First
Snow
By
Richard Stephens
Old man winter sure came in with a fury last night,
and weren’t we all some glad to be put away in our stalls with fresh hay. All
warm and protected from the cold wind’s bite. Why, even that young whippersnapper,
Scamper, who don’t have the sense of a June bug, somehow sensed the impendin’ storm,
and trotted right into his stall for a change.
Now personally, I don’t mind the snow so much, even
after all these years, but I could darn sure live without all that cold wind
blowin’ down on me. Why even with my winter coat, it just seems to blow right
through these tired old bones. But as for the snow? No sir, that I don’t mind
so much. Just as long as Amy, that’s Molly, the stable owner’s daughter, keeps it
from building up under my hooves.
As for Molly, she’s the big boss around here, well, like
me, she musta known something was comin’, cause she had everyone rushing around
all afternoon, tryin’ to get things all buttoned up. After feeding an’ making
sure we was all secure, she and Amy high tailed it into their cozy little house
across the way.
It was pretty early the next morning when I heard
the sound of Molly’s ol’ boots, echoing down the barn isle, stoppin’ at each
stall to check on us, just like she had all last night. Fortunately, a frosty
sunshine reflected brightly through the barn windows, and I couldn’t wait to
get out and romp through the fresh white blanket of snow that I knew now covered
our pasture.
To me, it kinda sounded like Jet, the little black colt
in the stall next to me with his mama, Jasmine, musta been feelin’ the same way.
Why, he’d been bouncing and kicking like he’d been tied up for a year. You see,
this’ll be the first time Jet gets to see snow, and me and all the other horses
in the stable were all anxious to watch his reaction.
I remember being a spry young colt myself, and
seeing my first snow, but that was nearly twenty-three years ago. On that
occasion, we didn’t get a big storm like we did last night. No sir. You see, the
way I recall it, it was more of a long drawn out affair. Lasted nearly three
days, but as you know, to a young colt cooped up inside, it sure felt like a lifetime.
You think Jet was anxious, you should have seen me, darn near kicked the barn
wall through. Why my mama was havin’ fits tryin’ to keep me from hurtin’
myself. So you see, I can understand how frisky young Jet was feelin’.
Now by the time Molly and Amy had poured out our
morning grain, the atmosphere in the barn was becoming mighty electric. Why I
believe each and every one of us, young and old was up and rearin’ to get out
and play in the new fallin’ snow, just like little Jet was.
Molly must have been feelin’ it too, cause she
didn’t waste no time getting’ us all walked out of the barn an out to the snow
covered pasture, startin’ with me. There I was with my head held high, prancing
like a young buck out through the wide-open barn door next to Amy, and smack
dab into an incredible white winter wonderland. Yah know, I guess sometimes it
ain’t so bad, bein’ the old man of the barn.
Following right out after me in my newly laid hoof
tracks, came Molly, leadin’ a grumbling Old Red, out to join me in our pasture.
Ours is the one nearest the barn. Now Old Red, he’s a retired rental horse that
Molly rescued a few years back and is nearly as old as I am, an’ considerably
more ornery. It seems no matter
how hard we all try to make something special, like this first snow fall, he
always has something nasty to say about it.
Well, before long, just about all the other members
of our menagerie had been led out of the barn, and let loose, to enjoy our new white
world, and every one of them was runnin’ back and forth in their pastures, or
rolling around, leavin’ big butterfly silhouettes in the clean white snow. Why
even Old Red, got down and gave his shaggy rust colored coat a good roll,
before wanderin’ over to join me, an’ bellyache about anything and everything.
Finally, Molly and Amy was ready to bring little Jet,
an’ his Mama, Jasmine, outdoors to join the rest of us, and we all promptly sided
up to the nearest fence post to watch the pending show. You know, it weren’t
too long before we could see their shadows at the barn’s door, Amy leading the
little black colt, an’ Molly right behind her with his mama, Jasmine.
At first, Jet was prancing around, tugging at Amy
with his lead, and testing her resolve like most young-un’s tend to do at that
age, that is until he got a good look outside. Suddenly it dawned on him; his
world had change, and changed big time, and without any warning mind you. With his
skinny legs and bony knees splayed out in alarm, he brought Amy up to a stop at
the door.
Standing there frozen in place, a mere inches from the
snowy scene spread out before him, Jet snorted in utter disbelief. Why
overnight, just like I remember happenin’ to me all those years ago, the world
as he had known it was gone, and had been replaced with a gazillion white
crystals, all sparklin’ back at him from the morning sun. While Amy carefully
guided the bewildered black colt out the protective walls of the barn and into the
new and mysterious white world, Jasmine, his mama, gentle nosed him from behind.
We all watched with great amusement, as Jet finally
tipped toed out the barn door, and onto the soft snow, his shiny black coat
contrastin’ against the pure white background like a shadow-box cutout I’d once
seen. Yes sir, for the rest of the mornin’ I stood at that fence post, just
watchin’ that young colt, jumpin an’ runnin’ around his Mama, and enjoin’ his new
surroundin’s. As I did, I was reminded fondly of another little black colt,
twenty three years ago, and the spectacle of my first snow.
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