The Saddlebag

 By Ellie C., age 11

#6 Night in the Hills

I

 tied my sheet to the balcony and eased myself down. The grass was soft under my feet. I walked over to the stables. I saw a light flick on out of the corner of my eye. I ducked behind a tree, hopefully out of sight.

            The light came from Melinda’s window. What was she doing? The light went out shortly and I stood back up. I walked the rest of the way to the barn and pulled the door open carefully. I made it to Taffy’s stall and opened the gate. Taffy’s hooves clip-clopped against the packed dirt. Once we were out on the grass I hopped on her back and she broke into a gallop.

            The cold midnight air stung my lungs as I rode. I inhaled deeply and sighed. I didn’t necessarily feel good about sneaking out, but ever since I found the map in the saddle bag, I knew I had to follow it. It told of a cave that held treasure in a hidden crevasse.

            I rode about an hour before I reached the tree-covered foothills. I squinted at the map, but it was too dark to see anything. The sliver of moon was behind the trees and didn’t shine brightly. Looking at the map too hard made my eyes ache. I blinked and wiped my eyes.

            Where was I? All that I could see for miles was forest. I looked around and saw movement between the trees. I heard snarling and growling as I saw wolves form a circle. They snapped and nipped at Taffy’s heels.

            “‘Ya! Heya! Go, Taffy, go!!! ‘Ya!”

            A jackrabbit sprinted in front of Taffy, almost getting trampled by her thundering hooves. The wolves diverted from Taffy’s trail and slaughtered the jackrabbit instead. I winced, but was thankful to be chased no longer.

            The crevasse was unreachable from the outside. The only way was a cave at the peak of the mountain—according to the handwritten note on the dingy map. I tilted my head up at the giant pile of rock and earth before me. “That’s one big mountain!” I exclaimed. Then I saw it; a long, brown, rattlesnake. Taffy reared back and stomped her hooves against the dirt trail. She stepped backward. The snake slithered away.                

            “It’s okay, Taffy. You ready girl?” I asked.

            Taffy neighed.

            “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’ then.” I urged her forward. Step by step she eased into a walk. We headed up the steep trail. “Good girl Taffy!” I gave her a sugar cube, which encouraged her to keep going. The trail gradually got easier to ride. We made it to the top. The cave entrance was barely wide enough for a person to fit through.

            I squeezed through the opening and lit my lantern and walked along the tunnel’s path. I finally made it to a big opening. I looked around.

            “Maybe the treasure is buried,” I said to myself. I set my lantern on a boulder. I knelt down and started digging.

            I dug for a while. My knuckles started bleeding, and my nails were packed full of dirt, but there was no treasure. I sighed and closed my eyes. When I opened them everything was dark.

My lantern had gone out. “Great, how am I supposed to get back now? Taffy, you there girl?” I called. But she didn’t answer. Chills went up my spine as I lunged for my lantern. I ran back through the tunnel, bumping into the walls along the way. I burst out of the cave.

            But there was no Taffy. I started panicking and cupped my hands to my mouth. “TAFFY! TAFFY!” I shouted. I ran down the narrow road, stopping every few minutes to catch my breath. I kept calling her name over and over, but no soft whinny responded. I sat down against a tree and held my knees to my chest. Tears slid down my face. I sniffed and buried my head in my arms.

            I heard whinnies. I looked up. “Taffy?” I said with a sniff.

            A herd of wild horses galloped through the night. I ran toward them. I could see Taffy’s shiny golden coat among them. Taffy! I dove into the herd. I reached out and grabbed her mane. I got one foot in the stirrup, and swung myself upon her back. The wind in my hair felt good. “Come on Taffy, let’s go home!” I said. We split from the herd.

            We were out of the foothills, down the creek from my special spot, when I saw a lump ahead, half buried in the dirt. “Whoa!” I commanded Taffy. I slid off her back and picked it up. Dust sifted off the smooth leather and spread through the air. I coughed and waved my hand in front of my face. It was Melinda’s saddle bag.

            I made it home with no more trouble and led Taffy back into her stall. I climbed back up my makeshift rope. I changed back into my nightgown, yawned, and crawled into bed. My eyelids felt as though they were lead. And I fell asleep.

 

~~*~*~*~~

 

            I startled awake to the sound of my door opening and then closing again. “Melinda?”

            “Shhhh!” She sat down on my bed. “I couldn’t sleep. Don’t think I didn’t notice you sneaking out earlier. Where’d you go?”

            “Long story.” I sat up and leaned over the edge of the bed and pulled up the still-dirty saddle bag. “I found this. I didn’t open it…yet.” I grinned sheepishly. I handed it to her.

            She gently took hold of the bag and opened the buckle. The flap popped up. She reached inside and pulled out a locket. “Oh my goodness! I never thought that anyone would ever find this again.” She clenched it tightly. “One day I was riding, and I don’t know how or where but I had lost it!” Melinda said. “How did you find it?”

            “It really was just luck.”

            “Well, thank you so much!” she whispered.

            “You’re welcome! Now, goodnight,” I said.

            “Goodnight!”