A Horse's Tale, Chapter 24

A Horse's Tale, Chapter 24, Ducks Tape and Apple Trees.

"Jason has all the horses fed and watered, I am going out to brush Glory, so she is all prettyified." Rob nods, "Do a good job she deserves to look her best." Steph smiles, "Yes she does.

Steph leaves the house, most of the dogs are out with Jason helping to plant trees, so walking is easy compared to having two little dogs running around her feet. She grabs the brush and heads back to the round pen. Mr Grump and Mrs. Grump, Sampson and Ruby, are eating, LB is looking at Glory, making sure she does come bother him. Glory has her eyes on LB's hay but knows she shouldn't bother him. Steph goes inside the pen and up to Glory, "Good Morning Glory." Glory nods and continues to eat. Steph says "I am going to brush some of the mud off you and make you all look pretty." Steph begins to brush Glory, Glory looks up "What are you doing?" Steph looks at her, "I told you, I am going to brush you to make you pretty." Glory nods, "Sorry, I was eating, most horses can't listen and eat at the same time." Steph nods, "Yes I think I have seen that before." Steph continues brushing Glory as she continues to eat. Steph gets most of the mud off, and works on her mane and tail, "You are now all nice and fluffy, don't get to dirty over the next couple of days." Glory looks up, "Why, that is what horses do." Steph scratches her neck, "Yes, but there is someone coming to look at you this week." Glory looks at Steph, "Why?" Steph continues the scratches, "Well maybe for a new family and a forever home." Glory nods, "For that I will stay clean." Steph nods and turns to leave, "Oh, and don't eat LB's hay." Glory looks at LB's pile of hay, "Oh, I would never." Steph nods and places the brush near the gate and leaves, she walks to the back, picks up a small flake of hay from a stack near the back row and returns to the Round Pen, and tosses the flake over the rail to Glory. Steph smiles and walks to the back row to check on the horses, as she nears Generals pen, Glory yells out "Hey, they are stealing my hay, Help, Help." General looks up, "What is she yelling about,” Steph says "I am teaching Glory to share." General raises his head, "A very hard lesson to learn for a horse." Steph reaches through the rail, and pats General on the neck, "Yes it is." Steph turns and walks back to the house, "I love it when everyone is happy."

As Steph walks by the back Round Pen she stops. Says to herself, "Where is Justice?" Steph yells out in the direction of Jason who is out planting some of the trees, "Jason have you seen Justice? Jason stops digging, looks around see's Steph and yells back, "He is up by the tack shed." Steph yells back "Thanks." Jason, returns to digging a hole for one of the pine trees "That lady and her horses, all a bit touched."

Steph continues back toward the house and the tack shed, Steph see Justice looking around the tractor and old truck, as she gets close she yells out, "If Rob catches you messing around with his stuff he will make you wear a bell and pink ribbons." She does not know why she said that but it seemed like a threat that Justice would understand. Justice look over to Steph, "Oh no not that." He walks over to Steph, Steph says, "What are you doing?" Justice looks over with a look of 'I am not sure, but I am on a mission look.', "Ah, I am looking for ducks." Steph looks at him, "Do you know what a duck is?" Justice smiles, "Yes, a bird that floats." Steph looks at Justice, takes her hand and pushes her mouth closed. "Justice you are right, for the first time in several months. Why do you need to find a duck, it’s not really the time of year they are around?" Justice nods, "Appears so, I have looked all over and even under." Steph nods, "So why do you need to find a duck?" Justice looks around hoping to see a duck, "Well Electra has had Ducks Tape for a couple of weeks, and some of the other horses wanted it also, and it’s my week to be helpful, it’s on the schedule." Steph looks over her shoulder back at Electra trying to figure out what Justice is talking about, she has one of those Ahhh moments, "You mean Duct Tape?" Justice nods "Yes Ducks Tape." Steph turns back, "Ahh, well it’s called duct tape, it’s used on air conditioner and heating ducts, and we used it on Electra to hold her wrap in place." Justice nods as if and that is a big if, understands. "Well now I need to find an air conditioner.. Whatever that is." Steph replies, "Justice I will get you a roll of it. But the horses won't like it, it’s all sticky." Steph turns and walks back over to the house, "You wait here." Justice stops short of the door as Steph walks in. As she walks in the house, Rob looks up, "Any thing going on?" Steph replies, "Everything is normal, Jason is digging some holes for trees and Justice was out looking for some Ducks Tape. Well actually he was looking for a Duck." Rob says, "He is out there now, looking for ducks?, its daylight, I thought those silly horse's did dumb things at night." Steph nods, "Well it appears it is time to do good, and several horses wanted duck tape like Electra so he was out looking for it. I explained to him what duct tape was and why Electra had it. So I am going to give him some duct tape." Rob turns back to the paper, "You will regret that, by this afternoon you will have five horses trussed up like turkeys and three or four tied up like steers at a roping contest." Steph walks over to the counter, "It won't be that bad." Rob looks up, "Bet you a dollar." “ Rob you know I don't bet." Rob with a grin from ear to ear, "It’s a fun bet, what could possibly happen to 35 horses and a roll of duct tape." and under his breath, 'that can't be cured with a pair of scissors and a knife." Steph grabs the roll of duct tape off the counter, "Yeah you are right I will take the bet." She turns and heads back out the door. Justice is scratching his nose on the right leg, looks up, Steph says "Justice here is some duct tape, be careful with it." Justice nods, reaches out and takes the roll of tape in his mouth and runs off. "And when you are done get back in your pen."

Steph looks around and other then Justice running around all seems quiet, Steph decided to check on Jason and the tree planting, she turns the corner of the house and see Jason hard at work digging one of several holes for trees, along with a troop of dogs and "Dang." Steph yells out "Spirit what are you doing?" Steph walks up to Jason, six dogs intent on what every is being dug up, and Spirit watching intently. "Spirit what are you doing?" Both Jason and Spirit look over, Spirit says, "Apple tree, I am waiting for the apples." Steph looks at Spirit, "Well these are not apple trees, they are pine trees," She points back towards the house. "The apple trees are going by where the horse trailer is." Spirit nods and heads off to the right. Jason looks at Steph and shrugs, Steph turns and follows Spirit. Spirit is stopped by an x marked in the ground. Steph says, "Yes the apple trees will be planted here." Spirit nods, and looks at the ground. Steph says, but it will be nine months or so, before we get apples. Spirit looks at Steph, "Oh Good, I thought I would have to wait a long time." Steph smiles, "Well when you get bored or hungry go back to your pen." Spirit turns, "Yes I will."

A while later, "Jason has finished feeding dinner, what you want to eat?" Rob looks over, "What do you have?" Steph looks around the kitchen "ahhh, food." Rob nods, "Good, ahh, wait a second, let’s go outside and check the horses, they have had most of the day with a roll of duct tape, let’s see what they have managed to do to themselves, I will bring a knife to cut them free." Steph answers, "What could they possibly have done." Rob says "These are your horses, most anything could happen and I want the dollar bet." Steph turns "Ok you are on, I think everything will be fine." Rob smiles to himself, "Right.".

They head to the back, Electra is fine, Spirit is standing out in the open near a small x on the ground wait for an apple tree to grow, as they near the Round Pens, Glory has several strips of duct tape hanging from her belly, Sampson has one piece hanging from his nose, Appears Ruby and LB, were not into the tape game to much. In the back Round Pen Justice is trussed up like a steer at a rodeo, Rob walks in and cuts him free. They continue around the back pens, then head up towards the football field. Rob says "This should be good." Steph doesn't say anything, knowing the score so far is not good. As they get close to the football field, doesn't good for the bet, Two pairs of horses are taped to each other, four others are tied up so they can't move around and a couple have tape from head to tail. Rob goes in and frees up the horses. "See I told you, it wasn't a good idea." Steph nods, "But we have the Lady's Parlour left, they are very calm, and not into this kind of thing."

As they approach the Lady's Parlour, they notice only two horses standing, Dublin and Jerri. As they get closer, they notice five horses hog tied with duct tape and Dublin standing over a couple of them. As Steph gets closer, "Dublin, what is going on?" Dublin turns to Rob and Steph as they approach, "Who would be dumb enough to give a bunch of young horses a roll of Ducks Tape, I know, when I was younger, I was lured in to such a trap, it is not good." Rob walks over to each horse and cuts the tape and pulls it away, with several horses protesting as the tape is pulled. When Spirit is finally free of his trap, he walks over to Steph and Rob, "That was fun can we do it again?" Both Steph and Rob turn and return to the house. Rob hands Step a wad of Duct Tape, and Say’s, "You owe me a dollar." Steph nods, "How about some pasta and meat sauce?" Rob nods, "That will work, but you still owe me a dollar."

To be continued.


Author Samm