My Happy Place

 by Kaylah Mead

⭐ GOLD STAR WINNER ⭐

Flying, fast as the wind, tangled hair streaming out behind me, swiftly gliding across open rangeland. This is my favorite thing to do when the sun is at its highest, bathing the waving grasses in its shimmering light, and when the golden-crowned sparrows are whistling their tunes as if the whole world is listening. My horse, Jewel, snorts beneath me, just as happy as everyone else this glorious summer’s day.

Suddenly Jewel slows and I look toward the hills ahead. The creek! I let out an excited breath. We slow to a stop, Jewel breathing heavily. I tie her to a tree, looping the reins over a low branch. Then I ease down the bank and settle on an overhanging ledge, dangling my feet in the water. The cool, bubbly water gurgles over my feet and the trees around me cast dappled shade over my upturned face.

 I lean back in the soft grass, closing my eyes against the glare of the sun. A shadow moves across my face, and I open one eye. I smile at what I see. Jewel’s inquiring face looks down on me as if to say, “What are you doing down there?”

 I gently push her out the way and close my eyes again, soaking in the golden rays. I hear a dragonfly zip by and feel a silvery trout brush by my feet. There in the warm sunshine, in my happy place, I drift off to sleep.

 The sound of my horse stamping her feet impatiently jolts me awake. I frantically search the sky. Phew, the sun is only just starting to slip down the horizon. A small rabbit is chewing on something nearby and darts away, startled at my sudden movement. I watch it dive into a hole in the creek bank, its white tail disappearing last.

 Slowly I clamber up the bank. When I am standing on solid ground I gasp. Standing at a distance is a female deer. Her soft brown eyes look at me calmly, apparently unperturbed by my climb up the bank or by Jewel’s presence. She stands looking at me for a few minutes, then, with swish of her small white tail, she is gone. I shake my head to bring myself back to earth and then swing onto Jewel’s back. I nudge her forward and we are off.

 As Jewel’s hooves pound a rhythm into the ground, I think back on my day. I love these days, full of sunshine and nature. I love riding. I love Jewel. A harmless grass snake slithers beside us, and I think of all the animals I have seen and heard today. The golden-crested sparrows, the dragonfly, the rabbit, the deer. Jewel snorts and I laugh. “Of course, you too.” I assure her. “You are my favorite animal!”

 As we lope back into the barn yard, I smile when I think about describing my day to Mother. My day in my happy place.