Miracle Pony

Miracle Pony

By

Tamara Dahlberg

The storm outside was growing to major proportions of wind and rain and thunder with lightening. It was by far the wildest summer storm of the season. It was difficult to see the barn through the storm. Becky and Bobby were anxiously awaiting the news from their father that the pony had been born, and that they could go out to meet the newest addition to their family. Their horse Kelsey had been in labor since early that morning, and their veterinarian, Dr. Jones, had been there helping with the birth of the new addition to their family.

Suddenly the storm began to calm down and they could see that their father was walking toward the house and gesturing for them to come out to the barn. They burst out of the door and met their father halfway between the barn and the house. He urged them to calm down and listen to his news about the new pony. “Now kids I have some news about Kelsey’s new pony. It is going to shock you when you see the new pony. It does not look like other ponies that you have seen before, but the good news is that the pony is healthy, and Kelsey is doing well. They are both resting and snuggling in the stall.”

Quietly the three of them walked to the barn door that was slightly ajar and carefully looked inside while trying not to disturb mother and baby. It was at that moment that the storm began to calm and clear up. A bright ray of sunlight came through the clouds to shine on the sleeping pair. It was a beautiful sight. The pony slowly stood up on shaky legs and they saw what their father was talking about when he said that the pony was different from other ponies. It was pure white with a beautiful white wing on each side of its small body. It looked like a little angel!

They both looked up at their father with excitement and wonder. They were all wondering how it was even possible for Kelsey to have a pony with wings. It appeared to be a Pegasus, and those were just a myth of Greek mythology. It did not make any sense, and it just seemed impossible that they were witnessing such a beautiful pony that was not even supposed to exist, and yet they were all seeing it. It was as real as their horse Kelsey. She had delivered a miracle pony that day.

Carefully they all approached mother and baby to meet the new miracle pony and gently reach out to pet its shiny white coat, and quietly welcome it to the world. Becky lightly touched one of the small white wings just to be sure they were not imagining them. They were indeed real, and so beautiful. They pony nudged her hand as if to say hello. It was such an amazing day that they would never forget. They felt as though they had been blessed with a very rare gift, and indeed they had.

They quietly left the barn then so that mother and baby could rest and have time to bond. They all talked about the amazing and almost magical birth of the pony on the way to the house. They invited Dr. Jones to stay for dinner after the exciting day that he had shared with them. Everyone talked about the birth of the unusual pony with excitement at the dinner table. And then their father took a more serious tone. “There is something we must talk about. It is very important that we all agree to never tell anyone about the pony because if we do it will put us all in danger of losing our peaceful existence and it will also put the pony in danger of all sorts of bad situations. Someone may try to steal the pony, or the media will splash it all over the news, and they may want to run tests on it to find out how it was even born to a regular horse like Kelsey.” They all made a promise then to not mention the birth of the amazing pony to anyone.

In the days to follow the birth of the pony they talked about what to name him. Bobby had the best idea. “Since he looks like an angel, and he was a miracle then I think that we should name him Angel.” They all agreed that would be the most fitting name, so the pony officially became Angel. And the pony was so happy and well behaved that Angel was a perfect fit.

School started shortly after the birth of Angel. Both Becky and Bobby would race home from the bus to play with the amazing pony. They still could not understand how Kelsey could have a Pegasus pony, but they were so happy to have such a wonderful addition to the family that they were grateful and decided not to question it any further. They just took care of Angel and played with him and fed him the treats that he loved most. And of course, they took good care of Kelsey too.

One afternoon Becky and Bobby were walking home from the bus stop and saw something their eyes and mind could not believe. Angel was running toward them in the field and suddenly he began to fly and flew over the barn and landed softly right in front of the astonished faces of his family. After their initial shock they whirled about to see if anyone else had witnessed Angel flying. To their amazement there was no one else around. The bus was long gone and no one from the neighboring farm was outside.

They both hugged Angel around his pretty neck and pet his beautiful white coat. He was so amazing, and they felt like they had been chosen for a miracle and a blessing. At the same time, they began to feel concern and a touch of fear at the fact that Angel could now fly. How on earth could they keep Angel a secret if he could just fly around and maybe be seen by someone outside the family?

That night at dinner they told the incredible news with their father. It was obvious that he was also concerned at the possibility of someone seeing Angel flying in the sky. He told the children that it was very important that they not tell anyone about what they witnessed and that they would need to keep Angel in the barn whenever they were not at home. It seemed kind of harsh to do that to Angel because he loved to run in the field and to be outside in the warm sun. They did not like the thought of doing that to him, but there was no other way to ensure that Angel would not be seen flying. They would also have to keep a close eye on Angel when they were at home. If they saw Angel try to fly, they would have to keep hold of his harness and encourage him not to fly. Everyone quickly agreed to work together to keep Angel safe from anyone seeing him fly.

A week later Becky and Bobby were on the playground quietly talking about Angel and how they could not wait to get home to see him each day. They loved their new pony so much and felt like they had been chosen to love and protect him from anything or anyone that might try to use him for their benefit if they discovered a flying pony. Maybe even to use him as a circus act. They vowed to never let that happen, but it was difficult to hide him from the world. And it was hard to not let it slip out when they talked to other kids at school. They had to pretend that Angel was like every other pony.

Suddenly Buddy Jenkins and his friends came walking over to Becky and Bobby. They could see that Buddy had a shiny new red bike that he had gotten for his birthday. He obviously wanted to show it off to everyone at school. Bobby had wanted a new bike for a while, but he had to wait until they could afford one. “Look at my awesome new bike Bobby. Isn’t this the one that you were talking about getting for your birthday? Isn’t your birthday in a couple of months? It’s a bummer that your dad is just a farmer and can’t afford to buy you one. Maybe by then this one will be used and old looking, and I will let you ride it. Or maybe just touch it and dream about the day that you get one. By then you might be way to old to even ride a bike like this. Or maybe we will be old enough to drive a car and I will let you ride in the shiny new red sports car that my dad can buy for me.” On and on Buddy teased Bobby in front of the other kids. Bobby was beginning to turn red with anger. Buddy was just a rich spoiled bully that everyone followed around because he got whatever he wanted from his rich father. His father was a successful lawyer and charged enormous rates for his services.

Becky could see that Bobby was getting agitated by Buddy’s taunts and she began to pull Bobby to go with her to the door to wait for the recess bell to call them inside. Suddenly Bobby turned and yelled, “Who needs a stupid red bike when I have a pony that can fly!” As soon as the words were out of his mouth both he and Becky wished that they could turn back time. As a cover Becky quickly told the other kids that Bobby was only joking. She hoped that they would believe her, but Amanda Lewis was watching them carefully. Her mother wrote for the town newspaper. They could not afford to have her mother come snooping around the farm to see if it was true. They quickly went inside just as the bell rang.

On the way home Bobby begged Becky not to tell their father what he had done. He told her that no one seemed to believe him anyways. Reluctantly she agreed and prayed that no one did believe it. Maybe nothing would come of it. Bobby felt so awful about losing his temper and blurting out the secret of Angel that Becky felt that he had learned his lesson and would never do that again.

A week passed since the incident on the playground and there seemed to be no sign of anyone snooping around. However, that night their father was watching to local news when they suddenly heard the reporter talking of a crazy story of a local farmer that had a pony with wings. They all looked at each other with panic. Bobby hung his head and confessed to what he had shouted at Buddy in front of everyone on the playground. “I’m so sorry dad. I was so angry, but I did not mean to say it. I would never do anything to hurt Angel. I love him.”

“I understand that anger and jealousy can sometimes get the best of us son, but we have to try to fix this situation for the safety of Angel. Early in the morning we will need to take Angel and try to find a safe place to hide him out until this all blows over. Eventually when no one can find proof of him on our farm they will lose interest and stop coming around.” Their father finished with a sad voice.

The next morning before the sun came up, they quietly loaded Angel into the trailer and began to drive far out in the countryside. Just as the sun came up full in the sky, they saw a trail that led deep into the woods. They unloaded Angel and led him deep into the trees. Suddenly they saw a sight that they would never forget and that they could not believe. In the clearing of the thick trees there was a stream with a waterfall coming off the mountainside. There were two adult horses drinking from the stream. They turned to see the group walking toward them slowly and they did not seem to be frightened. As they turned from the water the family gasped from surprise. The pair of horses also had wings. It was another incredible and unbelievable miracle that they were witnessing. Yet they could see with their own eyes that it was true. And it certainly explained how Kelsey could have a pony like Angel. Obviously, the male Pegasus had been with Kelsey and conceived Angel. And it was the answer to their problem of where to keep Angel safely hidden from the world. Angel could be with his own kind, and they could secretly and carefully come to check on them and make sure they were safe and taken care of.

On the way back to the farm they once again promised to keep this a secret from the world. And this time they would not give into temptation of telling anyone so that Angel and the other Pegasus could be safe and stay at their well hidden home in the woods.