Then I noticed the front screen door swaying in the breeze. Pure panic hit my stomach like a block of ice.
I sprinted outside, screaming her name, frantically scanning the sprawling green fields and the old, rotting barn.
That’s when I saw her. She was standing near the edge of the old paddock. And looming directly over her was the massive, black shadow of the “killer” horse.
He was entirely too close. A single panicked strike of his heavy hoof could crush her.
I froze in my tracks. If I yelled, I would startle him. If I ran, he might attack her out of defense.
I started walking forward slowly, my blood roaring so loudly in my ears I could barely hear the wind.
But as I crept closer, the terrifying scene completely shifted. Lily wasn’t cowering in fear.
She was standing perfectly still, holding her small hand out flat. On her palm was a sliced green apple.
The giant black horse slowly lowered his massive head. He didn’t snatch the food. He gently took the apple from her hand with soft, trembling lips.
