Conversations With Gracie

She: "Do you think they understand they're in a place that doesn't get snow?"

Me: "I don't know...maybe? Probably not? I don't know. But it would be an interesting conversation..."

—Us, at 4:30 a.m.

***

"Good morning, Gracie."

"Good morning."

[silence]

"Did you have a good night?"

"Not bad. Got rained on some."

"You know you have a nice shelter right over there."

"Yeah."

"What do you suppose the weather is like in Pennsylvania right now?"

[silence]

"Gracie?"

"I don't like to think about that."

"Because of the weather?"

"No..."

[silence]

"Are you okay?"

"Not really."

[silence]

"You know we'll help if we can..."

"I know. You are nice."

"But?"

"My other people were nice, and then they weren't. They put me on a truck and I never saw them again."

[silence]

"I know. I'm sorry about that. They shouldn't have done that."

"The place I went was bad. Everybody was afraid, and it smelled like laying down and not getting up again."

[silence]

"I don't know why they did that to me. Did I do something wrong...I don't think I did. I did the same things every day for a long time. Then one day they didn't want me to do them any more. They came to get me like always, but they didn't say anything to me. They just put me on the truck and walked away without me."

[silence]

"I was on the truck a long time. Hungry and thirsty. Then I was someplace else. The place I didn't like."

"I know. That's how we found you. We saw pictures of you, and wanted you to come here to be with us."

"I didn't want to come here. I didn't want to leave my other people."

"I know. You did a good job and you deserved to stay with them."

"Why, then..."

"I don't know. It's just something they do. It wasn't your fault."

[silence]

"When are you going to send me away?"

"We're not. Not ever."

"I don't believe you."

"I understand. I guess I wouldn't believe us either."

[silence]

"I still see them in my dreams sometimes..."

[silence]

[silence]

***********

Gracie Lou is a 20-year old Belgian draught horse, rescued from a kill pen in Oklahoma. Prior to that she was an Amish work horse.