For those of you that are following along, I entered my first writing contest back in December through the Howard County Chapter of the Maryland Writers’ Association, which I am a member of. The contest was to write a short story about Winter or the holidays. It could not be more than 1,000 words. That sounds like a lot of words, but it’s hard to write a complete story in 1,000 words or less. I took on the challenge, let my fiance read it and with his encouragement, submitted it. There were to be three winners. The first place winner would win a $75 gift card for Amazon, the second place winner would get a $50 gift card and the third place winner would get a $25 gift card.
Although I won last place…at least I won. Not bad since it was the first time I’ve ever entered a writing contest. So for those of you that are interested in reading it, you can do so below…but grab a tissue first….
THE FIRST ONE WITHOUT
Thanksgiving went by in a blur. It was to be expected. Christmas seemed to arrive the very next day. I woke up Christmas morning to the sound of my fiancé snoring. I quietly got out of bed and went downstairs to make myself a cup of coffee. It didn’t feel like Christmas. I wanted to ignore Christmas since I wouldn’t have my mom with me this year. Matt and I didn’t put up decorations. We have no kids, so why bother?
As I made my way to the kitchen, I heard a commotion coming from outside in the front yard. It had snowed last night and we had a good five inches on the ground. It was our first white Christmas in a long time. I walked over to the door and opened it, only to see what appeared to be hoof prints in the snow. Did we get visited by Santa and his reindeer?
There was a hoof print on our welcome mat, and I bent down to get a closer look. These prints looked like an open circle with a heart at the top of the print. These were horse hoof prints. Horses? In the city? In my small yard? I looked around, trying to find a horse, thinking I must finally be going crazy. I heard the same commotion coming from my backyard. I quickly ran through my house to the back door just in time to see not one, not two but five horses!
They were all white with big black eyes that seemed to glisten up against the creamy blue sky. Their white manes were flowing and appeared to be well kept. They stood there in a row staring at me as I stared back. They had sleigh bells around their necks on their harnesses. One of them stepped forward as the other four stayed put. It walked right up to my door as I opened it to get a better look. The cold air immediately rushed to my face, but it was a passing sensation as I was engrossed by this beautiful creature standing before me. My pajama bottoms offered the cold air to my bare legs underneath, but my toes were toasty inside my slippers. I took a quick look behind me to ensure that I was still alone and then stepped outside, shutting the door behind me.
The horse that stepped forward bent its head down and rested its snout on my shoulder. I petted the side of its face, realizing that its fur felt like the softest silk I had ever felt. As I looked in its big eye, I saw my reflection and realized I was crying. I wiped my tears away just as I saw that the horse too appeared to have a tear sliding down its snout. The horse kneeled down. Somehow, I just knew it wanted me to hop on its back. I carefully climbed on and clinched the harness. I hadn’t been on a horse in a good five years and that one had a saddle. This one was bare.
The horse slowly stood up, careful not to dump me off of it. It turned around and looked at the other four horses. In unison, they neighed and formed a single row again. Their sleigh bells began jingling as they all lifted up off the ground and began flying through the air. I bent down so I could hang on better.
I had never been on a flying horse before!
As we picked up speed and the cold air flowed up my nostrils, I got ready for the chill that was going to flow throughout my body but it never came. I had a warmth come over me as we flew closer up to the sun. We flew over the most beautiful green grass I had ever seen. There was no more snow. The flowers on the trees were vibrant and seemed to have light shining through them.
We then stopped mid-air and the horses neighed again. I looked down to the ground, which seemed to only be a few feet away. I rubbed my eyes as I was sure they were playing tricks on me. I saw my mother, laughing and dancing. I hadn’t seen her that happy since the last time we went horseback riding five years ago. She was with her mother, her cousin, and three little babies. She looked up at me and it seemed like she was glowing. The light emanating out of her was breathtaking. She smiled at me, and although she wasn’t talking, I heard her say, “Samantha, I love you.” I tried to jump off the horse so I could get closer to mom but it seemed as if I were stuck on the horse. I couldn’t budge myself. My mother then said, “You can’t come here. I just wanted you to see that I’m happy and that I’m okay. Please, enjoy your day with the family. When you think of me throughout the day, know it’s because I am right there with you.”
“I can’t do this without you.”
“You can. You got through Thanksgiving and you will get through Christmas.”
“It’s hard. I want to be with you.”
“It’s not time to be with me again. We had forty years together and we will have an eternity when it’s time.”
I cried as I realized that she was right.
With that, the horses neighed again and we took off, going back the way we had come. Before I knew it, the green grass turned to snow and it was cold again. The horse softly landed at my back door and I slid off its back, placing my feet into the snow. Although I felt sad, I also felt like I had a new life breathing through me. The horse placed its snout on my shoulder once more before taking off with the others. The first one without her would now have to wait until next year.
Joyce Elaine 