A sad story (in the form of a novel)
My master recently sent me on a quest to a far land. Arriving on a winged chariot I was in need of a mode of conveyance. How I missed my thoroughbred back home as I plodded toward the local stable master. To my surprise standing proudly out front was a frisky colt. At first glance she appeared to have the same hue as mine. But as I approached the rich black coat I thought I spied from afar was in fact a torn and tattered exterior. The look not unlike that of a victim of the abuse of many careless riders and groomsman. Had this ebony beauty been ridden hard though a field of thorns and mire only to have an occasional bucket of water carelessly tossed upon its powerful haunches. No gentle wipe down here, just the remains of halfhearted attempts to clear its coat with a coarse brush. Its deep black presence replaced by a matted mess that made it look grey beyond its years. As a approached this once proud animal I could almost feel the pain inflicted upon it by those thoughtless users.
Feeling sad, I turned to see what had been set aside for me to ride. On the golden wall my name was written and a stall number beside it.. Would it be a white charger I opined? It was not to be. As I gazed upon the beast chosen for me, I was aghast at its sheer bulk. Certainly at one time it deserved to wear the crown Her Majesty Victoria had placed upon it. Alas now it had simply become a journeyman conveyance with little soul, a huge appetite and ponderous posture. I though such a large choice should be given to a crowd not a single traveler. I turned to the stable master and asked the availability of the poor little colt with the cautious eye? "That one will cost you a lot more" was the reply, never looking up. "But good sir because you are such a fine gentleman who takes frequent advantage of our services, I could make you a deal. Normally it would cost you thrice, but for only a few dollars more and she is yours to do with as you wish." Upon hearing this, I knew the stable master had no concern with who would lead the youngling away and how badly they would run her without a care for her well being.
If I could only show this proud little animal a little love and respect perhaps she would come alive once again. I told the stable master I would accept his offer and take her for a leisurely ride even though her appearance might make my master wonder what I saw in her. To my surprise the stable master informed me that they had an even younger one aglow in an auburn shade that not only looked more feisty, but had actually been in service a shorter time. I thought about it and decided that I was the only one willing to give the little ebony beast a thought. Perhaps if I took the stable master up on his offer, this one could actually get a much deserved rest. "Let me have the scarlet one", I replied...
In a short time this new filly was brought to me. Her coat definitely appeared much shinier and the ebony accents were pleasing to my eye. As I rode off with her, I could feel its powerful heart straining to please me. Smiling, I let her have her head down the lane and she rewarded me with a spirited ride. Reaching my destination refreshed and renewed I took a closer look at her as I dismounted. Already signs of neglect were starting to show. While her coat had a bit of a sheen, it was not clean. Some of that shine had come from the fact they had ridden her hard and put her away wet.
Even with this discouraging discovery the little one had truly tried to please me. On the second day I decided to comb back her mane and let the sun caress her supple saddle. My steed at home did not have a mane that could be treated this way and I was amazed at how it went forward and back before it finally settled down and neatly almost disappeared. Riding her in this way was a thrill I had not experienced in some time and although my thoroughbred at home had a more powerful thrust, it was unable to retract its mane and allow the sun on my face.
The weather turned foul that eve. Trying to protect her, I decided it would be best to undo her mane and cover the saddle. Try as I might I could not make it stay up. It had been slightly unruly letting it out. I made numerous adjustments to it until it finally settled down. But this was something different altogether. The abuse and mishandling I had seen in the sad little ebony sibling had obviously befallen this little scarlet beauty as well. Because she was younger, it was not as apparent, but present nonetheless. Trying countless times to secure the mane with no success, I was forced to ride her with it only partially tucked in. Aware of this flaw, I began to spy additional quirks and foibles. When requesting her to stop, she pulled slightly to the left. The more forceful I was, the more she rebelled and pulled away. She seemed so spirited when I took her out for the first time I hadn’t noticed her unwillingness to always run a straight line. Now it was becoming all too clear that although she was putting up a great show, the mishandling had taken its toll.
I called to the stable master and he told me to try a local handler. Perhaps they could persuade her to cooperate more gracefully. I felt I had no choice and reluctantly rode her to the local stable. The groom there was a likeable fellow but clearly looked upon his employment as a necessity and not any sort of pleasure. “Sometimes you just have to show them who’s the boss” he said as he took the reins and used his fist to crash the front of the mane down across the startled colts brow. I stood mesmerized as he did this again and again. “How can it survive these crushing blows” I thought. Just as I was about to implore him to have mercy, the rear of the mane fell into position. All nagging protestation stopped and there was suddenly silence in the place of the constant drone that had been before when it refused to cooperate. As an aside he commented on what a shame it was to not be able to enjoy the freedom the retracted mane would give when the weather was so pleasant. I numbly mumbled something about it not being fair and he suggested when I brought her back to the main stable I request the extra charges be dropped as a result.
When I returned her my fee was adjusted and an apology for the ride's rude behavior was offered by the stable master. I sat stunned by the sight of this marvelous little filly as it was led away knowing fully that she was in for much more mistreatment before she would finally be allowed to go to pasture. A sad story indeed...
The moral to this story, unless you want a car with a broken spirit (and who knows what else) don’t buy a previous rental...