Loving Spirit

pen. Spirit . Her horse. She put her arms round his neck and had the strangest sensation that she had come home.
    You’re mine , she promised the grey horse silently. Forever . She meant it with her whole heart. Whatever the problems, whatever she had to face, Spirit was hers now and she was never ever going to let him go.

Chapter Five
    Ellie walked slowly along the country road, with Spirit beside her and Joe on the other side of him.
    When Stuart had come to meet them and found out about the horse, his eyebrows had risen almost to the top of his bald head. ‘I don’t like to think what the boss’ll say about this,’ he’d said, drawing in a whistling breath through his teeth. But he’d put out his hand and stroked Spirit’s muzzle. ‘Poor old devil. You’ve had a hard life by the look of it. What’ve they done to you?’ He glanced at Ellie and she saw the sympathy in his eyes. ‘You two hang on here with him and I’ll go back and fetch the trailer.’
    But when Stuart had returned, Spirit had refused to go anywhere near the trailer. Every time Ellie tried to lead him up the ramp he pulled back violently. When tempting him with food didn’t work, Joe and Stuart got behind him to urge him in but he swung his head up, ears flattened, and lashed out with his back feet.
    A few jokers from Joe’s year who were also bunking off school were standing nearby watching. ‘That your new show horse then, Joe?’
    ‘Will you be takin’ him in the Horse of the Year show?’
    ‘Bet he’ll win all the prizes!’
    Joe took no notice.
    ‘Maybe it’s a present for his new girlfriend.’
    ‘I’d chuck him, love, if that’s the best he can do.’ They burst out laughing.
    ‘He’s my cousin, not my boyfriend!’ Ellie retaliated, unable to keep quiet any longer.
    ‘Well then, I’m available!’ one of them yelled. ‘Why don’t you come on over here?’
    ‘Just ignore them,’ Joe told her with a sigh. ‘They’re morons.’ He turned to Stuart. ‘He’s not going in, is he?’
    ‘Let’s try the lunge ropes,’ Stuart said. He fetched two lunge reins from the front and explained to Ellie what he was going to do. ‘We’ll fasten them on to the box, Joe’ll take one and I’ll have the other, we’ll bring them round behind him and see if that gets him going forward into the trailer.’
    Ellie shot a doubtful look at Spirit. His head was up and he was looking at Stuart and the ropes suspiciously. ‘Isn’t there anything else we can do?’ She had a very strong feeling this wasn’t going to work.
    ‘Let’s give it a go.’ Stuart laid a hand on Spirit’sneck, his voice gentle. ‘Come on, lad. Let’s get you in the box and take you home.’
    He clipped the ropes on to rings at the side of the entrance to the ramp. Ellie then led Spirit forward, while Joe and Stuart went behind the horse and brought the lunge reins up so they crossed over and touched his tail. Ellie felt Spirit stiffen and his ears flicked backwards.
    ‘This isn’t going to –’
    Spirit reared straight up as the lunge reins tightened against him. His front hooves lashed in the air, narrowly missing Ellie’s head. His eyes, which had been so empty, suddenly flashed with a long-lost defiance. As he came down, he leapt forwards, almost pulling Ellie off her feet. The new leadrope burnt through her hands, but she hung on tightly as he plunged around her.
    ‘Steady, boy, steady!’ she cried.
    The boys watching jeered.
    ‘Whoa! Rodeo horse!’
    ‘Hold him, cowgirl!’
    Spirit came to a stop and she stroked his neck, trying to block out the calls. ‘It’s OK,’ she soothed the horse. ‘It’s OK.’
    ‘Are you all right?’ Joe demanded, reaching her.
    She nodded.
    ‘Let’s try again,’ Stuart said, coming over.
    But Ellie shook her head. ‘It isn’t going to work,’she said, her hand on the horse’s neck, her eyes on his. She knew, as clearly as if she could read his mind, that there was no way he would go into the trailer that day. ‘I’ll walk him home.’
    Stuart and Joe had tried to argue with her, but in the end they had finally agreed it might be the most sensible thing to do. Now Ellie and Joe walked Spirit along the road that led up from the town in the valley. The empty fields stretched out on either side of them, rising up to the high peaks. A bitter wind blew down the mountainsides, shaking the strands of barbed wire above the stone walls. Everywhere looked so desolate. Ellie shivered, wishing she had