HOME | DD

Description
My artbid for the donstrupper auction
horse: Si Dieu Existe
characters: Sarika , Ash

Alexa Grazzianni (belongs to Emii-M )

story: (1985 words)

Sarika mindlessly scrolled on her phone, bored to the bone. At first she thought it would be fun having the manor only for herself. She could ride whenever she wanted, including horses that didn’t belong to her. But three days in and she already missed everyone. The manor felt empty, lifeless.
She regretted agreeing to taking care of it while everyone was gone. But what else could she have done? Make Dawn cancel her trip home because she wanted to accompany Nei to a show? What kind of friend would she be?
Wait, what was that?
An image flashed on the screen, interrupting her thoughts. She had to scroll back to get to it.
The headline read: Donstrupper auction-come get your dream horse and it was accompanied by photographs of flashy spotted horses performing in all kinds of disciplines.
She smiled triumphantly. Nei said she should get a horse for lessons. This breed seemed perfect for that.
All kinds of plans, each more exciting than the last, unfolded in her head. She clicked the link, reading the details.
With one word, her excitement shattered.
Canada
It had to be half a world away. Of course it had. That was always her luck.
It wasn’t only because she promised to look after the manor. The staff could handle it for a few days. She could go one day, see the auction on the second and be back on third, if she decided to push it. The horses could manage one full day without any riding.
The problem was, it was half the world away and there was nobody to accompany her. She was never to the nearest city alone. The thought of going overseas, completely on her own…
Her skin crawled, hair rising, heart almost screaming.
No, that was simply too much. She didn´t actually need another horse all that much.
She threw the phone on the bed and walked away.
Before she reached the door, it buzzed.
A message from Ash blinked on the screen.
Ash: look what I found!
An old photo of the two of them, dressed in silly skirts, petting ponies on a fair.
Sari grinned, an idea hatching in her mind. She called her without thinking.
,,Ash? What would you say to a weekend trip to Canada?” she asked the moment she picked up.
,,Don´t you hate snow? Why not somewhere warm?”
,,There is a horse auction there…” she began.
,,No!” Ash snapped. ,,Absolutely not! I won´t get back to horses!”
One sentence and she had already seen through her entire plan. Sari bit her lip and took a deep breath. ,,I´m not asking you to buy a horse. I want you to accompany me. Please Ash, I'm terrified to go alone!”
,,Don´t you have other horse friends? Why can´t they come with you?”
,,They are all away. I have nobody else. Please Ash. I know this is hard for you. I wouldn´t be asking you if I had any other choice. It's only one day of looking at horses.”
A long silence followed. She was considering it! Sari almost couldn´t believe it.
,,Fine," Ash said.
,,Wait, really?" did she hear things?
,,Do you want me to change my mind?"
,,NO!"
,,Good. It is your idea, thus you are organizing everything. Send me the details when you are done," Ash ordered and hung up.
Sari jumped and squealed.
It worked!

***
Few days later, Sarika leaned against the car window, watching the evergreens speed by. The cold creeped through the glass, making her shiver and pull her coat closer. She gave up trying to speak to Ash, as every attempt so far resulted in silence.
Sari wondered why Ash agreed to come, only to sulk in the corner. She kept staring at nothing, headphones on all the time to block out the noise. To block her out.
This was nothing like she imagined it. She wanted Ash to be happy and excited
,,We´re almost there," the taxi driver announced.
A minute later, the trees around the road cleared to give them a good view at the stables.
Sarika stared at the complex of buildings, arenas and fields in amazement. Ash didn´t seem to notice.
The auction was schedulet to start in three hours and yet there were plenty of people walking about, chatting with excitement. The only thing that making it different from a competition was the lack of horse trailers. In a way, it was a competition. To find the best horse and secure it for themselves.
Ash finally took her headphones off, watching the surroundings without any expression.
A nice looking boy came up to them and handed them a zine with all the offered horses, their photos and basic descriptions.
Sarika thanked him and took Ash aside to take a better look.
,,So, the plan is to find a perfect jumping lesson horse. With riding experience and a stable personality. I don´t want to have to train them myslef or deal with sass," she said, flipping through the zine.
There were fourteen horses in total. At least one of them had to fit her requirements.
,,Okay," Ash said, taking barely a glance at the page before moving on.
,,The first mare looks promising," she said.
,,Hmm."
With a sigh, Sari kept looking. ,,What do you think about stallions number nine and ten?" she asked.
No response.
,,Ash?"
Ash stood with her hands in her pockets, shivering.
Sudden gust of wind threw some snow at Sari. She shivered too. They were still standing outside.
,,Alright, let´s go take a better look at them," she said, taking her by the elbow.
Warmth and the smell of horses greeted them inside. Plenty of spotted horses looked up from their stalls, waiting for treats.
The auction horses were easy to find, with white ribbons hanging over their stall doors.
Sari immidiately stopped by the first mare and she wasn´t the only one. Quite a crowd gathered.
The mare, Rose, watched everyone with those kind brown eyes. She was stunning, every spot of her.
,,Wow. Isn´t she perfect?"
Ash looked up, chewing her lip, and stepped back.
Somebody yelped as a black stallion almost feasted on their fingers.
Ash turned and froze.
The stallion snorted, one ear pinned back.
,,Come, let´s move to the other ones," Sari said, pulling Ash to the other end of the row.
Sari examined both stallions. She wasn´t sure if she should be looking at them at all. Could she trust a stallion with children?
They both looked calm and well behaved. No kicking or biting each other, while they were clearly close enough to touch each other.
,,What do you think?" she asked.
,,Yeah, sure, perfect," Ash kept looking at her boots.
,,You didn´t even look at them," she said.
Ash looked up, gave each one of them exactly one second and then resumed staring at her boots. ,,Satisfied?"
,,No."
,,What do you want from me?" Ash snapped, glaring. ,,I came here because of you despite my better judgement!"
,,You didn´t have to! I You could have said no, at any point."
,,Said no!" Ash threw her hands up. ,,And let you go to a foreign country completely alone?!"
Sari stared, taken aback.
Ash turned and sighed. ,,I thought I can handle it. I thought that maybe... It doesn´t matter, I was wrong!"
,,I know this is hard for you. I´m sorry."
,,Hard for me! You have no idea how hard it is! You don´t know what it´s like, having your heart ripped out and shattered! Every time I look at a horse, I see... I see Leia... laying on the ground, seizing in pain... looking at me... knowing it´s.... the end," her voice gave out and tears streamed down her face.
Sari shivered. She brought her right to a place full of horses. She wanted to slap herself. She wanted to cry.
,,I´m so sorry!" she sobbed.
Ash swallowed and took a deep breath. ,,No. It´s time I face it."

***

They stood at the edge of the round pen, waiting for the demonstration to begin. They chose a spot far away from most people, but people trickled in and soon they were surrounded.
,,You don´t have to do this. I can handle it from here."
Ash gave her a sad smile. ,,No. I have to make sure you end up buying the perfect horse, remember?"
First horse entered the pen, lead by a woman who had to be Alexa, the stable owner. It was the black stallion from before, the one who almost bit someone.
He was a pretty one, with strong build and sure legs. An eventer, the zine said.
Sari watched him only out of habit, as he wasn´t what she was looking for. Still, she hoped he would find a good home.
Ash on the other hand, gripped the fence and tightened her jaw.
The stallion tossed his head, scanning the crowd. With so many eyes on him, he pinned his ears back and pulled at the rope.
Alexa let him trot around the pen, shoving his moves. He kept yanking at the rope and tossing his head.
,,Ts, I´d show him what´s respect!" a man off to their right said.
,,Yeah, an animal like that needs a strong lead, not some weak lady," his companion agreed.
Ash gripped the fence even tighter, almost growling at the men. ,,I hope they get kicked where it hurts," she said, loud enough for them to hear.
,,Alright, who wants to meet Claude?" Alexa asked, waving with the loose end of the rope.
Before the men could say anything, Ash jumped into the pen.
Alexa gave her the rope and hopped onto the fence right next to Sari.
Ash stood in the middle, not moving. Claude snorted, curious.
Ash extended her hand to pet him. Those two men snickered and Claude pinned one ear back and lunged at her hand.
Ash jerked back and Sari gasped.
Claude pulled at the rope.
,,You have to do something!" she urged, half expecting the stallion to rear.
Alexa smiled. ,,Trust your friend a little."
Ash stood her ground and the stallion calmed again. He even let her pet him.
Sarika stared in amazement as the stallion who almost attacked Ash now leaned into her tough, asking for scratches.
,,See?" Alexa said as Ash handed her the rope.
,,That´s the one," Ash said. ,,I know he doesn´t fit your requirements, but you have to take him."
,,I´m sure he will find a good home. I want a lesson horse, not a challenge."
,,No he won´t. If you leave him here, he will end up in the hands of those two, or somebody similar to them. That cannot happen! Sari please, you are his only chance!"
Sari blinked. She came here with a plan, to get the perfect, kind and behaved horse. That maybe Ash would fall in love and be persuaded to a ride. This horse was not her plan. He had potential and he was stunning, but he was also quite stubborn and in need of a fresh start. He would be a ton of work.
But Ash always preferred horses with character. She always loved a challenge. Claude was perfect for her. They were meant for each other.
Why did she not see it before? She was so blind in trying to find what she thought would be the perfect horse for Ash, that she completely ignored what she would find perfect.
,,No."
,,What? But-"
,,No. I´m not his only choice. You are."
,,Me?"
,,Yes, you. You two are meant for each other. It will be a lot of work, but I´m here for you."
Ash looked at Claude. The stallion seemed to nod.
,,Alright then. You are right. Let´s do this!" she grinned.
A wild spark appeared in her eyes. One Sari haven´t seen in a long time. She only hoped it wouldn´t burn them all to ash.

Description
My artbid for the donstrupper auction
horse: Si Dieu Existe
characters: Sarika , Ash

Alexa Grazzianni (belongs to Emii-M )

story: (1985 words)

Sarika mindlessly scrolled on her phone, bored to the bone. At first she thought it would be fun having the manor only for herself. She could ride whenever she wanted, including horses that didn’t belong to her. But three days in and she already missed everyone. The manor felt empty, lifeless.
She regretted agreeing to taking care of it while everyone was gone. But what else could she have done? Make Dawn cancel her trip home because she wanted to accompany Nei to a show? What kind of friend would she be?
Wait, what was that?
An image flashed on the screen, interrupting her thoughts. She had to scroll back to get to it.
The headline read: Donstrupper auction-come get your dream horse and it was accompanied by photographs of flashy spotted horses performing in all kinds of disciplines.
She smiled triumphantly. Nei said she should get a horse for lessons. This breed seemed perfect for that.
All kinds of plans, each more exciting than the last, unfolded in her head. She clicked the link, reading the details.
With one word, her excitement shattered.
Canada
It had to be half a world away. Of course it had. That was always her luck.
It wasn’t only because she promised to look after the manor. The staff could handle it for a few days. She could go one day, see the auction on the second and be back on third, if she decided to push it. The horses could manage one full day without any riding.
The problem was, it was half the world away and there was nobody to accompany her. She was never to the nearest city alone. The thought of going overseas, completely on her own…
Her skin crawled, hair rising, heart almost screaming.
No, that was simply too much. She didn´t actually need another horse all that much.
She threw the phone on the bed and walked away.
Before she reached the door, it buzzed.
A message from Ash blinked on the screen.
Ash: look what I found!
An old photo of the two of them, dressed in silly skirts, petting ponies on a fair.
Sari grinned, an idea hatching in her mind. She called her without thinking.
,,Ash? What would you say to a weekend trip to Canada?” she asked the moment she picked up.
,,Don´t you hate snow? Why not somewhere warm?”
,,There is a horse auction there…” she began.
,,No!” Ash snapped. ,,Absolutely not! I won´t get back to horses!”
One sentence and she had already seen through her entire plan. Sari bit her lip and took a deep breath. ,,I´m not asking you to buy a horse. I want you to accompany me. Please Ash, I'm terrified to go alone!”
,,Don´t you have other horse friends? Why can´t they come with you?”
,,They are all away. I have nobody else. Please Ash. I know this is hard for you. I wouldn´t be asking you if I had any other choice. It's only one day of looking at horses.”
A long silence followed. She was considering it! Sari almost couldn´t believe it.
,,Fine," Ash said.
,,Wait, really?" did she hear things?
,,Do you want me to change my mind?"
,,NO!"
,,Good. It is your idea, thus you are organizing everything. Send me the details when you are done," Ash ordered and hung up.
Sari jumped and squealed.
It worked!

***
Few days later, Sarika leaned against the car window, watching the evergreens speed by. The cold creeped through the glass, making her shiver and pull her coat closer. She gave up trying to speak to Ash, as every attempt so far resulted in silence.
Sari wondered why Ash agreed to come, only to sulk in the corner. She kept staring at nothing, headphones on all the time to block out the noise. To block her out.
This was nothing like she imagined it. She wanted Ash to be happy and excited
,,We´re almost there," the taxi driver announced.
A minute later, the trees around the road cleared to give them a good view at the stables.
Sarika stared at the complex of buildings, arenas and fields in amazement. Ash didn´t seem to notice.
The auction was schedulet to start in three hours and yet there were plenty of people walking about, chatting with excitement. The only thing that making it different from a competition was the lack of horse trailers. In a way, it was a competition. To find the best horse and secure it for themselves.
Ash finally took her headphones off, watching the surroundings without any expression.
A nice looking boy came up to them and handed them a zine with all the offered horses, their photos and basic descriptions.
Sarika thanked him and took Ash aside to take a better look.
,,So, the plan is to find a perfect jumping lesson horse. With riding experience and a stable personality. I don´t want to have to train them myslef or deal with sass," she said, flipping through the zine.
There were fourteen horses in total. At least one of them had to fit her requirements.
,,Okay," Ash said, taking barely a glance at the page before moving on.
,,The first mare looks promising," she said.
,,Hmm."
With a sigh, Sari kept looking. ,,What do you think about stallions number nine and ten?" she asked.
No response.
,,Ash?"
Ash stood with her hands in her pockets, shivering.
Sudden gust of wind threw some snow at Sari. She shivered too. They were still standing outside.
,,Alright, let´s go take a better look at them," she said, taking her by the elbow.
Warmth and the smell of horses greeted them inside. Plenty of spotted horses looked up from their stalls, waiting for treats.
The auction horses were easy to find, with white ribbons hanging over their stall doors.
Sari immidiately stopped by the first mare and she wasn´t the only one. Quite a crowd gathered.
The mare, Rose, watched everyone with those kind brown eyes. She was stunning, every spot of her.
,,Wow. Isn´t she perfect?"
Ash looked up, chewing her lip, and stepped back.
Somebody yelped as a black stallion almost feasted on their fingers.
Ash turned and froze.
The stallion snorted, one ear pinned back.
,,Come, let´s move to the other ones," Sari said, pulling Ash to the other end of the row.
Sari examined both stallions. She wasn´t sure if she should be looking at them at all. Could she trust a stallion with children?
They both looked calm and well behaved. No kicking or biting each other, while they were clearly close enough to touch each other.
,,What do you think?" she asked.
,,Yeah, sure, perfect," Ash kept looking at her boots.
,,You didn´t even look at them," she said.
Ash looked up, gave each one of them exactly one second and then resumed staring at her boots. ,,Satisfied?"
,,No."
,,What do you want from me?" Ash snapped, glaring. ,,I came here because of you despite my better judgement!"
,,You didn´t have to! I You could have said no, at any point."
,,Said no!" Ash threw her hands up. ,,And let you go to a foreign country completely alone?!"
Sari stared, taken aback.
Ash turned and sighed. ,,I thought I can handle it. I thought that maybe... It doesn´t matter, I was wrong!"
,,I know this is hard for you. I´m sorry."
,,Hard for me! You have no idea how hard it is! You don´t know what it´s like, having your heart ripped out and shattered! Every time I look at a horse, I see... I see Leia... laying on the ground, seizing in pain... looking at me... knowing it´s.... the end," her voice gave out and tears streamed down her face.
Sari shivered. She brought her right to a place full of horses. She wanted to slap herself. She wanted to cry.
,,I´m so sorry!" she sobbed.
Ash swallowed and took a deep breath. ,,No. It´s time I face it."

***

They stood at the edge of the round pen, waiting for the demonstration to begin. They chose a spot far away from most people, but people trickled in and soon they were surrounded.
,,You don´t have to do this. I can handle it from here."
Ash gave her a sad smile. ,,No. I have to make sure you end up buying the perfect horse, remember?"
First horse entered the pen, lead by a woman who had to be Alexa, the stable owner. It was the black stallion from before, the one who almost bit someone.
He was a pretty one, with strong build and sure legs. An eventer, the zine said.
Sari watched him only out of habit, as he wasn´t what she was looking for. Still, she hoped he would find a good home.
Ash on the other hand, gripped the fence and tightened her jaw.
The stallion tossed his head, scanning the crowd. With so many eyes on him, he pinned his ears back and pulled at the rope.
Alexa let him trot around the pen, shoving his moves. He kept yanking at the rope and tossing his head.
,,Ts, I´d show him what´s respect!" a man off to their right said.
,,Yeah, an animal like that needs a strong lead, not some weak lady," his companion agreed.
Ash gripped the fence even tighter, almost growling at the men. ,,I hope they get kicked where it hurts," she said, loud enough for them to hear.
,,Alright, who wants to meet Claude?" Alexa asked, waving with the loose end of the rope.
Before the men could say anything, Ash jumped into the pen.
Alexa gave her the rope and hopped onto the fence right next to Sari.
Ash stood in the middle, not moving. Claude snorted, curious.
Ash extended her hand to pet him. Those two men snickered and Claude pinned one ear back and lunged at her hand.
Ash jerked back and Sari gasped.
Claude pulled at the rope.
,,You have to do something!" she urged, half expecting the stallion to rear.
Alexa smiled. ,,Trust your friend a little."
Ash stood her ground and the stallion calmed again. He even let her pet him.
Sarika stared in amazement as the stallion who almost attacked Ash now leaned into her tough, asking for scratches.
,,See?" Alexa said as Ash handed her the rope.
,,That´s the one," Ash said. ,,I know he doesn´t fit your requirements, but you have to take him."
,,I´m sure he will find a good home. I want a lesson horse, not a challenge."
,,No he won´t. If you leave him here, he will end up in the hands of those two, or somebody similar to them. That cannot happen! Sari please, you are his only chance!"
Sari blinked. She came here with a plan, to get the perfect, kind and behaved horse. That maybe Ash would fall in love and be persuaded to a ride. This horse was not her plan. He had potential and he was stunning, but he was also quite stubborn and in need of a fresh start. He would be a ton of work.
But Ash always preferred horses with character. She always loved a challenge. Claude was perfect for her. They were meant for each other.
Why did she not see it before? She was so blind in trying to find what she thought would be the perfect horse for Ash, that she completely ignored what she would find perfect.
,,No."
,,What? But-"
,,No. I´m not his only choice. You are."
,,Me?"
,,Yes, you. You two are meant for each other. It will be a lot of work, but I´m here for you."
Ash looked at Claude. The stallion seemed to nod.
,,Alright then. You are right. Let´s do this!" she grinned.
A wild spark appeared in her eyes. One Sari haven´t seen in a long time. She only hoped it wouldn´t burn them all to ash.