Loving Spirit

trouble as usual, grazing peacefully. Gem, Wisp and Picasso were beside him. Ellie had noticed that the quieter horses often seemed to gravitate towards him. She called out his name, but in the rain he didn’t hear her. Ellie began to squelch through the mud and across the grass. ‘Come on, boy!’ she called, not wanting to have to walk all the way down the field.
    Spirit noticed her and, pricking his ears, he started to head towards her, but as he did so something startled the three horses near the bottom of the field. They leapt forwards. Gem, Wisp and Picasso’s heads flew up at the sound of the others and they began to canter. The six horses were caught up in each other’s alarm. Ellie stopped, but her feet slipped on the wet ground. She felt herself bang down on her side as her fingers closed on mud. There was a yell from behind her.
    The next few minutes seemed to happen in slow motion. Pushing herself up on her arms, Ellie saw the six horses galloping straight for her through the rain, too caught up in each other’s fear to notice her lying there. Even if they did see her, it would be toolate for them to stop. Ellie cried out and curled up into a ball, bracing herself.
    She felt rather than saw Spirit reach her. Before Ellie knew what was happening, her eyes blinked open to see Spirit standing over her, his legs on either side of her body. She felt his strong reassuring presence as the other horses thundered by. They broke into a trot as they finally realized there was nothing to be scared of, and Ellie heard their snorts and the sound of their hooves slowing as they began to circle round, tails high.
    Ellie’s heart hammered against her ribs. For a moment she was too shaken to move. Her eyes flicked from side to side and then Spirit stepped carefully over her, picking his hooves up high so he didn’t touch her at all. He stopped at the side, his head by hers.
    Ellie slowly uncurled and sat up. Spirit nudged at her with his muzzle, anxiously touching her knees and her face as if checking she was OK. The rain dripped from his eyelashes and down his face.
    ‘Ellie! Ellie! Are you all right?’ She looked round. Joe was running down the field through the rain.
    ‘Yes.’ Putting a hand on Spirit’s leg, Ellie struggled to her feet. Her own legs felt like jelly. ‘Yes, I’m OK.’
    Joe reached her, his face pale. ‘I was by the gate. I saw what happened. I thought you were going to be trampled!’
    ‘Spirit saved me,’ Ellie stammered, as she kept stroking the grey horse over and over again.
    ‘I know,’ Joe said in awe. ‘He just stood in their path and they went round him. I’ve never seen anything like it.’
    Ellie swallowed. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered to Spirit.
    Together, the three of them walked up the field, Ellie holding shakily on to Spirit’s mane.
    For the rest of the day, she thought about what her horse had done. He’d seen her fall, stood over her, shielded her and protected her.
    ‘You’re amazing,’ she told him gratefully when she went to his stable after supper. The rain had now turned to sleet. The fields were waterlogged and it was freezing cold. Closing her eyes, she put her arms round Spirit’s neck and hugged him. She was so tired. It had been a very long day. She’d planned to give Spirit a proper groom but now she just couldn’t find the energy. Instead, she just stood there, stroking his head and neck, too exhausted to do anything but be with him. He sighed contentedly, his eyes half closing as she ran her hands over his forehead and down his nose and cheeks.
    She didn’t know how it happened, but very gradually Ellie became aware of a shift in the atmosphere around them. She couldn’t describe the feelingexactly, but it was almost as though there was a field of energy surrounding each of them and it was somehow merging. She opened her eyes and saw that Spirit was staring straight at her. As their gaze met, a connection flared and Ellie was aware of images and feelings coming into her mind. She saw the tall figure of a man at a stable door and fear ran through her. The bolts on the door pulled back with a loud metal clang and the man stood in the doorway, whip in hand. She knew she wanted to run, but there was nowhere to go. Leaping forward, she was stopped by the manger. The man shut the door behind him and approached, the whip raised, his eyes angry. She tried to jump past him but heard the whistle as the whip came slashing down; she felt the terror as