Winnie the Horse Gentler

Perfect Gift (cont'd)
By Cierra, The Horse Lover

Chapter 3:

The green grass blew against my sunburned legs, as brown grasshoppers jumped out of my way. I brushed a green one off my shirt. On my shoulder were perched the baby rats that I had found; Blackberries, Cream, and Blueberries. Dad had said that I could keep them, if I would be sure to take care of them. The field was very long, and I couldn’t see to the end because of all the maple trees. My grandpa had planted them about 20 years ago, and I always liked to lie under the falling leaves. Where is she? How far away could she get in this field?

“Perfect Gift!” I called out. I heard a whinny, then cantering feet. A filly marched between the trees, ready for sugar. Instead, I held out a milking bottle. She was thin, since Nugget had died. She stopped a few feet away from me. Cream scurried down my arm. Perfect Gift snorted, then trotted quickly away. I hadn’t earned her trust yet. Perfect Gift walked cautiously up to me again, and nudged my hand. I held out the bottle. She licked it, then sucked a couple of times. I almost jumped out my skin when my friend, Sarah walked up behind me. Gifty was startled and galloped off. I shaded my eyes against the sun and looked towards Sarah.

Sarah had the freckles that I was supposed to get. She had dirty blond hair and unusually dark brown eyes. Her mother and father were divorced when she was a baby. I felt sorry for her. I brushed my chin length, curly, auburn hair back. It always bounced around my face, getting in my green eyes.

“Katie! What’s wrong with your hair! It’s moving!”

I turned around and smiled, knowing nothing was wrong. My hair was a moving rat’s nest. A pink nose poked out. “Don’t you know? My hair just turned into a rat’s nest!”

Sarah laughed, “Guess what? Mom says I can get a new horse!” Sarah’s horse, Sunshine, had died about 2 months ago. Sarah had been depressed ever since. I had been hoping that she would get another horse soon.

“That’s great! Have you picked her out yet?”

”We’re going to an auction tomorrow. If we don’t find one there, we will go again next week. But Mom says she wants you to go, too, because you know horses.”

I know horses that well? They are asking me to go?

“If Mom and Dad say yes, I would be glad to go!” I said excitedly, holding Blackberries in my hand. She squirmed and leaped off. “Blackie! Come back!” I called. Sarah looked down, too. “Sarah, help!” We got down on our hands and knees, following a hairless, gray tail. Perfect Gift trotted by, and we heard a series of terrified squeaks. “Gifty!” She was right standing where we heard Blackberries and beneath her hoof, was a little tail. I gently pushed her off. Picking up Blackberries, I noticed that her tail was bleeding.

I ran home with Sarah and called the vet. I hung up the phone. “The vet says she wants to see her right away. I’ll get Dad to take me there. Can you come?” I asked Sarah.

“Sorry, but no. Mom is taking me to a sewing class at 3:00. That means I’d better go. Call me when you get home!” she called as she hurried out the door.

I sat in the waiting room. It had a smell like those rubber gloves the dentist wears. Blackberries squeaked when I touched her tail. I brought Cream and Blueberries to have an exam, too. A veterinarian assistant wearing a white smock over her pink t-shirt came to the desk.

“Okay… come right this way.”

I stood up. After taking me down a long corridor, she beckoned me into a small room, covered with rodent anatomy charts and filled with syringes and needles.

“Now, let me see her tail. Where did you buy her?”

“She’s wild. The whole litter crawled into my backpack a few weeks ago.”

“His tail is in pretty bad shape. I will give you some antibiotics to treat it. Also, this isn’t a girl. This is a boy and your rats are in the breeding stage right now. Can I see your two other little cuties?” I handed them to her. “Well, you might have a problem,” she said, after examining them. “Do you have a big cage?”

“Yeah.” I answered, unsure of what she was getting at.

“These are young ladies here and you will have a big bunch of kittens in about a week and a half.”

“Kittens?”

She looked at my puzzled expression and laughed. “Baby rats. They are either called puppies or kittens, but kittens is the correct term.”

“Do I need to bring the rats in when they are in labor?” I could just imagine the whole house filled with squeaks.

“Oh, no. However, you should get another cage for Blackberries, the male. Rats reproduce every 4 weeks. Also, find some people who would like to take some of your ratties - like relatives and friends.” I knew exactly to who I’d give them to.

On the way home, Dad questioned me about it. He wasn’t so pleased about the kitten thing or the new cage. He suggested that we just let the rats go, but finally agreed to get the new cage. Then, he got a serious look on his face.

“Katie, your mom and I have made a decision. After you were born, your mom couldn’t have any babies anymore. You know that.” I did know that. Sometimes I had wished for a brother or sister. I started to get really excited when Dad said, “We found a little girl in Ethiopia girl, two years old, and we have decided to adopt her. Her name is Ashanti.” My heart stopped beating for a second.

I'm going to have a sister from Ethiopia? “How will we get her?” I asked. Boy, that was a stupid question. Dad could see that I was excited, but he knew I wouldn’t want to go if we were going on a plane. I was afraid of planes.

“Your mother and I will fly to Ethiopia, while you stay home. Aunt Laurie will come over and keep an eye on you. It will take approximately three weeks for us to get back. With Perfect Gift here, you won’t be too bored.”

“I can’t wait! When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow at about 8:00 in the morning. We will fly over the ocean, then land in Libya. Finally we will fly to Ethiopia and stay for two weeks.”

I had numerous questions, and many that Dad could not answer. When we got home, Dad and Mom packed. I couldn’t wait to see my new sister.