Horses, and Cattle and Bloodshed[Thatcher]
Aug 20, 2012 0:38:53 GMT -5
Post by serum on Aug 20, 2012 0:38:53 GMT -5
"Honey, I really don't think you should be riding today, after all yesterday was...a bad day for you." Cyan sighed heavily and looked at her mother with as much defiance as she could muster. Which admittedly was not a lot. She loved her mom and she knew she was only trying to help. But dammit, she wanted to ride today, regardless of the day before.
And calling it a 'bad day' like that made it normal. What was normal about having constant black outs? According to her mother, it was totally normal. According to Cyan it was insane and scary and unnatural and a giant looming evil cloud waiting to burst and drown her in depression, pain and desperation. And for a while she thought that she had been getting better. And then yesterday had to go and happen and bam!Any context of normalcy was completely lost. It had been three weeks since her last 'bad day'. It was her new personal record.
"Will you at least where something to protect yourself?"
"What like a helmet?" Her mother nodded slightly and Cyan snapped. "No! I am not going to wear a helmet! It's bad enough everyone knows I', having problems, I'm not going to broadcast it by wearing a helmet!" Cyan was outraged by the fact that her mother would even suggest something so...so foul.
"Cyan look, you are not getting on any animal if you aren't going to take the necessary steps to protect yourself! I'm sorry but no! You already got hurt once, it's a miracle you didn't die and I'm not going to lose you the way we lost your dad! Do you understand me?" Her mother was flushed with emotion. She had never raised her voice, not once unless she was laughing uncontrollably.
Even though they were poor and were hungry more often than not, her mother was one of the happiest people in the entire District. Cyan felt so guilty and ashamed of herself. She was being stupid. Her mom was right, it really was a miracle that the fall from the horse didn't kill her.
She walked over to her mother and hugged her, she could feel her shaking and she tried to stifle her crying. She didn't mean to upset her so much, and she didn't mean to yell at her like she had. She was being so stupid.
"I'm sorry mom, I'll wear the helmet okay? And I'll be really careful, I promise."
"Good," her mother sniffled. "Now go before I change my mind,"she leaned down and kissed her head. And she made sure to watch her daughter put the helmet on and secure it before she let her go out the door.
Once outside she picked the most docile horse they had and mounted it carefully. The horse moved slowly and Cyan honestly did enjoy the slow rides. It let her re-acclimate just as it allowed to acclimate to her. And since their farm was so far from anyone who didn't really know them the only risk of anyone seeing her was Lindon and she didn't care about him seeing her in it, he was the one that had bought it. So she felt fine as the horse walked around the pen slowly and steadily. But as they started around the pen for the fifth time Cyan heard footsteps. They were too heavy to be Lindon's-she could pick his footsteps out of a crowd-and they definitely weren't her mothers.
And calling it a 'bad day' like that made it normal. What was normal about having constant black outs? According to her mother, it was totally normal. According to Cyan it was insane and scary and unnatural and a giant looming evil cloud waiting to burst and drown her in depression, pain and desperation. And for a while she thought that she had been getting better. And then yesterday had to go and happen and bam!Any context of normalcy was completely lost. It had been three weeks since her last 'bad day'. It was her new personal record.
"Will you at least where something to protect yourself?"
"What like a helmet?" Her mother nodded slightly and Cyan snapped. "No! I am not going to wear a helmet! It's bad enough everyone knows I', having problems, I'm not going to broadcast it by wearing a helmet!" Cyan was outraged by the fact that her mother would even suggest something so...so foul.
"Cyan look, you are not getting on any animal if you aren't going to take the necessary steps to protect yourself! I'm sorry but no! You already got hurt once, it's a miracle you didn't die and I'm not going to lose you the way we lost your dad! Do you understand me?" Her mother was flushed with emotion. She had never raised her voice, not once unless she was laughing uncontrollably.
Even though they were poor and were hungry more often than not, her mother was one of the happiest people in the entire District. Cyan felt so guilty and ashamed of herself. She was being stupid. Her mom was right, it really was a miracle that the fall from the horse didn't kill her.
She walked over to her mother and hugged her, she could feel her shaking and she tried to stifle her crying. She didn't mean to upset her so much, and she didn't mean to yell at her like she had. She was being so stupid.
"I'm sorry mom, I'll wear the helmet okay? And I'll be really careful, I promise."
"Good," her mother sniffled. "Now go before I change my mind,"she leaned down and kissed her head. And she made sure to watch her daughter put the helmet on and secure it before she let her go out the door.
Once outside she picked the most docile horse they had and mounted it carefully. The horse moved slowly and Cyan honestly did enjoy the slow rides. It let her re-acclimate just as it allowed to acclimate to her. And since their farm was so far from anyone who didn't really know them the only risk of anyone seeing her was Lindon and she didn't care about him seeing her in it, he was the one that had bought it. So she felt fine as the horse walked around the pen slowly and steadily. But as they started around the pen for the fifth time Cyan heard footsteps. They were too heavy to be Lindon's-she could pick his footsteps out of a crowd-and they definitely weren't her mothers.
