EDSABOY

Dear Edsaboy,

While it's been fifty-eight years, August 10, 1964, to be exact, the day you left my side. The memories have never faded.

Indeed, you are probably wondering why a letter. You shouldn't be surprised. It's a contest! Not the name a pony contest! It's another contest which will be explained further along in this letter.

In 1957, Ford advertised the Edsel on Wagon Train. Since we watched Wagon Train, we heard the promotional announcement regarding the pick a name for the pony contest. Coincidently, my dad had purchased an Edsel that very year.

Surprisingly, it wasn't my dad but my mom. Mom gathered the four of us around our wooden kitchen table and brainstormed names for the pony that the Ford Dealership would be giving away.

Because of the amount of time that has elapsed, two names, that come to my mind, are Edsagirl and Edsaboy. Of course, there were two other names entering one for my little baby brother and one for my sister who was a few years younger than me. My youngest sister's entry was Edsagirl.

Knowing me so well, you aren't surprised that anyone and everyone who would listen to me was informed that my youngest sister was going to win the pony, believing wholeheartedly as only a nine-year-old would.

As it turned out, you were a male, and my name for you was selected as the winner. As they say, the rest is history.

Today, it's a writing challenge contest. Vocal media's latest challenge 24/7, you were more than a pet. While you weren't a dog, you were my loyal friend. As a friend, you were my confidant. You never were judgmental, and you listened to my every word.

Riding was always an adventure, you were gentle. However, sometimes you were a bit frisky. You had a preference as to what side we should mount and if you weren't in the mood for giving youngsters a ride, you would do your sidestep dance, making it impossible to mount.

Recalling, you broke out of your shed. When you were unleashed, unharnessed, you pranced. Yes! With your head and tail held high, you pranced around the neighbor's farm fields, looking like a Lipizzaner Stallion.

Often people were surprised by your size. People were expecting a pony the size of a Shetland. As a Paint pony, you were about the size of a horse at least to me.

Without a care in the world, during those lazy Summer days, the wheelbarrow became my lawn chair. Enjoying our day, you grazed on the grass. While you were eating, my nose was in Reader's Digest. Did you really love my reading aloud to you? Hopefully, you did because we both learned a lot back then.

Sharing so many memories, you were my best friend. It's said that dogs are man's best friends. However, to a nine-year-old girl in rural Central Pennsylvania, you were definitely my best friend.

Do you remember your third week with our family? There is a memory ingrained in my brain. You jumped and bucked. It wasn't a rodeo! With me landing on the ground, my ride ended with an unscheduled dismount.

Running off, your adrenaline must have been rushing through your veins. Fight or flight? You fled running faster than any dog. That's for sure! Can't say who brought you back to our place on the mountain, but glad they did.

While you sprinted off, my dad ran towards me, checking on my condition. Making sure that there were no broken bones or blood, only my skin and pride were bruised. After dusting myself off, Dad knew that getting back on would prevent my fear of riding, and you would know that I was fearless. We both learned a lot that day. It was the first and last time you threw me off.

Of course, mom saved the newspaper clipping that announced my winning. Decades ago, she mailed me the article. As you would expect, the clipping included our picture. the news story about me naming and winning the pony from our local Ford Dealership.

Somehow, you knew that winning a pony was a big deal to a fifth-grader.

Unfortunately, the newspaper article is somewhere yet to be found. As you can guess, my search hasn't been successful, but you can rest assured that my search will be continued.

Seeing a picture of a Paint pony or a Paint horse immediately brings back wonderful memories that we shared together. Besides, there isn't a dog that could have been any better sidekick than you.

Until we meet again, you will live forever in my heart.

Love,

Babs

Writer's note: Thank you for reading. You are appreciated. Submitting into the 24/7 challenge. Originally, this story was written for the Life Unleashed challenge. My story was accepted in the challenge.

Notes that pertain to Life Unleashed, less than a week before the winner was announced, I received an email from VOCAl informing me that my story is disqualified. Unfortunately, I never had a dog, but I had a pony friend.

"Over The Rainbow!"

This morning, a message came from VOCAL informing me that it was rejected as an error, and have since added it back to the Challenge.

Singing, "Over The Rainbow!"