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The Missing Girl’s Horse
- Red Hen Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
The Missing Girl’s Horse Wewentthroughherbed,overandover, butshewasn’tinit.Iturnedthesheets myself,whilehermotherwavedahand abovethepillow.Therewasnothing. Wewentthroughherclothes,reaching intoeverydressandstocking.Wefound noneofher.Thenherbrotherwentoutside tosearchthebarn.Herhorsewasawake, butshookhislargeheadwhenasked ifhe’dseenher.WesentfortheSheriff, showedhimtheemptyclothesandbed. Heevenlookedbeneathit.No girl,hesaid. Hermotherbegantosobintohersleeve; ifonlyherhusbandwerealive,hewould, hewould,hewould,hewouldfindher. Imademyfacelookstrongandwentback outtothebarn.Thehorsewasmumbling there.Itoldittocomeclean,shookmyfist andsaidIalreadyknew.Itwasalie,but itworked,thehorsebrokedownandcried. I don’t know why, hesaid,I threw her, threw her off in the dusty blue sage. Let her sleep where she landed, then ran to put myself into my stall, to find a spot to stare at in the wall, but I couldn’t make it 55 all into a dream. Weranintothefield. Hermammacalledhername,theSheriff calledforhelp.Soonweweretwodozen headsandshouts,butthemissinggirlstayed missing.Thehorseshowedhimselfout. 56 ...