asked, looking to the sky.
“It’s not up yet,” Christine said. “But when it comes out, it should be nice, because it’s almost full. I love riding by moonlight.”
“Me, too,” Carole said. She climbed into the saddle. “Actually, that’s an understatement,” she continued. “The fact is that I love riding anywhere, anytime. That includes by moonlight.”
“Me, too,” Kate said. Then she asked, “Everybody ready?”
They were, and they were off. Christine led the way since she knew the route to her own house the best. At first the girls followed the road out of town. They knew that they could take the road all the way to the Lonetrees’ house, but the fact was that it was going to be a lot more fun to leave the roadway and cut across the open land. Their journey was aided then by the fact that the moon rose at the moment they left the road. It stood on the horizon, nearly full, big, orange, and bright. It almost seemed to lay a path for them to follow.
“This way,” Christine said. It was easy to see where they were going. It was a fun ride.
Even though each girl was quite aware of the fact that they were in the twentieth century, not far from things like power plants and gas stations and a school with no fewer than two computer labs, it somehow seemed to each of them as if they had left all that behind. Every step into the open countryside felt like a step back in time, away from electronics and nuclear power, away from microwaves and dishwashers. The years dropped off as a snake sheds its skin. Lisa found herself thinking about life in the Old West, wondering what it would have been like just to survive. Stevie’s mind turned to images of cowboys and stagecoaches, just as she’d seen in so many movies. Carole foundherself thinking about the animals that had once wandered so freely and so safely on the land. Christine thought of her own family’s people, part of the original American West. Kate thought about the horses, brought here from Europe, allowed to roam free—the magnificent animals who ruled the prairies and the desert lands.
How-oooooooo!
Even though the girls from Virginia had never heard that sound before, they knew instantly what it was. It was unmistakable. It was a coyote.
“Watch it!” Christine warned.
The girls all drew their horses to a halt. They listened again. The coyote howled again.
How-oooooooo!
He was a good distance from them, so they knew they weren’t in any immediate danger, but the fact that there was one coyote around could mean that there were more. Coyotes didn’t usually attack humans. Still, they were dangerous animals, and it made sense for the girls to hurry on their way.
“Okay, let’s go,” Christine said.
“No, wait!” Kate said, staying still. “Look!”
The girls looked where she pointed. The object of the coyote’s call became apparent then, as a cloud of dust rose from the dry earth to the south of where they waited.
“It’s the herd,” Carole said. “The horses! They must have been startled by the coyote. Look at them.”
While the motionless horses had been nearly invisible to the girls’ eyes, the moving herd was very apparent. The mares and their young were milling frantically and simply making their presence more apparent to all the creatures around, especially the coyotes.
“We’ve got to help them!” Carole said.
“By doing what?” Christine asked. “What’s going on here is what’s been going on for thousands of years. There’s nothing for us to do.”
“But the coyotes—they could attack the horses!” Carole couldn’t bear the idea that one of the herd might serve as dinner for the coyotes.
“The horses can take care of themselves,” Kate said. Her eyes didn’t move from the scene in front of her.
Her friends watched as well. Then the entire scene was dimmed when a cloud swept across the sky, obscuring the big, round orange moon. Suddenly there was only darkness.
How-oooooooo!
All motion among
“It’s not up yet,” Christine said. “But when it comes out, it should be nice, because it’s almost full. I love riding by moonlight.”
“Me, too,” Carole said. She climbed into the saddle. “Actually, that’s an understatement,” she continued. “The fact is that I love riding anywhere, anytime. That includes by moonlight.”
“Me, too,” Kate said. Then she asked, “Everybody ready?”
They were, and they were off. Christine led the way since she knew the route to her own house the best. At first the girls followed the road out of town. They knew that they could take the road all the way to the Lonetrees’ house, but the fact was that it was going to be a lot more fun to leave the roadway and cut across the open land. Their journey was aided then by the fact that the moon rose at the moment they left the road. It stood on the horizon, nearly full, big, orange, and bright. It almost seemed to lay a path for them to follow.
“This way,” Christine said. It was easy to see where they were going. It was a fun ride.
Even though each girl was quite aware of the fact that they were in the twentieth century, not far from things like power plants and gas stations and a school with no fewer than two computer labs, it somehow seemed to each of them as if they had left all that behind. Every step into the open countryside felt like a step back in time, away from electronics and nuclear power, away from microwaves and dishwashers. The years dropped off as a snake sheds its skin. Lisa found herself thinking about life in the Old West, wondering what it would have been like just to survive. Stevie’s mind turned to images of cowboys and stagecoaches, just as she’d seen in so many movies. Carole foundherself thinking about the animals that had once wandered so freely and so safely on the land. Christine thought of her own family’s people, part of the original American West. Kate thought about the horses, brought here from Europe, allowed to roam free—the magnificent animals who ruled the prairies and the desert lands.
How-oooooooo!
Even though the girls from Virginia had never heard that sound before, they knew instantly what it was. It was unmistakable. It was a coyote.
“Watch it!” Christine warned.
The girls all drew their horses to a halt. They listened again. The coyote howled again.
How-oooooooo!
He was a good distance from them, so they knew they weren’t in any immediate danger, but the fact that there was one coyote around could mean that there were more. Coyotes didn’t usually attack humans. Still, they were dangerous animals, and it made sense for the girls to hurry on their way.
“Okay, let’s go,” Christine said.
“No, wait!” Kate said, staying still. “Look!”
The girls looked where she pointed. The object of the coyote’s call became apparent then, as a cloud of dust rose from the dry earth to the south of where they waited.
“It’s the herd,” Carole said. “The horses! They must have been startled by the coyote. Look at them.”
While the motionless horses had been nearly invisible to the girls’ eyes, the moving herd was very apparent. The mares and their young were milling frantically and simply making their presence more apparent to all the creatures around, especially the coyotes.
“We’ve got to help them!” Carole said.
“By doing what?” Christine asked. “What’s going on here is what’s been going on for thousands of years. There’s nothing for us to do.”
“But the coyotes—they could attack the horses!” Carole couldn’t bear the idea that one of the herd might serve as dinner for the coyotes.
“The horses can take care of themselves,” Kate said. Her eyes didn’t move from the scene in front of her.
Her friends watched as well. Then the entire scene was dimmed when a cloud swept across the sky, obscuring the big, round orange moon. Suddenly there was only darkness.
How-oooooooo!
All motion among
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