A Horse's Tale, Chapter 7, Party Time.
Steph wakes up, gets up, walks over the dogs, and starts the coffee. "Its Saturday, what a week." Coffee is finished, she pours a cup and settles into her chair.
Truffles and Moo, wrap themselves around Steph's bunny slippers and fall to sleep, for the dogs it's still early, not quite 5 in the morning. Steph listens for a couple of minutes and all is quiet around the ranch.
The meeting with Doc Adam, the coordination with Desert Pine, normal chores, the breakout by Sampson and Ruby, and the road trip with 'B', Bruno, and Fred the goat to the Casino and Wal-Mart.....
"Yes a mostly normal week." Steph says out loud. Bruno looks up, "You forgot the bus ride on the stolen bus, and the bags of costumes, and Moo and Truffles eating the rope on your computer thing.", Steph looks over, "OH, I didn't forget them, but didn't want to remember them."
Rob says from the back of the house, "Is the coffee ready, I can smell it.", Steph replies, "Yes, are you sure you don't need me to help with your job this morning?", Rob walks up and pours a cup of coffee, "No, the owners are going to be home, to help in grabbing."
As Rob gets ready to leave, "You need me to get anything when I come back?" Rob is always so nice and caring, most of the time he will forget what he was going to get but at least he asks.
Steph says "No, can't think of anything. Thanks for asking. Are you going to be back in time to run over to see Emma and Mikey in their costumes?" Rob answers, "Oh, yes, should be back in plenty time to run over there."
Rob goes out, for some reason most of the dogs wake up and run outside. Within a minute or two they all return and plop down and fall asleep again.
Steph goes over and picks up the laptop, and starts to check email, before she logs on to the MHR chat.
Steph types "Good Morning All." "Morning Steph", "Good Morning", "Hey its Halloween in Pahrump.", Steph types "Yes it is, we won't get any trick or treaters, we are too far out, and separate. But we are going over to the see the grandkids in their costumes this afternoon."
"Oh, great", "You should enjoy that.", "ahhh, take pictures." Steph replies "Oh, I will."
Steph thinks to herself, "Well this should be a quiet morning, feed the crew, a couple of water barrels." Then she types, "Well I have to feed the gang, talk to you all later." Steph smiles, stands up and heads out, with the dogs in tow.
The sun is up, she hears a few horses talking, all seems right. She heads out to the Ladies Parlour, she looks around all the horses are looking at her as she starts to drop the hay in the feeders, she goes down the line, everyone seems in good health, and greets her in their manner.
She heads over to the Football field, several horses run up, and are talking about food or just glad to see Steph, she drops the hay in the feeders, she looks around the pen, nothing out of the normal - all the horses are moving well and are happy to see breakfast.
She turns to head to the back, and stops. She turns back to the football field, there are nine mounds of dirt in the center of the pen, she turns again and walks back to the Ladies parlour, "hmmm, five, six, seven mounds of dirt..."
She heads to the back pens, her mind begins to wonder... "What is under those mounds of dirt?" As she drops the hay in the feeders, and checks the water levels, she looks around each pen, and yes, each has a mound of dirt, sometimes in the center other times near the edge, where two or more horses are stabled together, there are the appropriate number of mounds, until she gets to Sampson's and Ruby's pen. On the back side is a wagon with dirt covering only the bottoms of the wheels. She drops their hay in the feeders and walks to Justice in the round pen. Justice comes up, having been caught before, looks around like nothing is going on.
Steph notices the mound in the center of the pen and drops the hay for Justice, well at least he hasn't gotten anything that won't fit in a bag.
She walks over to Electra in the right Round Pen, drops her hay, and looks about. Her mound of dirt needs some work, a small feathered hat is sticking out. Steph finishes up with Violette as she heads back to the house. Steph looks about the pen, doesn't see a mound, but something catches her eye behind the water barrel.
Steph goes inside, drops the hay for Violette and walks over to the water barrel, she looks behind it, looks up toward Violette, looks back at what is behind the water barrel, looks back at Violette. Stands up, and leaves the pen.
Steph walks back to the house, does a quick count of dogs and goes inside. "Well that was interesting." Bruno looks up, "What do you mean?" "Well seems each of the horses are hiding things in the pen." Bruno, "Yes we know. We looked, not sticks or poop, no fun." Moo looks up, "No ropes",
Steph says, "if I ever catch you again chewing on a power cord, ahh, rope, you won't be able to sit down for two, maybe three months., You hear me", Moo looks up, Truffles looks away, Moo Answers "Yes."
Again as the norm, Steph sits down and grabs the laptop, logs in, "All the crew are fed and happy." "Great", "They love their hay,", "Good Morning.", Steph begins to type, "Yes everything is fine, each of the horses have a mound..., " nope that won't do. Backspace backspace...
"What should I tell them. Or should I tell them at all., Yes I should tell them, Nope, can't tell them....." Steph types, "Yes, all of crew are happy and content..."
Steph thinks out loud, "What are they planning?", Bruno looks up "Who?", Steph replies, "The horses." Bruno thinks for a bit, "ahh, don't know... ahh, wait, they are having a party when it gets dark." Steph looks over to Bruno, "A PARTY?" Bruno says, "Well the horses are calling it a party."
"Not sure why, they said they are going to dress up, like you made us do a couple of weeks ago, and give treats, ya know horse treats to each other. I just don't understand horses." With that he lays back down.
"What time are they going to do this?" Bruno raises his head up, "hmmm don't know time, about an hour or so after dinner. But that is horse reckoning."
"Well I need to find out that time, Rob and I need to see this, Rob will not believe what is happening." Bruno looks up, "Well go ask 'B'", Steph replies, I can't talk to 'B' without you and Fred." Bruno rolls over to his side, and scratches his belly. "Ahh, that is a trick, you can talk to the horses, or at least most of them."
Steph jumps up, "What do you mean?" Bruno looks over, "You have lived with animals for many years, and these horses and mules since they have arrived here. You can talk to the animals... Hey that would make a great movie.", Steph nods, "It's been done already." Bruno lowers his head. "Dang, Too late again with a good idea."
"You mean that you and Fred tricked me?"Bruno replies, "oh, No, Fred can talk to the horses, and I can talk to Fred. Dogs and horses don't talk. And I can talk to you."
Steph thinks for awhile, "Bruno where did Sampson and Ruby get the wagon?" Bruno sits up, "Can't tell ya, it's a secret." "BRUNO, there are not more secrets, WHERE DID THEY GET THE WAGON?" Bruno, lowers his head, "ahh, sorry, Dublin and Justice got it last night, from Shadow Mountain Feed, it was sitting out back."
"Oh, Now we are all going to jail, Grand Thief Wagon. Why didn't you tell me?" Bruno, looks up, "You didn't ask." Mama Dog adds, "he is a jerk." Bruno looks over to Mama Dog and nods. "They paid coins for it, it's like Wal-Mart.", Steph looks over to Bruno, "You mean they bought it?"
"Don't know what that means, they gave coins to them and they gave the wagon to Dublin." as is the norm recently, "hmmmmm"
"Ok, I am going to talk to 'B', you gang stay here.", Steph heads for the door, all the dogs stay in place. As she approaches 'B's pen, her mind is racing, "I can talk to horses. No I can't, that is silly. Bruno says I can. Bruno is a dog. I can talk to Bruno. Steph, you are losing your mind."
Well that conversation didn't work out. Steph leans against the rail and looks at 'B' eating content with the world. Steph thinks about this, if she speaks out loud, then 'B', may just turn to the voice. Sooo, Steph thinks "'B', what time are you going to have the party?", 'B' grabs another mouth full of hay, hmmm nothing.
"Oh, 8pm your time, then about 9pm well do some games, like bobbing for apples and pin the tail on the zebra, and we will give out treats."
Steph as it seems normal lately reaches up and pushes her mouth closed.
Steph says, "Do you need anything for the party?", 'B' replies, we can use a water barrel over there, for the apples, oh, and a few apples.", Steph nods, "I can do that."
Steph asks, "Can we watch?", 'B' says "Oh, yes, and you can give out the treats from the ladies, aunties, and moms."
Steph smiles, and turns back to the house, "Let's see: a few chores and clean up the house, I think today will be a very nice day.
and I CAN TALK TO THE HORSES....OMG....Rob will think I have really lost it...."
"I will not tell Rob, I will make dinner and then we can watch the horses....Yeah that will work..."
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To be continued.
Author: SAMM
MHR PMU horses
