A Close Encounter

The little horse galloped down the beach for a long time. He had come to a stretch of beach with very few people or chairs on it. He slowed down to catch his breath. He pricked his ears. He held his tail high. He looked to both sides. And then he blinked and looked again. Just over the ridge of the sand he saw horses! Relatives! What fun to find horses in a foreign land.

The little horse trotted to the top of the hill. He whinnied to the other horses. But they snorted back in a language he could not understand. The closer he came the larger they were. They towered over him. He was afraid someone might stamp on him with a hoof. Then he saw that these horses were tied to a hitching post. They were not free to wander the beach as he was.

One dark horse, sweaty and swatting flies, shook its head and snorted again. It pulled against the rope that tied it to the post, and then shook its head again. It rolled its eyes toward a man dressed in white. He was walking slowly toward the little horse, carrying a rope in one hand. All the horses snorted at once and stamped their feet. They shook their heads and pulled at the ropes that tethered them. Even though he could not understand what they were saying the little horse was sure they were telling him to go away, watch out for the man with the rope who was coming closer and closer. Suddenly the little horse was not so sure he wanted to be on his own in a foreign land. Where was Lou? Where was Pete? The little horse spun on his hooves and galloped back down the beach where he had come from. He did not stop until he was among all the chairs and people in front of the hotel. He did not stop until he was sure that the man with the rope was not trying to catch him.