[FREE] The Accident

The moonlight politely entered my room, casting an eerie shadow over my toys. I felt my eyes fall more and more closed and I even considered falling asleep. But Hunter wouldn’t like that. He only visited at night and it would be rude to doze off. His visits became longer since I started a lonely third grade year. I was an outcast and the girls made fun of my frizzy blond hair.
“Alexandria.” Hunter said in a frustrated tone,” Ain’t ya listenin’?”
I straightened my back and faced him. He sat curled up in my pink striped chair across the room. As every day, he wore the same blue overalls and torn red t-shirt. His head was bandaged, covering most of his curly black hair, and his feet were bare.
“Of course,” I smiled,” Can you tell me the story of how you got hurt again?”
He automatically gestured towards his bandages. His features were scrunched, pushing his freckles together. I could tell he was deciding whether or not to retell the story for the fifteenth time.
“Please?” I added.
That seemed to work for he let out a heavy sigh and adjusted his position in the chair. His eyes wandered steadily towards the window longing to breathe the crisp night air.
“I woke up at five in the mornin’ every day. It was my job to feed them animals. They woulda died without me!”
His pride for the job was obvious and I nodded in agreement, even if he didn’t see it.
“Takin’ care of them horses was my favorite part for sure. Brushin’ them. Feedin’ them.” He paused and beamed at the memories,”And ridin’ them.”
His voice died off with his eyes locked on the plains beyond the window. I stood and walked over, resting my small hands on the windowsill. My imagination flourished as it played with the shapes the shadows of the night had made. And there they appeared. Solid black horses racing in the wind, their thick manes whipping behind them like smoke.
“I wasn’t supposed to do it.” Hunter interrupted. His face was hard and his eyes began to water, “Pa didn’t like me ridin’ by my own. But I couldn’t help it. One of the horses needed to get out. She was tired of bein’ locked up all night.”
I already knew the events that followed but my heart still raced as though this was the first time I was hearing it.
“So, me and her headed out into the field. A snake musta scared her or somethin’ cause she wouldn’t stop runnin’. That's when I fell off.”
He quickly stole a glance at me to see my reaction, and I still looked as frightened as ever. Suddenly my door swung open and revealed my mom staring curiously at me. I put my back against the window as if to block her view from the horses that weren’t even there.
“Who were you talking to?” my mother asked.
I became aware that the pink striped chair was now empty. For Hunter only liked to talk to me and me alone.
“No one mom.” I answered as I crawled back under my covers.
She carefully tucked me into bed and kissed my forehead, “Get some rest honey. It’s late.”
With that she left and I laid wide awake fidgeting with my fingers. Outside the house where Hunter’s barn used to be I could hear him unlock one of the horse’s stalls and ride away with it into the never-ending darkness. But I wasn’t worried that he wouldn’t return because he was trapped here, along with the memories.