Past his Prime

996 words

         An aged Suffolk Punch gelding pushes forward with a heavy burden upon his back. The horse digs his hooves into the ground and pushes into the harness around his neck. From his meek efforts the ground churns beneath his feet and black, fertile dirt is stirred from beneath the earth. The farmer behind the draft animal casts seeds into the ground and clucks to the old horse to keep moving.

         A teenage girl watches this ritual as she had every day since she was seven years old. Every day, on her way home from school, she would watch the gelding work until the last rays of the sun disappeared into darkness.

         "Why do you keep on working, old guy? Don't you want a change?" The girl asks the horse, though she knows that he can't hear her questions.
They have been left unanswered for so many years, but this year she refused to leave them unanswered. She would plea to the farmers to let the old draft horse rest, to have him retire to lush green pastures instead of this endless and tiring work. She dismounts her bike which she is sitting on and puts the kick stand on. The girl walks across the churned ground and listens as dead leaves crunch beneath her black boots. Her eyes remain upon the chestnut gelding with his mess of a flaxen mane and tail. Sweat covers his entire body and she watches as the gelding's outward breathing becomes white mist in the cool air.

         She quickens her pace, first she just walks faster but soon she breaks into a mad sprint. Even though the gelding was only moving at a strained walk it seemed like he was disappearing into the distance.

         "No! It's Hard To Make A Stand, please, don't disappear old boy. I'll find a way to set you free."

         The girl pleaded and suddenly the gelding's body came into view and she found herself closing in on him. The draft horse stops his labored work and turns his head sideways to look at her. She stops in her tracks as the gelding's brown eyes stare into her own. His eyes were so gentle, sweet, and kind, like he could never harm a soul, and she knew that his eyes told the truth.

"Why, hello kid. Tell me, What I Can Do For You. "

         The elderly man quietly asked as he awoke the girl from her thoughts. Her eyes turned away from the animal and she looked at him for the first time. The man was just as worn as the horse he was driving, and he had a kind smile to his withered face.

         "My name is Maria, and I came to see you on this Ordinary Morning because of the horse which you are using for draft work. Why do you work him so much? Why can't you retire the old horse? Can't you see the poor animal is past his prime?"

         Maria asked as she walked closer toward the gelding and extended a hand to his muzzle. The draft horse lightly sniffed her hand and after he did this he gave her a soft push with his nose. The farmer watched his horse give the girl this small act of affection and hesitated as he thought of how he would respond to her questions.

         "You're An Original kid. It Don't Hurt for him to be worked, this is what he was bred for. Every Day Is A Winding Road for us both, but we have to work together. Without his strength I wouldn't be able to stir up the fertile ground, and without my direction he wouldn't be able to churn up the ground. He's the only horse I got, and we can't retire just yet."

         The man explained as he placed a hand on the gelding's crest. Maria watched the two and looked at the worn gelding and his owner. They were both being worked to their death, but if all they had was each other, and farming was their only way to get money who was she to object? But, still, she loved the aged gelding, and wanted to see him in a green pasture enjoying his last years of life.

"I guess It's So Easy to tell you to stop using this gelding for draft work, but what will you do without him? I see now that you both need each other, but I just want him to be Safe And Sound." Maria said barely above a whisper as she stared at her boots. The girl didn't even want to look the gelding's owner in the eye anymore, let alone the old draft animal. She had let the horse down, she had promised him that he would free of work and now she couldn't free him of anything.

         "If It Makes You Happy, I'll retire Danny this year. I've been saving up our farming money over all these years, whatevers left over which I haven't spent on food I'll use it for a new draft horse. Old Danny here will be able to rest in a pasture I made for him several years ago while the new youngin' can take over his work. You can visit Danny whenever you like too, I can see you two have quite a connection all ready. Now, get a long to school you little whipper snapper, and don't worry about this old guy. I'll take care of him as best as I can."

         The old man said as he gave Maria a wink and clucked to Danny again.
The girl stood there as the draft horse plowed forward and she was left alone watching them disappear into the horizon line. Maria ran to her bike and smiled to herself, she had kept her promise to the gelding. Danny would finally be able to retire and be able to rest after his years of service. He would be able to live the life of a free horse.

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