one lives in hope of becoming a memory
The day is new. The sun is just beginning to peek out over the mountains in the distance, shining on the tops of the massive redwoods strewn throughout Taiga. Mother was still asleep, looking peaceful. It was rare to see her at peace, so I always enjoyed these moments when I would wake before her. She doesn’t know that I can feel her sadness every day. I had done a pretty good job of hiding that from her since I was born. I had always wondered what had made her so sad, but I finally understood (at least a little bit) when we had come to this land, Taiga, as she had told me it was named. It was in that moment we had first rounded that fateful bend to find the flaxen stallion before us. I could see the pain in her eyes, but most of all, I felt it. Not only that, but I had seen it. He had betrayed her, or at least that’s how she had felt about it.
I’m not sure how I should feel about this. My loyalties were to my mother, the mare who always had a smile for me, no matter how much her heart hurt. But this stallion, Yanhua, was also someone who should be important to me. I knew from the moment I saw him that this must be my father. The word felt odd in my mind, almost like poison. I didn’t like it. Still, I was curious. So as the grey mare slept peacefully, I carefully pull my small figure to a standing position. With one last look back at her, I set out along an unfamiliar path, determined to find him.
I am young and naïve, which is probably what prompted me to leave mother’s side without any idea of where I was going or what I was doing. I amble along, taking in the sights and sounds around me. The trees here are massive, larger than any trees I’d ever seen before (and there had been a lot on our journey here), and beneath them, a healthy understory of ferns and moss and saplings grows thick. Curious, I wander from the path to be among the trees. Soon enough, I found myself lost among the redwoods. I couldn’t have found my way back to mother if I tried, and a panic begins to set in. What had I gotten myself into now?
I stop among a blanket of ferns and look back. The path is now a distant memory, far from my sight. Fear wells up in my eyes, and a weak bleat falls from my lips. “Mama?” I whimper. She was far away, though, and my whisper would be heard only by the spirit of the trees. I could have curled up right there and cried myself to sleep, but the likelihood of ever being found here was probably small, so I turn back the way I had come and try to follow my footsteps back. That task proves difficult, and I find myself more lost than before.
I weave in and out of the trees, ferns brushing gently against my spindly legs. By now, I can’t stop the low whimpers from falling off my lips every few seconds. I was just about to give up, to curl my legs beneath me and cry myself to sleep, when my hooves find a path through the forest. I can see the worn tracks of horses and other forest-dwelling creatures stretching out in either direction. With relief, I fall to the ground, curling my hooves beneath me in defeat. At least now, someone might find me and help me back to mother’s side. Why had I left her in the first place? I lay my head down, my lips gently kissing the red soil beneath me.
I’m not sure how I should feel about this. My loyalties were to my mother, the mare who always had a smile for me, no matter how much her heart hurt. But this stallion, Yanhua, was also someone who should be important to me. I knew from the moment I saw him that this must be my father. The word felt odd in my mind, almost like poison. I didn’t like it. Still, I was curious. So as the grey mare slept peacefully, I carefully pull my small figure to a standing position. With one last look back at her, I set out along an unfamiliar path, determined to find him.
I am young and naïve, which is probably what prompted me to leave mother’s side without any idea of where I was going or what I was doing. I amble along, taking in the sights and sounds around me. The trees here are massive, larger than any trees I’d ever seen before (and there had been a lot on our journey here), and beneath them, a healthy understory of ferns and moss and saplings grows thick. Curious, I wander from the path to be among the trees. Soon enough, I found myself lost among the redwoods. I couldn’t have found my way back to mother if I tried, and a panic begins to set in. What had I gotten myself into now?
I stop among a blanket of ferns and look back. The path is now a distant memory, far from my sight. Fear wells up in my eyes, and a weak bleat falls from my lips. “Mama?” I whimper. She was far away, though, and my whisper would be heard only by the spirit of the trees. I could have curled up right there and cried myself to sleep, but the likelihood of ever being found here was probably small, so I turn back the way I had come and try to follow my footsteps back. That task proves difficult, and I find myself more lost than before.
I weave in and out of the trees, ferns brushing gently against my spindly legs. By now, I can’t stop the low whimpers from falling off my lips every few seconds. I was just about to give up, to curl my legs beneath me and cry myself to sleep, when my hooves find a path through the forest. I can see the worn tracks of horses and other forest-dwelling creatures stretching out in either direction. With relief, I fall to the ground, curling my hooves beneath me in defeat. At least now, someone might find me and help me back to mother’s side. Why had I left her in the first place? I lay my head down, my lips gently kissing the red soil beneath me.
memorie
@[Yanhua]