Above Tex’s ranch lies Joshua’s. It is a magical place filled with beauty and healing energy. Karen and Pegasus willingly fall under its spell.

Scene 5: Karen and Pegasus Take a Magical, Spiritual Stroll on Joshua’s Ranch

“Pegasus,” she said. “Would you like to go for a stroll with me? It’s nice out, and I need the exercise. You do, too, now that you’re a real horse. We can check out Joshua’s ranch, up in the hills above your new home.”

More than anything else, Karen wanted them to regain the carefree composure they had shared at the carousel, before it had been destroyed and Pegasus had begun his transformation into the uncertain life of a living horse.

A few hundred yards up the trail, they passed through an ornate wooden gate and found a garden with a sign proclaiming it the Old-Fashioned Garden. She instinctively knew that this was the beginning of Joshua’s ranch. Even in November, its neat beds of dainty snapdragons, salvias, lavender, and aromatic lilacs bloomed. A white gazebo stood in the middle, and stone benches flanked the paths. As they inhaled the fragrance of the flowers, they felt a spiritual essence come over them, a mighty, powerful presence that lovingly embraced their entire being, showering them with an enduring sense of self-possession, gently enveloping and energizing them both.

They continued to a tiny, arched bridge. From it, they looked down into a meandering creek, lush with ferns, moss and rush. Gneiss and schist sparkled in its banks. Water lilies floated on the surface, bright green against the dark water. Beyond it, they soon came to another bridge, a long, wooden span over a deep ravine. They felt its spirit silently waiting for them. Half way across, they paused and took in a three hundred sixty degree view of the surrounding hills. Breathing in, all their six senses danced. This was no ordinary open air belvedere. Spiritually awakened, they stood motionless, paralyzed by beauty. The path next descended into the ravine. Everywhere they looked, they saw beauty they had never imagined. The forest canopy had become dense, and Karen had to look up to see the sunlight sprinkling through. On the hillside above them, a sweeping cascade of leaves spread over a stone retaining wall, like a green Niagara Falls, with long strands of vines hanging hundreds of feet straight down.

Karen found herself laughing, and Pegasus joined her, neighing in joy. She felt some of the relief she wanted, some of the magic of the carousel coming back. When the trail flattened at the bottom of the ravine, Pegasus exploded into a gallop. Their expectation and excitement made them fly down the path. After a moment, he stopped with a deep sigh.

“Mmm, smells so pretty,” Kitten said. “Do you feel what I feel?”

“Yes,” Pegasus whispered. “A healing energy is here, healing us after our long journey from the carousel to the ranch. It is a female energy, the restorative power of Mother Nature herself. I feel my whole being reintegrating with itself.”

Kitten sighed, “I can’t believe how beautiful this is. It’s another world.”

Pegasus smiled. “It’s our world, now. It’s a peaceful, safe world where we don’t have to think about anything but the quiet calm.”

“Yes,” she said. “And thank goodness for Joshua.”

©2021, Karen Lynn-Chlup. All rights reserved.