Calico Horses and the Patchwork Trail (44 page)

Carrie looked around. “Mouse isn’t here, either.”

Milla looked behind the barn. “Neither is Holly.” Carrie patted Cricket, wondering how she would feel when the little horse found a new home. She sighed and looked at her friend, who appeared lost.

Milla was shaking her head. “I tried so hard, Carrie. All I wanted was a chance to prove I could take care of her, but my dad is so stubborn.” Carrie walked beside her friend as they headed down the path. She wanted to tell Milla about the mission and how it had changed her outlook. Milla might not understand but Carrie needed her help with figuring it all out.

“Where do you think she is?” Milla asked. “I heard that Amber was adopting either her or Cookie and that little paint is still here. She stopped abruptly, causing Carrie to stumble. “Oh, no, do you think Amber took her?”

“I don’t know, Mil. I heard this morning that the Save Our Mustangs group is taking some of the horses to horse shows and rodeos. They’re working with Mrs. Burke to help find them homes.”

“Is that what April was talking about at the picnic table?”

“Yeah.” Carrie wanted to explain but Milla seemed lost in her thoughts. The bell rang just as they took their seats.

“Good morning,” Mrs. Preston smiled.

“Good morning,” the children mumbled in reply.

“Oh, my goodness, what kind of a greeting is this? You all look so miserable. Is it because school starts next week?” The class began murmuring and Mrs. Preston put a finger to her lips to quiet them. April raised her hand. “Yes, April?”

“Is it true that the foals are going to be leaving with the Save Our Mustangs group?” The murmuring became louder as some of the children stood and many cried, “Oh, no!”

Mrs. Preston closed her lesson plan. “Quiet down, class. Please take your seats. I know some of you are upset so how about we take a walk to that little clearing you like to go to during break time? I think it would be good to have a little chat. We can skip today’s lesson.”

The children seemed to relax a bit as Mrs. Preston said, “I’ll meet you over there in five minutes. You’ll want to bring your mats to sit on.” The children slowly gathered their mats and walked toward the edge of the property that faced the Calico Mountains. Carrie chose a spot next to a tree and leaned against it. Milla seemed to be walking in a daze. Some of the girls were sniffling and a few were in the bathroom crying. Mac and Tracey each walked beside Milla, sensing that she needed them. A short time later Mrs. Preston, Leah, Jed, and Mrs. Burke came and sat with the children. The class fidgeted; they had never met with all of the teachers before and it somehow felt alarming. The teachers waited for the children to quiet down and then Mrs. Burke spoke.

“Good morning, everyone. The summer session of camp closes this week and we know that every time it ends it’s difficult to say goodbye. Not only to your classmates but to the relationships formed with all of our animals, especially the foals.” The children began murmuring and some nudged each other. “You may not realize it but each one of you is now an Equine Ambassador. In other words, you can now speak for our horses. You represent to your family, friends, and your entire community someone who now understands the value and significance of our wild mustangs.” Some of the children rolled their eyes, while others sat up feeling proud.

“What’s an ambassid or ambassud or whatever?” Mac asked.

“An ambassador is someone who represents something. For example, the United States will send an ambassador to other countries to be a spokesman for America? Now do you see?”

Mac nodded as some of the older children whispered, “Oh, I knew that.”

“The purpose of our camp is not only to teach you how to care for the animals you have met here, but to respect them. Learning how they communicate with each other helps you to look around and see how other animals communicate. Now, when you’re around your pets at home, you’ll begin to see how they, too, interact in their own language.

Leah spoke next. “I have been training horses professionally for many years and some people pay me a lot of money to do this. I use exactly the same methods that I have taught each of you. Some of the adults thank me and go right back to treating their horses like big dumb animals. Others learn this horse language and are able to develop better relationships with all pets. You kids all know this language now and you can use it to teach others. Can you see how you can show others how to treat their animals better?”

“Will they pay us lots of money, too?” Kris asked, bringing laughter to the group.

“Maybe if you grow up and study how to become a trainer…who knows? Maybe by coming to this camp we have inspired you to follow what is in your heart. Maybe not horse trainers, but maybe by watching some of us you can see that we really love what we do and someday you will choose a job that suits your passions.”

It was Jed’s turn. He stood up and looked around at all of the children. The kids started giggling as he always acted like a comedian in class. “What? I haven’t even started?” The children laughed and some kicked each other playfully.

“Hey, I just wanted to say that every year we have this little talk with you guys. It’s cool that you came and made friends and learned how to paint and all but it’s also important to remember all that you’ve learned. We have had fun and when it’s time to say goodbye to these little guys it’s hard. Believe me, I know it…we know it.” He pointed to the other teachers. The class became silent and some of the students hung their heads. He continued, pointing to the long stretch of desert with the Calico Mountains in the background, “Look out there. Look carefully and you will see bands of wild mustangs. Can you see how they look as much a part of the natural landscape as the sage and the range of peaks?

The children turned and looked out across the desert; some stood to get a better view. Carrie felt Milla’s arm around her shoulder and smiled. Milla had tears in her eyes and Carrie swallowed hard trying not to cry herself.

Sue Preston walked to where Jed was standing and spoke. “Some of you have taken these horses into your heart and you feel that when they go to their new adoptive homes…well, it will hurt. We understand this and we so wish all of you could be the ones to raise them. Really we do, but we want you to think of them every time you look out on that range. Remember how they came to us. Some broken, ill and lost, and how you helped make them better. Perhaps you can’t adopt them but maybe just by being a part of this camp you can learn to help many more horses just like them. I was asked earlier if it were true that some of the horses would be going to rodeos and horse shows. Yes, this is true.” The children began moaning and some shook their heads. Milla buried her head into Carrie’s shoulder. Carrie wanted to speak up but she wasn’t sure how she would be received so she patted Milla and stayed silent.

Mrs. Burke continued, “A long time ago when I was your age I wanted a horse, too, and every Christmas I asked my parents for one. I begged and begged them.” Some of the children looked at each other in surprise. Milla pulled away from Carrie and turned to listen. “And every year my dad would wrap up a little plastic horse or pony. He would smile and say, you asked for a horse and this is all we could afford. I didn’t think it was very funny and I never stopped wanting a horse. I learned how to ride and worked as a volunteer at a stable just so I could be near them. I was mucking out stalls and walking sweaty horses while my friends were watching TV or riding their bikes. And one day after I was all grown, I had my own barn and I bought a horse. Look around you,” she said, sweeping her arms and looking side to side. “I built this place and now kids just like you come here every year to learn about horses.”

“Are you telling us we have to be grown up before we can have one of our own?” April asked.

“No, I’m not saying that, but perhaps if your parents can’t afford one now, maybe you can in the future.”

Brandon, one of the older boys, said, “It just doesn’t seem fair that we did all the work with the foals and now some other kids get to have them.”

“Yeah,” said the children as they began protesting loudly.

“Well, I agree it may not seem fair. You do all the cleaning and caring and work and some other family takes them home. When I was your age, every time I went to the stables and cared for the animals it was for some other kid’s horse.”

“But why?” Tracey asked. “How come the owner didn’t do the work?

“Because often it was a child who had grown tired of having a horse or pony. They treated it like an abandoned toy; they lost interest in it. Do you see?” The children nodded and looked at one another. “We know each of you comes to camp and becomes attached to the baby horses. Then they go to a new home and you feel bad. But what we want you to remember is this: because of the loving and respectful way you treated them, they now have a good chance of finding a home. Many of the little foals that you’ve helped care for would have died if we didn’t rescue them.”

The children suddenly became quiet and looked up with serious faces. “It’s true,” she said. “The people who bring them to us know that we will care for them around the clock to give them the best chance of survival. If a baby horse is left out on the range without the care of its mother or protection of its family, it will die, and many do.”

Milla looked away as she gulped back tears. Hope would have died had she not found her in time.

“If a person tried to adopt a horse that was not used to people, they would find themselves with a wild animal that could possibly hurt them. You have given these horses that special ability to find their way to a safe home,” Mrs. Burke continued.

“We have?” asked Mac, looking at Milla in disbelief.

“Yes, you have. All of you. And we would like to thank you for this. We’ve become Equine Ambassadors ourselves and we speak for the horses, too. From all of the horses here at the center, as we are speaking on
their
behalf now,” Mrs. Burke concluded. “They want to say, ‘Thank you.’”

The children smiled at one another and Jed sent the class a thumbs up. Mrs. Burke looked at the other teachers. “Does anyone else have something to say?”

“I do,” said a small voice. Everyone became silent as Carrie walked to the front. Milla and the rest of the kids waited to hear what she had to say.

“I just wanted to say that I really got my hopes up about adopting a horse. I tried and tried to convince my mom and we even got into a huge fight. But then I realized that it wasn’t about one horse, it was about all horses. So I’m still trying to figure out a way to help people treat them better. I haven’t figured out how I’m gonna do it yet, but I think if I had adopted a foal it would have taken up too much of my time and I wouldn’t be able to help all the other horses. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’d rather help lots of horses instead of just one.”

Sue Preston smiled and nudged Anne’s arm. Leah and Jed nodded their heads.

Carrie addressed her classmates. “If you don’t get to adopt a horse, maybe you can help other kids do it. I know it hurts but maybe we can do something more than feel bad, maybe somehow we can take those feelings and turn them into a way to help all the horses that need love.” She suddenly found herself nervous standing in front of the group. No one made a sound. Carrie looked through the crowd to see if Milla was angry with her. Milla stood up and began clapping slowly, and one by one the others joined in. Carrie quickly returned to her seat, her face bright red and her mouth dry.

Kris stood up. “I think she’s right. Jed taught us all about a woman named Wild Horse Annie and how kids all over the country learned to help horses. I think maybe that’s what Carrie’s talking about. Maybe if we can’t adopt them, we can find kids who can.” The children began talking loudly and everyone seemed to want to speak.

“Wow,” Leah said. “Carrie, I think that took a lot of courage to speak from your heart and we all thank you. And Kris, you are exactly right, that’s what we have been trying to teach you. All of you can help and that’s why we call you Ambassadors.”

Mrs. Burke moved in front of the children. “Well, kids, I think it’s time for a break. How about we all meet over by the foals in an hour and just have fun with them today. Can we do that?”

Milla looked at Carrie and shrugged. “She’s gone now. It’s gonna be hard for me.”

“I know, Mil,” Carrie replied.

Kris announced, “If anyone wants to join me in organizing a Kids’ Mustang Group, follow me.” The teachers walked back to their rooms as the children began running and playing. A large group gathered around Kris.

Summer was quickly coming to an end and as Carrie looked out at the Calico Mountains she wondered where the horses would go when the hard weather moved in. She looked back and Milla was no longer standing beside her, but was sitting with the children who were all signing their names on a notebook Kris had passed around. Kris looked up at Carrie and smiled. He pointed toward the notebook and Carrie just stood there. This was a great idea and these kids seemed excited about their new mission, but was it hers? Her gaze returned to the Calico Mountains and she was reminded of her dreams, of the tiny squares of fabric that had appeared from thin air, and of Shannon who was sewing them. She had a mission, all right, but she still wasn’t sure what it was. The sound of laughter and the colors of the Calico Mountains were beginning to weave a plan of their own, and Carrie couldn’t wait to see it.

Chapter 66