Title: Descent

Author: fbi-woman

Rating: PG

Genre: umm thriller/comedy I guess lol

Disclaimer: This is based on a dream I had so there shouldn’t be any copyright infringement on any other story or movie. The people and horses in the story are real people that I know, with the exception of Mike and his pony, but the names have been changed, just in case.

The bright sun shining in the clear, blue sky above matched perfectly with the beautiful scenery that surrounded me. It was a warm summer afternoon with no unpleasant, smothering humidity to ruin the day. The light breeze whipped my cheeks as I cantered around the ring on my pony, Aladdin. He was a handsome, mischievous bay large pony gelding with a white sock on his right hind leg and a white coronet band on his left. A white star merging with a stripe complimented his playful brown eyes. His Arabian heritage gave him a beautifully sculpted face and cute little ears that curved slightly inward at the top, resembling little devil horns. Luckily for me, the other half of his pedigree was Welsh pony, which made him a true, fun-loving pony at heart with a slow motor. At the moment, he was happily cantering along with little encouragement from me, so I was free to observe the lovely farm hosting the show. The shows are usually at the same facilities every year, but I could not remember ever visiting this property before. A vast field was spread out beside me on the left side of the ring, and thick bushes and trees lined the edge of the property. The rings were separated by a picturesque yet stereotypical white picket fence line.

Much to my discontent, my leisurely observations were abruptly interrupted as the announcer called for the competitors to come to a walk, and line up in the centre of the ring with our numbers facing the judge. I reluctantly slowed my pony and took my position in line, finding the entire under saddle class to be a trivial procedure with little purpose for Kelpie and I since fancy movement was not his forte. Conveniently, I had lined up next to Mike, a young teenager who also rides with my stable, Cedar Meadows. Mike’s pony Cocoa, a dark bay mare with no white markings gracing her slender form, was also disadvantaged in the under saddle class, so Mike and I conversed about the futility of such a class, as well as the lovely setting for the show while the ribbons were being distributed. When the announcer had finished calling out the results, I realized that Mike and I were the only two left in the centre of the ring. This particular moment struck me as odd; the large pony hunter division was almost always comprised of over twenty entries and only 10 horses are ever called for ribbons. Despite my confusion, I pushed aside the thought and exited the ring with Mike, commenting on our usual joke of how his pony was my pony’s ‘girlfriend’. As Mike departed for his family’s trailer and I headed off toward that of Cedar Meadows, I called out to him that I would see him back at the barn, and he flashed me a thumbs up before we both turned and rode off in opposite directions.

That night, my mother and I drove to Cedar Meadows as usual, but as I stepped out of the car, I was surprised to see how dark it was outside. We must have gotten there much later than usual, or perhaps there was a storm approaching. I looked out in the darkness towards the outdoor sand ring and was surprised to see a large, white Swedish oxer set up in the middle. It seemed to have an eerie glow to it, as if it was illuminated but some invisible source of light. Stranger yet, I could just make out a line of horses standing along the side of the ring and facing the jump in the centre. I squinted, peering through the darkness, but I could only make out the pony and rider combination that was closest to me: it was Laura and her pinto pony, Solitaire. Just as I identified this pair, I saw one of my coaches, Stan, step forward out of the line in the direction of the jump. I looked over to the jump and a grey horse slowly emerged from the darkness. The rider happened to be Laura’s sister Katie, but the horse she was riding was not her own. As the horse approached and easily cleared the jump, I realized that it was a large, warmblood mare named Lily that I had ridden once before. I couldn’t figure out why Katie would be riding her, but I decided that perhaps her horse was sore after the show and she needed a different horse for her lesson. I turned my back on the strange, starlit lesson before me and continued on my way to the barn.

Upon entering the building, I was immediately bathed in warm, comforting light. Feeling uneasy about riding in the shadowy outdoor ring, I decided to check if anyone was riding in the indoor arena. I called a heads up before sliding the heavy door open and stepping inside. I was surprised, however, to find the arena in almost complete darkness. I saw a group of figures in the centre of the ring, and once my eyes had adjusted, I realized that Lindsay was holding Abe, the horse I was intending to ride, fully tacked up and next to the mounting block, ready for me to get on. She was not alone. Next to her, I could Laura aboard Shannon’s horse, Dancer, Katie sitting atop a horse I did not recognize, and their mother on foot. How on earth did they switch horses and get to the indoor arena without me seeing them? I could have sworn it was them I saw having a lesson outside just moments ago. Perhaps I had been wrong before. My thoughts were shattered by Lindsay’s voice, asking if I was planning to ride. I answered that yes, I certainly was, and she continued to request that I turn on the lights. That seemed reasonable, I mean, why hadn’t they turned the lights on in the first place? I reached for the switch and was alarmed to find that it wasn’t there. In its place, I felt a horrible mess of wires protruding from the wall, as if the switch had been ripped right out. Lindsay asked again if I could turn on the lights and I replied that the switch seemed to be missing. Seemingly unconcerned, the group left the arena, leaving Abe in the centre of the ring waiting for me. I approached the mounting block and walked up to the top step, but as I went to put my foot in the stirrup, I realized my saddle seemed to have vanished. Deciding that it wasn’t worth the trouble to go look for it, I simply swung my leg over the horse’s back and proceeded to ride bareback.

In my habitual fashion of having bad luck, a thunder storm conveniently started the moment after I mounted. What little light had worked its way into the arena quickly vanished, and flashes of lightning were all I had to light the way. After cantering a few laps around, I decided that Abe was being very good despite the storm, and I should quit while I was ahead (and before I fell off). I led him out of the arena and back into the well-lit barn. I removed his bridle and secured the cross-ties to his halter. I turned around and was surprised to see that someone had set up a small couch and several chairs in the space in front of the wash stalls, and that several people were relaxing in this little set up. I smiled and thought to myself how nice it was that someone had set up a lovely little living room for the clients and employees. I strode into the tack room and saw my coach, Dana, putting her saddle away. I noticed, however, that she remained bent over her saddle and was continually mumbling something to herself. I walked over to her and said her name to try and get her attention but there was no response. I went on to ask if she was alright but she just continued to mumble incessantly. In one last fleeting attempt, I inquired if there was anything she wanted me to do. At this, she looked up at me and asked if there was anything I thought I should be doing. I replied that I could untack Abe, and she simply said that this was a good idea, and to do that. As I turned to leave to tack room, I heard her begin to mumble once more, and I could have sworn I heard her say something about popcorn.

I made my way back to the wash stalls and was pleasantly surprised to see that someone had already untacked Abe for me and he was happily munching on some hay in his stall. I also noticed that everyone had evacuated the sitting area, leaving only empty chairs, and some papers discarded on the table. Turning around to go visit Aladdin and Cocoa, I happened to run into my mother in the aisle. I was wondering where she had gotten to while I had been riding. I asked her if she knew where Mike’s pony was stabled but the response I received was far from expected. She simply gave me a quizzical look and asked what pony I was referring to. Confused by her sudden ignorance, I tried to prompt her memory by reminding her how we always joke about Cocoa being Aladdin’s girlfriend. However, she still didn’t seem to understand, insisting that there was no other pony. Getting quite frustrated, I repeated once more than I was looking for Mike’s pony. How could she forget who Mike’s pony was? After all, she just saw Cocoa at the show this afternoon. She looked at me as if I was crazy and calmly told me that no one named Mike rode at Cedar Meadows. Now I’m certain that she’s lost her mind. What was she talking about? I just saw Mike today at the horse show. I continued walking past her, determined to find Mike’s pony on my own, when I noticed that Willy seemed uneasy in his stall. I looked over the black metal bars of the stall door but I couldn’t see what had him so upset. I called his name as I unlocked the door, but he didn’t turn around to greet me. I swung the door open and stepped inside, making my way to his side. He was sniffing at something in his barred hay trough. I gently pushed his nose out of the way, and I couldn’t have been more shocked by what I saw.

Popcorn! There was popcorn in Willy’s hay trough. Who in the world would feed popcorn to a horse? The staff at Cedar Meadows was very experienced and knowledgeable; they would never do something so ridiculous. I quickly left the stall, making sure to lock the door behind me, and set off to tell one of the barn staff about the strange situation. I checked the sitting area, but it was still empty. I went back to the tack room, but Dana had left. I looked in the indoor arena, but it was deserted. I walked through the aisles and called for my mom, but she was no where to be found. Where had everyone gone? I must have ridden longer than I thought and everyone had already gone home. My mother couldn’t have left without me though. I stepped outside into the bizarre darkness and was slightly frightened by what I saw: everyone I had seen that evening, with the exception of my mother, was wandering aimlessly through the shadows without saying a word. I went up to Dana and informed her that there was popcorn in Willy’s stall, but she simply glanced at me and continued to walk. I watched as Stan passed by, then Lindsay, and Laura, and Katie, none of them acknowledging my presence. They all appeared to be drawn to some unknown destination beyond my limited sight, yet when they reached the end of the pathway up to the barn, they turned back around and continued their disturbing march in the direction from which they came. I glanced around hopelessly, trying to locate my mother, calling for her, wanting nothing more than to return to the safety of my home. However, she was no where to be found, and my cries simply echoed in the darkness around me. I looked off to the left, and I saw a white golf cart driving up the hill. Perhaps my mother was on the golf cart! As the golf cart drew near, I was blinded by a powerful beam of light that seemed to be coming from the back seat. I squinted painfully, trying to make out who was driving and I was mortified by the face staring back at me. It was a grotesque, emaciated, twisted abomination of a young woman. Her eyes were bright and red like that of some imaginary demon and she was accompanied by an equally distorted figure of another young woman. I thought I could see two figures in the rear seat, but the light was too strong and I had to close my eyes. Terror ripping through my body, I looked around the ghostly stable for anyone who could help me, but I was utterly alone. And that’s when it hit me. I was not at the stable. These people I saw were not really there. They are dead. They are the souls of the damned, invading my mind. I am the only one alive, and I am trapped in their grasp, unable to escape from their tortured dimension. My descent into madness had begun, and I was too far gone to go back. I am doomed to become one of them through the pure insanity that is undoubtedly overwhelming my poor, unprotected human mind at this very moment, and for the rest of my physical life.

The End! Let me know what you think.

Kelly