The Foal

My father and I drove into a ranch-like home in the hills somewhere unfamiliar to me. I was asleep most of the drive it seemed and woke up as we arrived. A man was already on the driveway, ready to greet us. Beside him, collared and leashed was a baby horse.

My dad looked it over, checked its teeth, and then said “He’ll do,” then handed the man a small wad of cash. We put the foal in the back seat where it shuffled a bit, then finally laid down. Silently, we pulled out of the driveway and back to the freeway.

We got off on a nearby exit that has a large mini-mall parking lot nearby. It was early morning, with very few cars parked, so he parked in the middle of the lot, across from a supermarket. Stepping out of the car, he directed me to pull the foal out and bring it to him.

I went into the backseat, and with a gentle tug on the leash, the foal was up and following me toward my father, who then bent down and removed the leash.

The foal began to dash around the parking lot excitedly, back and forth and enjoying the opportunity to stretch its legs. My dad stood smiling, then in awe, as the foal began to levitate, literally running bounding through the air as if it did not know any better.

I called out to it and the foal turned and directed itself toward me, running as fast as it could through above the ground until it leapt into my arms and fell asleep as I cradled it like a baby.

We went to sit at a nearby table, the foal still fast asleep in my arms. My father pulled out his cell phone and made a call. He spoke, but the words were inaudible. When he was done, we returned to the car and drove away.

Later that night we were at a road stop in the hills. A strong wind was bending the trees westward. A second car parked near us and two women came out, one holding onto the other. One of them was blind, and the other her guide.

Nearby there was a small path leading into the woods and my father directed us to follow him in. Finally we came to a clearing lit by a full moon. My father instructed me to lay the sleeping foal on the ground. The blind woman stepped toward it and knelt down, obscuring my view.

When she arose, she had two eyes in her bloody hands. “What do I do now?” she asked.

I ran to the foal, trying to console the now blind horse.

“Do what whores do, get a doctor to fix you up.” My father replied.

And then I awoke. I was not startled. I did not rise in shock. I just lay there, thinking to myself how much I missed my dad.