"I'm very disappointed in you, Helen! I specifically told you to not venture past the woods!" Her mother's angry tone made Helen flinch, and she lowered her head in shame.
"I...I wasn't going to go far - " she tried saying, but she was interrupted. "That doesn't matter! What if those savages saw you and decided to rob you, too?! Or worse?!"
Her voice wavered at the end, and her mother's worry broke through her angry expression. Helen looked up at her sadly, and her mother's shoulders slumped with a sigh.
She knelt down in front of her daughter, taking her hands gently. "Those are the bad men I told you about, Helen. This world is full of them, and you need to be very careful if you decide to explore," she explained calmly.
Helen's eyes widened in surprise, and her mother smiled at her. "You're growing up into a fine woman, Helen. I still don't want you to travel too far, but one day I will personally bring you out into town," her mother told her.
With an excited squeal, Helen jumped into her mother's arms in a tight hug. The tender moment was suddenly cut short by the sound of shrill cries from outside.
"What's going on?" her mother muttered, walking to the window. Helen scampered after her, peeking up over the window sill and gasping at what she saw. "The horses!"
Quickly she raced outside, ignoring her mother's calls; the horses were bucking and crying near the lakeshore, and Helen didn't hesitate to advance. She walked forward slowly, and her nearing presence caught the horses' attention.
They halted in their panicked frenzy and stared at her with wide eyes. "It's...it's okay...." Helen said nervously, approaching even more slowly. The chestnut horse reared slightly, making Helen freeze for a moment.
"I won't hurt you...I promise," she said gently. The red chestnut horse took a small step forward, nodding its head. "That's it...." Helen was a few feet away from them, her excitement beginning to bubble up. She stood tall once she faced the two horses, and she slowly reached her hand out.
Both horses nickered, growing unsettled, but Helen wasn't afraid; she brushed her fingertips on the chestnut horse's nose, and when it didn't move, Helen placed her hand on its muzzle.
She smiled happily, placing her other hand on the second horse. She looked behind her and spotted her mother, and her proud expression made Helen's smile widen.
YOU ARE READING
Family in Shambles
FanfictionShe had been going it alone for three years, since her mother had passed away. She had been learning to survive and doing what she NEEDED to do to survive, no matter the consequences. She knew how to lie low and hide from the law, and she became a v...
