The Wild Mustang of Colorado

Finale

  Jennifer rode me almost every day. We rode along the river trails and mountain paths. Once in a while the Bradshaws rode into town, with Jennifer on my back, and her father in the cart. She always rode bareback, with most of the time not even a blanket. She galloped me fast, and was an excellent horsewoman. Sometimes I forgot she was even there, and I ran for miles. She even named me Spirit because I was so fast and full of spunk.
Jennifer always talked to me. She told me her life story, her dreams, her failures, and her successes. She told me her father made a living as a father, and maintained hundreds of crops in the summer. I had bonded with Jennifer, and created such a friendship that when spring came, I decided to stay. Jennifer and I were best friends.

One day she rode me to a place she never did before.
"This is called Wild Cayuse Cliff. You'll see why in a minute." She slid off my back and led me to the edge of the cliff. Below was a grassy plain, which very much resembled what was once my home. After a few moments of complete silence, we heard a thundering noise. It wasn't thunder, and it wasn't a waterfall. In a few seconds, a dust-flying herd of wild horses swept across the plain below. I whinnied in delight. Bays, blacks, paints, palominos--horses of every color sprinted across the prairie. I whinnied again and reared. Then the horses vanished over the horizon, leaving only a cloud of dust behind.
"Aren't they just beautiful, Spirit?" Jennifer said. "For the past several years my Pa and me have been fighting to protect those mustangs from cowboys and ranchers. The herd decreased a lot in size, and if the men hadn't quit capturing them, there wouldn't be a herd right now." She looked over at me. I was still stricken from seeing my herd again, and my eyes still rested on the spot where I had seen them. Then I thought about what she had said. What if my family had all been captured? What if...Summer had been captured?

All night long I pondered on the thought. I had been trying to return to the wild my whole life, and now I was within only fifty miles of my herd. But I loved Jennifer, and I didn't want to leave her. I was forced to make the decision between my herd or my friend.

But one day the decision was made for me.

It was a windy April noon. Jennifer mounted me and rode me out of the yard as usual. But she wasn't her cheery, delightful self. She seemed solemn, and had nothing to say as we rode along.
We rode for a long time, on the same path we took to Cayuse Cliff. But instead of going up on the cliff, she took me to the plain itself. We stopped and she dismounted. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and in response, I nickered softly and nuzzled her gently.
"Oh Spirit." She whispered.
"It was a mystery, how you showed up at our house that day. But now I know. You're wild. You belong here, galloping with your companions, with not a care in the world. You've been the best horse I've ever had. And I love you so much, but I nor anyone else can deny you your freedom." She took my halter off and stepped back. I looked at her one last time, and then galloped away to fulfill my lifetime dream--to be free.

The End