grabs them by their necks. The colts squeal. "What are you doing?" I ask. He ignores me, and begins to drag them to the shed. I follow. He searches the shed while the calves and I wait, and he comes back with a sharp, shiny axe. "Tain't right. Creature like this don't exsist. We get good meat from im'." He says in his distorted English. "NO!" I scream. He nods. "T'whats best." He says. I put my foot down on this one. "Father, I said NO. You are not going to kill an innocent baby creature." I say sternly. "He can't ride." Father says. I narrow my eyes. "If I can teach him to ride...give me a year...promise you won't kill im'." I say, my eyes watering.
Boy, that was the day. I taught that beauty to ride, fast as his mother. Charmer rode faster than ever. Charmer and Charmer. I remember the look of proudness in my pop's eyes when he saw them win the world championship. I will never forget them. Died in '96, but they live on in my heart, and so many others. They surpassed all standards of survival, and even exceeded that. A two-headed world champ. Just think of it.
-All events and characters in this story are fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is not intended.-