Horse Story
-----------

Once upon a time, there lived a talking pony.
He lived with his mother on a small farm.
The farm was on a lovely green hill
surrounded by beautiful grassy fields.
A stream ran through the land and
colourful wild flowers grew beside it.
The days were bright and sunny,
although it rained now and then -
the rain made the flowers grow...

The pony loved to run across the fields.
The wind would rush against his face,
as his hooves pounded on the ground.
The freedom was simply exhiliarating!

The young pony was shy and often
stayed close to his mother.
But as he grew older, he became less shy 
and he would venture further and further
away. Sometimes, he even ran alone,
as he looked for places to explore.

One day, he decided to see how far he could go.
After telling his mom where he was going, 
(after all he was an obedient horse) he dashed off.  
The afternoon sun, shone brightly on his back,  
and his tail 'swished' in the wind.
He ran and he ran and he ran.

Suddenly, he came to a wooden fence.
He skidded to a halt and snorted in surprise.
'What's that doing there?' he wondered.
'I've never seen it before.'

He looked left and right and he saw that the fence 
stretched as far as he could see in both directions.
And he began to wonder,
'Who built the fence?'  
'What is it there for?'

He thought for a while, and then gave up.
It was a lovely day for running - 
He did not want to waste it by worrying 
about questions which he had no answers to.
So he galloped off to enjoy the rest of the day.

Just before he fell asleep that night,
he remembered the fence.
He asked his mother about it.
'I ran and ran today and I saw this great big wooden fence,'
'It went on and on and on,'
'What's it for?'
'Who built it?'

His mother looked at him. 
'I thought the day would come when you would find it,' she said.
'The fence was built many years ago by the farmer.'

'The farmer?'
'Who's he?'
'How come I've never seen him before?'

'He comes every morning to bring us hay to eat 
and water to drink.'
'He comes very early when we are both asleep because
he has the whole farm to look after and there are many
many things for him to take care of during the day.'

The pony was quite surprised.
It was the first time that he had heard there was a farmer.
He never gave much thought to why there was
hay to eat every day.  All he knew was that 
he always had enough hay to eat when he was hungry.

'Why did he build the fence?' he asked.

'To protect us,' his mother replied.
'There are wolves and other dangerous creatures outside'

The pony's eyes grew wide in amazement.
First, the farmer.
Now, wild animals?!
The pony decided that he had done enough learning 
for one day, so he dismissed his thoughts 
and promptly went off to sleep.

The next day was spent, as his days usually were,
running about in the grassy fields.  
But somehow, things were different.  
He had always thought that he was free to go where he wanted.
But the fence reminded him that 
there were limits as to how far he could go.
And it disturbed him greatly.

He ran to the fence again and peered beyond it.
'Where are the wild animals?' he wondered.
He stared and stared but he could see nothing.

'Maybe if I come again tomorrow, I might be able
to see them.'
So he came again and again for many days,
but he never saw any wild animals.

A foreign thought crept into his mind,
'Could there be some mistake?' 
He had never known his mother to be wrong before.
'Surely not on something like this?' 

The next few days were spent in turmoil.
There was the apparent loss of his freedom upon
discovering the fence.
Next, was the terrifying thought that his mother 
could be wrong about the wild animals.
And there were his own doubts about the farmer too.
The world he was growing up in seemed to 
be a strange and terrifying place.

He went to the fence again.
It was the only sign of anything solid and definite
about the world he was in.  He held on to it
as if to keep himself from sinking in his doubts.

He soon forgot about the wild animals and his mind began
to wander as to the possibilities that lay on the other side.
He tried to imagine all the new exciting things that were
tantalisingly out of reach beyond the fence. 
If only he could find a way across...

He decided to run along the side of the fence 
to look for a break through which he could get across.
After running for a long time 
(the fence after all did surround the entire farm)
he came to a gate!

The discovery filled him with excitement
and fear at the same time.
He wanted to go out, but he hesitated.
Finally, he decided to return home.

When hs mother heard what he had found, she sighed.
'I hoped that you would not find it so soon.'
'The farmer built the fence to keep us safe.'
'He doesn't want us to go beyond its boundaries.'
'He cannot protect us if we leave.'
'There are dangerous places and dangerous creatures outside.'
'Don't go!'

That night, while the pony slept,
he dreamt about the fence and the gate 
and the mysterious world that lay beyond.

The next day, the pony went back to the gate.
It was closed shut, but a few swift kicks with his hind legs
broke the latch. He paused for a moment before dashing out.
Freedom!

He pranced about, delirious with joy at his discovery.
'Where are the wild animals?'
'Where are the dangerous traps to look out for?'
'There is nothing to be afraid of!' he said in disdain
to the warnings he had heard.

He did not notice the gentle barely perceptible
downward slope of the land.  
And if he paid attention, he would have seen
that here and there were patches where
the grass had died and the lifeless earth was exposed.

Gradually, the grassland gave way to a rocky dirt trail
and the slope became increasingly steeper.
The pony fell down several times along the slippery path.
And it became difficult for him 
to keep his footing on the sharp uneven rocks.

As the day wore on, he grew tired and thirsty.
Finally he decided that he would return home.
It was then that realised he was lost.
He panicked and started running around wildly.

Suddenly, he fell into a pit.
Moments later, a mean faced man peered out at him.
Ropes were thrown around his body and he was dragged out. 
A cruel bit was placed in his mouth 
and a rough saddle was thrown on his back.  
Then, he was forced to march to a distant farm.
There, he was harnessed to a plow and 
assigned to labour at the fields.
His freedom was gone.

The incessant rays of the sun beat upon his back 
while he plowed row upon never ending row in the unyielding soil.
As he worked under his harsh and demanding master,
his mind returned to the time when he experienced real freedom.
And he would try to remember the scent of the flowers and 
the cool stream water that he once tasted.
But his memories gradually became fewer and less distinct,
until they vanished in the fog of time.
Now, all that lay ahead of him, were the long, 
grey days of tedious drudgery.

He eventually grew too old to work and was brought 
to the marketplace to be auctioned off.
As the bids were called out, he heard a voice
that strangely evoked in him memories of a different time...

 ...The scent of grassy fields -
    The murmuring of a stream as it meandered down the hillside -
    The forgotten sight of wildflowers dancing in the breeze -

The strong voice of the farmer called out a bid
that no one one bothered to challenge.

'Who would imagine paying such a ridiculously high price
for that worn out looking horse?'
the other traders shook their heads, bewildered.

The farmer had always hoped to find his wayward pony.
His mind was constantly filled with the vision
of the magnificent stallion he once had.
But all that stood before him was a gaunt,
and forlorn looking beast.

'No matter, I've found him at last.'
said the farmer, as he gazed affectionately
into the doleful eyes of his once splendid animal.

Then he brought him back to the pasture to rest.




The grass was the loveliest shade of green.




Jonathan Koh
21 April 1997