Sight

Note: The paragraphs from my book will always have a one-word Title in the post.

My brain recognized sunlight immediately, and yet I did not feel the need to squint. Directly in front of my eyes stood something I wasn’t prepared for. A large brown horse. A horse so large that its head towered over me so that I could see up its enormous nostrils. I had never seen a horse so big and intimidating. My first thought was that this must be heaven. Was this a chariot of sorts? The horse exhaled loudly into my face and stamped a hoof, and I took a step backward. Or at least, it seemed like I did, but I did not feel my body move. Instinctively I tried to look down at my legs but I found I could not move my head. I felt the same as I did lying the hospital bed except now I was standing upright and somewhere in a sunlight field with Mr. Ed. I was thoroughly confused and willing myself not to panic since it seemed that I had just died and wherever I was had to be better than imprisoned in the dark in a hospital bed. Suddenly a voice behind me said,

“Oh for heaven’s sake Jenny – he won’t hurt you!” the voice must have kicked my brain into working my legs because I turned around to face the voice. A middle-aged woman stood near me, her thick red hair was secured in a low pony tail under her cowboy hat. She was very tall – unusually so, just like the horse. At my 6’0 height I had never felt so short in my life. I didn’t recognize this woman, nor did I recognize the landscape around me. I was also trying to make sense of the fact that she had just called me Jenny, and then I heard my response to the woman.

“Mom, I just don’t want to yet.” I mumbled quietly. Only it wasn’t me who spoke.