11 A.M. Corwin House


'Any Christmas wishes, grans?'

'You know exactly what I want dear.'

'Grans, I can't afford a horse. We are hardly able to keep Proteus!'

'There's going to be a horse auction soon, just a couple of miles away. I got Proteus for a dime, look at him now!'

'You work miracles grandma. I can't.'

'You don't know, you haven't tried. You're great with horses.'

'I am nothing like you, though.'



I looked over at Puzzle, another one of grandma's rescues. That's what she's passionate about. Saving the damned. I am too scared of failing, a horse can sense that from miles away. It wouldn't work, right? 



1 P.M. Local Horse Auction

It's scary living with grandma sometimes. Not like scary, but the idea that she could pass any moment. Anyone can, I sadly know all about it, but she's old. I'd have no one left. With that in my mind I decided to get the one Christmas present she wants: a horse. I followed her advice and went to the auction. She always tells me that she'd look for the horse that needed her the most, despite her own preferences. She fixed up most of them and sent them to great homes, that's her passion: rehabilitating and rehoming the broken horses. 'Everything and everyone should get a fair chance for a good life', she'd say. I felt nervous. I walked into an old, musty barn. I shivered, not knowing if it was the nerves or the fact that it was bloody cold.



I saw horses crammed in small pens. I was surprised to see many good looking horses, why are they here? I mean, why are any of them here but especially those. Some were in awfully poor condition, scrawny and lifeless. Just like the whole place, honestly. I looked over at a pen full of bays, 50 shades of bay HA! I immediately fell in love with a kind looking gentleman, his eyes were soft and he had a funny little place running down his head. He was young, a bit chubby too. I tried to follow grandma's words, so I decided to look at another horse. I hoped for a Christmas miracle since I still had no idea how I was going to fix a neglected horse.



In the corner of that same pen was a very dark bay with white markings up to his knees and a gorgeous white face. His coloration was mesmerizing, but that was about it. It was nothing more than a shell of a horse. He was incredibly skinny, dirty and had no sparkle in his eyes. What happened to this gorgeous boy? 'What does that dark bay over there cost?', I asked an elderly man. 'Hmpf, he's a burden. 500 quid. Know what you're getting yourself into young lady. I would pick one of the other three' he shrugged. I just handed the money without saying much. What was I supposed to say anyway? He's probably right. Now I just had to figure out how I was going to take him home. As I walked out I looked back at the remaining horses. It almost physically hurt to not take all of them or at least that sweet bay.