Thinking with Gredis

Chapter 1: Gredis

"Gredis!" I hear. "Wake up or you'll be late for school!" I groan and turn over onto my side. "Now!" I hear my mother screech from the kitchen. Reluctantly I slowly sit up. "Ugh." I say as I pull the rag that I call a blanket off my legs. I get up and walk outside. By the looks of the sky it's only four o'clock in the morning. "Mom!" I call to her, trying to yell loud enough for her to hear me but not loud enough to wake my sleeping family. "You woke me up and hour late!" She walks outside of the hut with her dress on. "I know honey. I sleep in, I'm sorry I truly am." She hands be a bag with a lunch box and a change of clothes in it. "Now hurry and go wash your face in the back!" I sprint to the back of the house and finally reach the small bucket of water. I bend down and splash some of the cool clear liquid over my dirty face. I shiver when it seeps through my lips. "Ew!" I spit the nasty fluid onto the dirt. I bend down to see what was in. my mouth. It had felt like a worm. I shiver at the thought of an insect in my mouth. I peer around the area where I had spit. I see a small lady bug crawling away from the water. "Aw!" I grab the nearest stick and try to get the bug onto it. "Come here little buggy." I say in my cutest baby voice. It slowly crawls onto the wood. I stand up carefully, taking the stick up with me. I walk over to the fence that separates me and my family from the wild. I gently drop the stick near an small opening in the fence, the lady bug could easily craw through it. "Gredis! Time to go!" I hear my mother call again. I run back to the pail of water and splash my face yet again. I want to look good for my classmates and friends at school. I sprinted to the front of the house to find my mother standing by the opening of our home holding the reins of my horse,Esperanza. My mom handed me the reins and planted a kiss on my wet cheek. "Save travels mi amor." She said as I hobbled onto the back of Esperanza. My mother blew me yet another kiss and smacked the side of Esperanza's back to get her moving. I swear, Esperanza is the fastest horse on the planet! She gets me to my school every Monday, which is just under 17 miles away, in just 3 hours! I mean come on, you can't beat 3 hours right? I turned to see a littler black speck in the distance. It was my mom! waving good bye! I waved back and then turned around to pay attention to the long journey ahead. "All right Esper." I called Esperanza Esper for short because it was easier to say!"We have to be on time to school today, I have to raise the flag!" All she did was neigh. I sighed. These journeys where always long and boring. But Esper was some company, and singing was one of my many talents if I do say so myself. " The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round. The wheels on the bus go round and round. All through the town."I sang loudly. I think Esper likes it when I sing. Why? Because she always speeds up when the words flow from my brain through my lips. "Want another song Esper?" I called loudly. It was always hard to hear over the clatter of hooves and rocks that seems to be everywhere in our path. Esper didn't answer so I took it as a yes. "Hmmm." I had to think of a really good song. Something that would keep Espers spirit high. "Oh! I know one!" I had just remembered a song that one of the American teachers who had come to our school had sung for the talent show! "I got the eye of the tiger! The lion! Something something something! And your gonna hear me roooooooaarrrr! And your gonna hear me rooooooaaaaarrr!" This time Esper stopped running and neighed to his hearts content. I smiled. "Hey girl!" I called to Esper," Calm down there!!!" And she did. She stopped everything. I sighed. I love my horse. "Alright! Lets go!" I said holding out my hands in a charging motion. Esper took off. Running like a bull who had just seen a million conquistadors. She ran like the wind. Taking no time to stop and think. Taking no time to stop and rest. Just running. Like the wind.