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The Adventures of Princess Pearl, P.O.W.E.R.* Girl! - Chapter Seven

by Tonja Taylor  
2/14/2020 / Short Stories


Chapter Seven â" New Paths and How to Sit a Horse

Pearlâs mother and Risa had their backs to the fence as they talked. Burt grinned and motioned to the kids to be quiet.Â

âUncle Burt, look!â Rob said. âShhh! Itâs a surprise for your mom,â Burt whispered.Â

The kids giggled, and Risa said, âWhat?â

A mare had walked up behind the mothers. She whinnied loudly, and the women jumped.Â

Everyone laughed.

âThatâs what!â said Pearl. âShe was sniffing your hair at first!â

âHola!â said Risa, turning around. âHello!â She patted the horseâs neck.

Pearlâs mother gently scratched the mareâs nose, and said, âHey, horse! Hope you liked my shampoo!â

The horse whickered in appreciation as Watchman stuck his nose under the fence to sniff her hooves.

âThatâs Splash,â said Burt. âSheâs a sweetie, and lots of fun, as you just discovered. Horses are curious, and have different personalities, just like people.â

âWhy is her name Splash?â asked Robert. âFor the big brown splotch on her side?"

âYes, thatâs part of it. Sheâs all white, except for that brown patch. Kind of a paint horse wanna-be.â

âHey, I like that one too!â said Pearl, spotting another horse walking up. âSheâs a Palomino!â

âThatâs my favorite,â said Robin.

The horse was cream colored, with a long blonde mane and four white stockings. She held her tail high and with elegance. Pearl held out her hand, and the mare stuck out her nose.

âSheâs got pretty brown eyes. Most horses have brown eyes, donât they?â

âYes they do,â said Burt. âAurora is special. Sheâs a quarter horse with a lot of Palomino in her, and she was a gift from an elderly lady I helped, who is now in
Heaven.â

âAurora!â said Robin. âWhat does it mean?â

Aurora stretched her neck to allow Pearl and Robin to scratch her nose, and she blew at them gently.Â

âItâs Latin for âdawn,ââ he said. âSheâs a little more finicky than Splash, but still easy to ride for kids. So when she blows through her nose like that, that means she likes you. Now you can gently blow into her nose to tell her you like her too.Â

Pearl walked to Aurora, and put her head close to the horseâs nose. This feels silly, Pearl thought, but here I go. She blew into the horses nostrils, and to Pearlâs delight, Aurora rubbed her nose on Pearlâs cheek.

Pearl hugged Auroraâs head. âWe are going to be good friends!â she whispered to her. âNow you do it, Robin!â

âOkay,â Robin said, and walked over and did what she saw Pearl do. Aurora blew gently back at Robin too.

âNow she likes both of us!â said Pearl. âI guess us four will have to share horses, but thatâs okay!â

âDo you only have two horsies?â said Robert, hugging Watchmanâs neck. âI wanna ride Splash!â

âHold on, Buddy,â Burt said. âWeâve got to get some tack out of the barn first.

But why donât you give the horses those red apples?â

âOh yeah! Here, horsies!â He held out one in each hand and the horses stepped forward and munched and crunched the apples. âOh wow, look at those big
teeth!â Robert said.

âThatâs a great snack for them,â Burt said. âThey get even more excited about watermelon.âÂ

Burt and Watchman and the kids walked to the barn, where Burt pulled bridles down and handed one each to the girls, then turned to Lucas and Robert.

âBoys, get the blankets from the trunk. Blankets go on first, then the saddles. Iâll let you guys take turns learning how to sit and steer a horse. Then weâll walk you down to the creek and back.âÂ

âNew fun!â said Pearl.

âYes,â said her uncle. âNew paths for you all,â he said, âand it just gets better!â

They took the tack out to the horses, entering the gate. Splash and Aurora came up and Burt rubbed their heads.Â

âHorses donât like these bridles and bits,â Burt explained to the group, as he slipped the harness over Splashâs ears and nose. She mouthed the metal bit and shook her head. He stroked her neck.Â

âBut if we ride right, we wonât hurt them.. They like kids and will be easy for you to ride, so donât jerk or pull hard on the reinsâ"understand?â

âYes Sir,â Pearl said, and the rest of the kids nodded.

Pearl felt very happy and grateful. What a good life You are giving us, LORD. Thank You! And how beautiful everything is! She noticed the trees that towered above her uncle.

They were various huesâ"some bright yellow, and some intense red-orange, almost as if on fire. There were purples and greens mixed in, too.Â

âEverything is so gorgeous,â she said. âDaddy God is such a good artist!â

âPearl Sweetie, are you listening? You need to learn this,â said her mother, sounding irritable.

âYes maâam,â said Pearl. âI was just admiring Godâs work.â

âYouâre right,â said her mother. She looked around. âBurt, can we just stop and thank God for a minute?â she said, and looked up. âI know Thanksgiving is next month, but it should be every day. Pearl was doing what Iâve told her to marveling at the power and goodness of God, and I was correcting her. But Iâm the one that needs correcting! She was just enjoying the lovely trees the way God is painting them this fall, and Iâm glad. I guess Iâve just been a bit stressed.â

âSure! Letâs do it!â Burt said, and raised his hands toward Heaven and bowed his head. âFather, we do just thank and praise You! You are so good, and You have only great plans for us all! Thank You for the beauty of Your marvelous creation, and eyes to see it!â

Watchman howled a bit as if he wanted to join in the thanksgiving, and everyone laughed.

âThatâs a good dog!â Burt said, bending down and patting him on the back.
Burt continued, and his voice grew even more joyful.

âLORD, we rejoice at the works of Your hands, not only the beautiful artwork in Your many-colored treesâ"and we thank You for all these trees, for You talk about trees often in the Bibleâ"and Iâm so glad we donât live where we only have scrub bushes!â"and even more in what You are doing in bringing all of us together.â

He looked around at everyone, then closed his eyes again. âThank You, LORD, for new paths, new relationships, new fun things to learn, and new abundant life in every way! We love You, Father God!â

âAmen!â said Pearl.

âNow, Lucas,â Burt said, âwalk up slowly to Splash, blow into her nose to say Hello, than rub her nose or scratch her neck. Then you can slowly put the blanket on her. Sheâs used to a blanket and saddle, but sheâs not used to you yet.â

Lucas did as Burt asked. Splash accepted the blanket without moving too much and Lucas continued to pet her.

âGood job,â said Risa.

âNow Robert, you take the reins hanging down and hold them gently, but donât pull, and donât be jumping around. If Splash starts to move, just stay where you are and hold the reins still.â

âOkay,â said Robert. He sounded happy. Pearl gave him a thumbs-up. Splash stood obediently as if she understood. She put her nose next to Robert and blew at him. âShe likes me!â he said, and reached up to pat her neck.

âRobert, watch and make sure she doesnât accidentally step on you,â said his mother, sounding a little nervous.

âGood job, Buddy,â Burt said. âCharlotte, relax. Now Lucas, come with me to get the saddle.â They returned shortly and put the small brown saddle on Splash. She stood still while Burt fastened the straps around her belly and made sure the stirrups were even.

âAll right,â said Burt, ânow, Lucas, you hold the reins, and weâre going to let Robert go first! Rob, I donât think your feet will reach the stirrups, but hold on to this high part right here.âÂ

âYay!â said Robert, all smiles. Burt lifted him up, and sat him on Splash.

âWow!â said Robert, holding tight to the saddle horn. âIâm way up here!â

He looked around and saw the dog. âLook at me, Watchman! Iâm way tall!â

âYes you are!â said his mother.

Robert pushed his heels into Splash. âGiddy up!â he said.

âNo, Robert!â said Pearl, scowling at him. âStop kicking the horse!â

âPearl, Iâll handle this,â said their mother. âRob honey, itâs not time for Splash to go yet. Wait for Aurora to get her saddle on, so Lucas can go with you, okay?â

âOkay. What do I do?â

âJust sit there and pat the horse. She likes that.âÂ

âOkay!â he leaned down and hugged Splash. âYouâre pretty,â he said, rubbing her mane. âI like your name. Youâre a good horse!âÂ

âThatâs the way to do it, Rob,â said Burt.

âNow, Pearl, you put the bridle on Aurora,â Burt said nd handed it to her.

âBut what if I do it wrong? I havenât done this before and I donât want to hurt her,â Pearl protested.

âYouâll do fine,â said her uncle. âJust relax, Darlinâ. It only goes on one way. Just talk quietly, and slowly put the bridle up to her head, let her smell it, then slip it over her ears and up over her nose, and the bit will just kind of work itself into her mouth. I bet sheâll help you.âÂ

âYou can do it Sissy!â said Robert.

Surprised by his encouragement, Pearl laughed.

âSure you can,â said Robin. âAnd you can teach me.â

âYouâre a smart girl, Princess,â said her mother.

Risa nodded. âCâmon and show us how to do it.â

I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me, Pearl heard in her heart. âAurora, here we go,â she said.

At her name, Aurora stopped cropping grass and raised her head. Pearl held up the bridle as her uncle had said, and let Aurora smell it. She sniffed it and stood obediently. The bridle slipped on easily, and Pearl was delighted. Thank You, LORD.

âGood job!â said her uncle. âNow, you and Robin go and get the blanket for Aurora. Iâll help you with the saddle, and weâll take Robert and Lucas to the creek first, then you girls can go.â

âSure,â said Pearl. She and Robin hurried to the barn, with Watchman following them, and got the purple blanket from the trunk. It had Southwestern patterns of gold and red on it.

âThis is so much fun!â said Pearl. âAnd once we learn to ride, we can go on trail rides and stuff!â

âYes, and have picnics and explore his land, if he doesnât mind!â

âProbably not,â Pearl said. âHeâs a pretty cool uncle.âÂ

Burt came in and picked up the pretty black saddle.

âYou girls could handle this, but itâs kind of heavy and Iâll do it this time,â he said. âRobin, I want you to put the blanket on Aurora.â

âYes Sir,â she said. She walked up slowly to Aurora, let her smell the blanket, and gently put it on her back.

Then Burt put on the saddle and strapped it down.

âLucas, Aurora is tall, but I think you can get up by yourself, right? First put your hand up to her and stroke her nose.â

Lucas nodded, did as Burt asked, and although it was a stretch for him, he was soon seated on Aurora. She was calm and steady, and put her head down again while Risa held the reins.Â

âCharlotte, would you and Risa like to lead the boys? Iâll go ahead of you to lead you in the right way.â

âJust like our Good Shepherd leads the sheep,â said Pearl.

Charlotte took the reins for Splash and Risa gently raised Auroraâs head up.

âGirls,â said Burt, âyou can follow. Just stay far enough behind the horses that they couldnât kick you if they got startled or something, although that is
extremely rare. Occasionally a baby bunny will dart across in front of them, but these horses do not spook easily.âÂ

âYippee!â said Robert. âHere we go!â

Watchman ran ahead of them, and Burt led them down the gentle slope to the stream. The grass was freshly mowed and the path was pretty clear.

The girls were sure to stay clear of the horsesâ hind legs.

âWhat a great day!â said Pearl. âIâm so glad the sun is out, and the weather is just right! God knew weâd be doing this today, and He fixed it just for us!â

âYeah,â said Robin. âAnd maybe once the guys get through, you and I can have more time.â

âOoh, Iâm so excited! I think Aurora is so beautiful, and Iâve never ridden a Palomino before!

âMe neither, and I believe sheâs very smart, too.â

âYeah,â said Pearl, starting to walk. âI think most horses are smart, arenât they? My dad used to show me in the encyclopedia how the horse was ahead of the dogâ"smarter.âÂ

âEncyclopedia?â Robin asked, walking beside her. âIs that a book?â

âYeah, a big book with lots of information about real stuff.â

Pearl continued. âGrandma and Grandpa had a whole setâ"A to Zâ"and gave them to us. My favorite is the L book, where it talks about the royal Lipizzaner horses. I got to see them when I was very little, but I donât remember much. I wonder if they ever come around here?â

âWe can find out,â said Robin. âBut weâll probably have to look on the internet to see their schedule.â

âThat would be a good reason to use it!â said Pearl, stopping to smile at Robin.

âWouldnât it be the coolest to ride one? And they must be the closest horse to what Jesus will ride when He returns!â

Yeah! With You all things are possible! Pearl thought.

âAnyway,â said Robin, stopping too, âcouldnât you find all that on the web? I donât have my cell phone with me, or we could look it up on there.âÂ

âWe donât get on the internet very often. Queen Mother uses it for work, but she says we need to learn how to use encyclopedias and dictionaries and things that we can hold, in case the computer doesnât work or
something. She doesnât really care for the Bible on computers, either.â

Robin laughed and nodded. âYeah, I guess a book always works! But I do have a Bible app that I read when Iâm in the car or waiting somewhere, although I
have a book Bible at school.âÂ

âSo you guys have Bible class at school?â Pearl asked.

âYes, âcause itâs a Christian school,â Robin said.

She shook her head. âWe used to go to the public school, but we got tired of kids and even some of the teachers cursing and talking about all kinds of junk.â

Pearl was shocked. âEven the teachers?â

âWell, not all of them, of course,â Robin said, shaking her head as if in disbelief. âI had some really sweet ones for a couple classes, but the others seemed to
have a bad attitude toward me because they knew I was a Christian. So I am sooooo glad that we get to go to Grace Academy, where we can be free to talk about Jesus!â

She smiled. âLike Mom told me before we started andbefore she started teaching there a couple years ago, not even a Christian school is perfect, because itâs still people going there that are not perfect. But all the teachers are Christians, and we pray for each other, and cursing and junk and wearing crazy clothes is not allowed.â

âYeah, and I suppose Iâm glad we do homeschool, although to me it would be more fun to go to school with you now,â Pearl said.

âHey!â said Robin, âThat would be great! Why donât we pray about it, and next year, you would be in Momâs class! Wouldnât that be totally cool?â

âYeah!â said Pearl. âLetâs pray now!â

So they did, and after they said "Amen," Pearl said, âThank You Daddy God, I believe it! Thatâs what our former pastor started teaching us about, Robinâ"that
once we ask Daddy God for something and believe that He will do it cause Heâs so good, that we just say, âThank Youâ for it from then on.âÂ

She looked up to Heaven. âThank You, Daddy God that Iâll be going to Grace Academy for 6th grade! And thank You for telling Queen Mother that too!â

âYes, thank You, LORD!â Robin said.

The girls giggled when they heartd Pearlâs mother calling them. âGirls!â she said, âI thought you were following close behind. Come to the creek!"

âOops, we were talking about school,â called Robin. âWe apologize, Mrs. Williams.âÂ

âNo problem,â said Pearlâs mother. âJust come on.â

âYes maâam,â said Pearl. Then she whispered, âThat way, they didnât hear us pray about me going to school next year. But God did!â

The girls gave each other a high five and started walking toward the water. Daddy God, thought Pearl, help me remember to put Grace Academy on my Vision List.ÂÂI know You can do this!

Tonja and her husband live to exalt God. They lift Him up in books (P.O.W.E.R. Girl!; LEGACY; Visions of the King; Your Holy Health; more); presentations; service in church, community, and the world; and via the "River Rain Creative" (309 videos) and "POWERLight Learning" You Tube channels.

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