The Golden Girl

Chapter 21

When I stepped off the plane, I felt hollowed out. There was nothing left. Just an empty body making her way through the crowd.

He tried to smile, but it looked pathetic.

"Sophie." He whispered.

He opened his arms and I crumbled into them.

"I've missed you." He murmured into my hair.

"So have I." My voice sounded weird.

It sounded strong when deep down I felt like I could crack any moment.

"Come on, we better get you home."

✽

The cool breeze enveloped me, as I stepped out of the ute. It was just the same as it had been nine months ago. It stood the same, faced the same view and held the same depressing atmosphere. The only thing that looked somewhat cheerful was Bella pouncing towards me.

"Hello, beautiful," I whispered, running my hands over her fluffy fur.

The door creaked open, and Bella rushed through the opening, expressing a never-ending amount of enthusiasm.

"She hasn't changed one bit," I muttered.

Dad nodded, following me inside. If I'd never set foot in the house before, I would have instantly loved it. It was adorable. The kind of home my heart yearned for, but how could I love it, when I could picture her everywhere I looked?

My room was just as I'd left it. The single bed in the corner. The square window looking out over the land. In the distance, I could see the blue ocean. If it wasn't for my mood I might have smiled.

✽

The clouds concealed the land as I walked. Bella hadn't left my side. She was obviously over the moon to have me back.

"You don't have to come with me Bells," I murmured, but of course, she didn't understand.

Her whole body wiggled in excitement. It all felt very deja vu, like I wasn't actually walking through the green grass. I could hear the familiar whinny of the two mares. They watched me, giving me an almost identical look to the one Bella had given me when I'd stepped out of the car.

"Hello you two," I said, climbing the fence.

The halter touched the metal, causing it to rattle in the sudden impact.

"Are you going to come to me?" I asked.

Bonnie's ears pricked forward, her expression impossible to read.

"Hi Bon," I whispered, stepping towards her.

She didn't move for a moment, she simply stared at me, before she tossed her head in a swift motion. It was wonderful to see her come towards me. Her buckskin body raced next to Fifi who was slightly less motivated. If I were a stranger I might have run the other way, as these two large creatures cantered across the land, but I knew them. I understood them like the back of my hand. She halted before me, causing her chocolate mane to bounce, revealing the golden fur beneath.

"Hello," I murmured, running my fingers over her head.

As soon as my hand touched her soft neck, I felt suddenly revived.

"You want to go for a ride?" I asked. Her head nuzzled me, making me stumble backwards.

"Okay then. Let's go." I grinned.

✽

The waves crashed beside us, causing the earth to rumble. I stopped for a moment and simply stared at them. They were so different, and yet so similar. The ocean here was a deep blue, the colour of storm clouds over a rolling plain. There was no softness beneath each echoing motion. No forgiving nature within each ripple. It was fierce. A mass of liquid, which was freezing cold. It made your limbs go purple, but it also made you feel something else. It made you feel alive.

"It's beautiful in a powerful way. Isn't it?" I muttered, running my hand along Bonnie's neck.

She watched the sea in curiosity. Its power seemed to fascinate her, just as it did me. The water splashed over her fetlocks, causing small droplets to hit my feet.

"We better keep going," I whispered.

I thought after so long, my riding might be rusty, but it wasn't. It was second nature. I squeezed my legs to urge her faster, and then her gate broke into a trot. I balanced myself well on her back, using my core to stick to her now slippery wetness. Dad had always hated me riding bareback but at some point, he'd given in. It was mum's words that I think had convinced him. Mum. The breeze seemed to strengthen as she entered my mind. I clicked twice, turning our trot into a beautiful canter. I rocked back and forth, riding the motion as though it were nothing, but no matter how fast we ran, I couldn't escape it. I would never escape it, not in a hundred years.