Life-saver

Life-saver by HorseLover3000
'I saw an outline through the smoke, hazy, but there.

I reached out my hand and felt the comfort of Jack's velvety muzzle.'



[ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذه الصورة]





A horse gave an ear piercing squeal. The sound of hooves

thundering on concrete was deafening in my ears.

The smell of smoke clogged my nostrils as I strained my eyes

to see into the fog. Alongside me, Maxi reared,

her usually gentle eyes wide with fear. My hands were rubbed raw

on the lead rein as I strained to hold onto her. I pulled the collar

of my fleece up over my mouth and ran through the smoke,

desperately dragging Maxi along with me through the flames.

Coughing and spluttering, I burst through into the open air.

"Charlotte!" A voice yelled. "Thank goodness".

I looked around me and saw everyone from the stables crowded in

the car park, safely away from the blazing inferno that

our stables had become. My best friend Jodie raced over.


"We were really worried!" she said, taking Maxi from me

and tying her safely away from the fire. Nearly all of the horses

were around too, some tied to bailing twine, others loose.

I gave a hand and tied up some of them, gently soothing them.


Someone began to call out names, checking all the people were there.

I wondered why they didn't do one for the horses as well.


"You'll have to go to the doctors" said Jodie.

"You will have inhaled loads of smoke!"


Flames licked around the stable building, destroying

my favourite place to be. If the fire brigade didn't get here soon

it would probably be a pile of ashes. "Did someone call the fire brigade?"

I asked concernedly. I wanted there to be every chance

that the building could be saved.


Jodie nodded. "They're on their way, along with the vet to check

that all the horses are ok. It's scary, isn't it? I mean usually

when you hear about a fire, it feels so far away, as if

it could never happen to you, or anyone you knew."


"Yeah, I know what you mean." I nodded. "Is there anyone missing?"


"No people, but they haven't checked the horses yet."


"Why not?" I complained.


"Well, they seem to think all of them are around, tied up or loose"


I breathed a sigh of relief. At least pretty much everyone

seemed to be safe, if a little shocked and scared.

It could have been much, much worse. My eyes scanned the crowd

of horses, checking they were all there. No. I looked again,

searching more urgently this time.


He wasn't there.


"Where's Jack?" I called out. Nobody answered. Others began

looking through the group, but I wasn't waiting around.

He wasn't there, I knew. His distinctive strawberry roan coat

would be easy enough to spot amongst all the bays and greys.

"I'm going to find him!" I called.


"Charlotte! Wait!" yelled Jodie desperately.


I darted back into the burning building. The heat of the flames

stung my eyes, causing me to cry out. My jacket caught on a flame,

so I quickly discarded it into the fire, not thinking about that anymore.

Listening carefully, for a while I heard no sound other than

the voices of people back in the car park. In the smoke my eyes

were useless. I hoped that Jack was in here, somewhere,

otherwise I was risking my life for nothing; but more importantly

, if he wasn't here, where was he?


Suddenly, I heard something. I ran towards the sound of a pony

screaming, the sound of my worst nightmares. I saw an outline

through the smoke, hazy, but there. I reached out my hand

and felt the comfort of Jack's velvety muzzle. He was trapped

in his stable, terrified. He must think nobody cared.

I quickly tried to undo the bolt, but it was complex and stiff.


My fingers fumbled, slower with fear and pressure.

Eventually the door clicked open.

I grabbed a hold of Jack's head collar frantically.


Turning to look back, I saw the entrance to the pony yard blocked

by flames. A burning plank from one of the jumps in the arena

had fallen across, blocking our path. My thoughts whirled.

What should I do? Should I abandon Jack and search for

another way out? Not that there were any obvious exits.

I tried to think but the smoke clogged my lungs and

I couldn't think straight. I was gasping for breath.

Suddenly, I had an idea. It was madcap, stupid..

. but it might just work.



I grabbed Jack's mane and pulled myself onto his broad back.

This brought back memories. I hadn't ridden him

for a long time, due to my ever increasing height.

I wondered if this was going too far, what if I got us both killed?

I tried to push my many doubts aside and gently dug my heels

into Jack's side. He reared up in terror. I was almost unseated,

but I managed to cling on. I stroked him, trying to soothe

him for there was worse to come. Gently using the pressure of my legs

I steered him towards the burning plank. I was so scared,

and the feeling in my tummy was not butterflies,

more like excitable frogs. This was no simple show jump,

ready to fall with the slightest knock. It was a solid jump,

and to make it worse, it was on fire. One mis-step here

could kill us both. I knew I could never live with the death

of my favourite pony on my conscience and gulped.

I tried again to move him, giving gentle pressure with my legs.

Jack burst into a canter, straight at the flames. He looked back at me,

seemingly saying, You really want me to do this?

I nodded, and then closed my eyes.



I leant forward and grasped his mane. I felt his front hooves

leave the ground, and then an awful pain in my right foot.

It felt as if I had hundreds of hot coals piled on it.

I clung on, but tears were in my eyes.



Then we had landed with a jerk. Jack was favouring his right hock

, and it seemed miles away through the smoke of the arena

to the car park. I felt as if I had just conquered Mount Everest,

only to find a new even bigger mountain the other side.

I decided to dismount Jack, and I crumpled to the ground with a cry.

He nudged me with his muzzle, begging me to go on,

and I knew I couldn't give up. His life was in my hands.

I knew I had pretty much broken every health and safety rule

in the book, but hopefully when I got out

I would be forgiven. If I got out.



I hauled myself up and limped onwards, my eyes

closed tight against the burning smoke and flames.

Jack reared up again, and wrenched my arm.



"Owwwww" I cried. He came back to earth, his eyes wide

and scared. He looked as if he was apologising,

but how would I know. How could I ever hope to see into

the mind of this amazing creature? Even though it was only

a few metres to the exit, the smoke and the flames

and the pain made it look like a marathon. I looked down

at my right foot, and instantly looked away. The sight

made me feel physically ill and nauseous. I must be dreaming,

it couldn't be that bad. Surely all this

couldn't have really happened.



Jack looked down at me, his eyes clouded with pain also.

He was worse off than me. I rested my head gently on his neck.

I wasn't sure whether I could go on. I thought of my family,

and whether they knew what had happened now,

whether they were waiting outside. Or maybe they were back

at home, oblivious to the danger I was in.



Suddenly I heard sirens. Finally! It must be the fire brigade.

It had to be. I couldn't hold on any longer. I tried

to keep going with Jack, honest I did, but I had no strength.

I fell to the floor and began to close my eyes, exhausted

with the fear and excitement of the last few hours. Everything

went black. The next thing I knew I was being carried out of

the building. I instantly looked about me.


I asked the fire-fighter holding me, "Where's Jack?"

He gave me a confused look. "The horse?" I said.


"Oh, he got taken to the vets. That was quite

an adventure you had there!"


"But he's ok?"


"I think so, yeah."


I gave a sigh of relief. "He saved my life," I said.


"Really? That's amazing. How?" exclaimed the

fire-fighter. So I told him the story.


"You must be tired out. Can you stand do you think?".

I nodded. He put me down and I limped towards my friends.


"What on earth were you doing?!" Jodie said.


"Well none of you were going to save him." Jodie looked guilty.

"The fire brigade would have come"


"He might have been burnt to death by then!" I said.


"Anyway, the main thing is you're safe" said Jodie.


"What happened?" asked Jess, another of my friends.

So I told them everything that had happened, and how Jack,

the small and unpopular pony, had saved my life.



I hope in a way this would make Jack's life easier,

as he was unpopular among most of the riders.

They found him impossible to ride and grumpy,

which I suppose he was, in a way. I had always loved him

for his cheeky character. But he was

the greatest horse on earth for saving me.