After the ordeal of the hippodrome’s closure, and the joy of discovering Pegasus and bringing him home, little Kitten’s heart swells as she finds that her mentor and friend, Joshua, lives next door to the ranch where Pegasus now lives.

Scene 6: Kitten and Pegasus Meet Joshua on His Ranch

Enthralled as she was by the charm of the surroundings, she was not surprised to see for the second time in as many days, Joshua in the distance. He gave her a thumbs up.

She told herself that he was not a figment of her imagination. He was there, at that moment, like a confirmation of her recent accomplishments. Pegasus carried her to him.

“Hey, Joshua! I can’t believe you’re really here! I saw you in town, yesterday, but then you were gone. This is a truly sublime moment. It’s perfectly paradisic! What brings you out here?”

Joshua smiled, “Why, only a certain little missy and her magical steed.”

“You mean me and Pegasus?”

“Yes, ma’am! Tex is my uncle as sure as Babbs is my aunt, and when they told me they had a mystical stallion and a little girl ridin’ high on him at their place, I knew it had to be my Kitten on her Pegasus. Nobody else could’a brought Pegasus from a wooden carvin’ as dead as a stump (pardon me, ol’ fella’) to a livin’ cayuse. Nobody else would’ve cared ‘nuff to spirit him out’a that there hippodrome. Had’ta be you, young lady! Had’ta be you!”

Pegasus interrupted with a loud neigh, “Well! I hope I was worth the trouble.”

Surprised, Karen looked down at Pegasus from her seat on his back. He had never spoken in front of anyone other than her, but Joshua did not seem at all surprised to hear him speak.

She replied, “You two have been the actuation, the inner direction, the reason, and the cause. You’ve been the mainspring of everything I’ve done since we met.”

Joshua replied, “You’ve been an inspiration to me, too, Kitten. Watchin’ you learn to ride Pegasus showed me what horses can do for kids with disabilities. I used to have the idea that someday I might buy a ranch, but when the merry-go-round closed, I saw that this was the time. I bought this land from Uncle Tex and Aunt Babbs, and named it Joshua’s Disability Riding Ranch. This was the best way I knew to be of service to others.”

“Joshua! A ranch!” Karen said. “You actually bought a ranch!”

“And it’s right next door to where Pegasus lives, so you can come visit whenever you want.”

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