As Halloween is just around the corner, I thought it was time to dig out those old classics, favorite Pony Club Camp tales, those creepy tales that made one huddle deeper into the sleeping bag, hardly daring to breathe. Of course, what is a scary story without a dark and stormy night, and a detour……..
……. It was a dark and stormy night, thick clouds raced across the sky, blocking out the light of a large full moon. Sarah had been driving for what seemed like hours along a narrow, unfamiliar road. She had been told that this would be a short cut, but as it turned out, road works had forced her to detour onto a back road.
Visibility was almost zero, the mist and driving rain reflecting in her headlights made it almost impossible to see the road ahead. The trees on either side of the road seemed to lean in, their branches dipping and swooping in the wind. It looked as if the trees had come alive, reaching out and snatching at the car.
Sarah was on her way to Blackwing Stables. She had been called out to attend to a sick horse. She had recently moved to the area, and this was her first call out. All the other veterinarians were unavailable, Sarah was ‘it’.
Brief directions had been given, and now there was no signal to call and confirm. A rickety road sign a mile back had reassured her that she was on the right track.
The road became more treacherous, forcing her to slow down to a crawl, she peered into the wild night. Suddenly she slammed on the brakes and her car skidded and slid on the muddy road. With heart hammering against her ribcage, she stared unbelievingly at the shape in her headlights. A horse had appeared from nowhere. Looming out of the darkness, it stood right in the middle of the road. Turning its head, the horse looked straight at her, the eyes reflecting and shining eerily in the headlights.
“Oh my goodness, where on earth have you come from?” Sarah reached for her door latch and opened the car door. Slowly she got out of the car, trying not to startle the horse.
The horse stood, stock still, staring right at her, it was surrounded by a strange silvery glow, shimmering in a light of its own. Beautiful as moonbeams shining on a crystal, mountain lake. Time slowed and the earth sighed. The rain eased and the wind died down to nothing but a breath.
Just as she was about to take a step, she became aware of the roar of rushing water and a loud creaking and crashing. Bouncing headlights then appeared on the other side of the trees as a vehicle approached at a mad speed and screeched to halt. A man stuck his head out of the window.
“Dr Sarah?”
“Yes!”
“Thank goodness I caught up to you in time, the bridge has swept away. What made you stop? You would have gone straight into the river.”
“The horse, standing in the middle of the road, is it yours?”
Even in the darkness, she could see the man’s puzzled expression. She turned toward the horse, but it was nowhere to be seen. It had simply vanished.
Sarah walked along the muddy road to where the horse had been standing. No tracks, not even one.
Those on the farm told her about a silver horse, a guardian. Only those seconds from death ever see him. They said that it was just a folk tale, a myth. She could see they were doubting her sanity, so she dropped the subject and got on with the task at hand.
An hour later, with the sick horse stabilized and on the road to recovery, Sarah started on her journey home. The storm had ceased, and the moon was out, riding high in a bright night sky. She would never forget this night. A night that would have been her last, had it not been for a horse made of moonlight, who stood between her and certain death.
Have a great week. Please feel free to share your stories. Until next time with……Ghost stories From the Barn……
Sharlene Frances 