• It was a dark and cold night when my mother died. She and dad were having an argument about selling moms horse Lightning when she ran out of the house, towards the barn crying. I was only seven at the time and I felt so sad to see mom crying, but at that time I couldn’t do anything. I walked into the barn behind her and stood by Starlight’s stall and watched mom saddle up Lightning.



    Tears fell down my cheek as she did up Lightning’s bridal.



    “Mommy…” As I said that she glanced over at me, her eyes red from crying and tears running down her face. She was hurting and as soon as she looked at me with those hurtful eyes I then new she was not coming home again. I wanted to say please don’t leave mommy but it wouldn’t come out. I just stood there and watched her mount onto Lightning and ride into the darkness of the forest.



    It began to rain a moment after she left and I came to. I looked ahead and then in Lightning’s stall. She was really gone...



    Mommy…Why did you leave me… Tears wouldn’t stop forming in my eyes; I couldn’t stop the pain in my chest. It felt like my heart had shattered in a million pieces.

    I opened Starlight’s stall door and grabbed her saddle off the stall wall and got ready to ride after her.

    Moving as fast as I possibly could I saddled Starlight up and had only the bridal to put on when I herb a scream. I stopped in my tracks and dropped the bridal. It was mom’s scream.



    “NO!!!” I screamed as I dashed out of the barn and sprinted as fast as I could into the forest. In these parts of the forest I was always told not to go in alone because of cougars and wolves but for years we hadn’t seen any, at least not around our ranch. I finally reach the trail into the forest when I realized there was barely any light and I couldn’t see the trail very well, but no matter what I thought of, how dark it was, cougars, wolves, being alone or even being attacked I didn’t stop running. I couldn’t stop, mom was in trouble. I started to wonder if it was a good idea to go any further without someone to help her if she was hurt, and decided to turn around and get help until suddenly I spotted something on the ground ahead. I slowed down to a speed walk and continued toward the object on the road. As I neared I saw blood all over the trail and stopped. I froze for a quick seconded and then pulled myself together. I can’t stop now mommy need-



    “N-N-N-NO!!!!!!” I looked down by my feet and saw mommy lying on the ground by the trail, clothes ripped, her pearl necklace broken around her, her neck bitten and her left leg chewed up.



    “Mommy!!” I screamed falling down beside her. I looked her over again and started rocking her, trying to wake her up. “Mommy please wake up” Tears ran down my face so fast and I couldn’t help but hunch over in pain, my chest felt so much pain I couldn’t bare it. “Mommy, please wake up!! Don’t leave me!” I cried but no matter what I did she wouldn’t respond.