Member-only story
The Sway of Sweet Grass
The Healing Magic of Animals
A few years ago, Ellen’s father got up at two a.m., fired up the old farm truck, and drove away.
It was August the 10th, and the night sky was filled with a million stars.
Ellen walked out of the house and into the field.
Then she climbed the fence and stared at the moon.
“Is he coming back?” she asked her grandmother the next morning.
“Probably not,” the old woman said. “So, you’d best just get over it.”
But Ellen didn’t.
Not until two years later, when the grey horse showed up on the dirt road by the mailbox.
An old mare with a sway back that little birds liked to perch on.
An old mare with hooves like saucepan lids.
“Can we keep her?” Ellen asked her grandmother.
The old woman frowned.
“She’s no good for riding, probably older than I am.”
But Ellen didn’t care.
Because “Birdie” always had time.
And Birdie didn’t care about muddy shoes, unfinished homework, or whether or not apple pie and ice cream was a proper breakfast.
