The Story of Ace Tucker

ONE MONTH AGO
I was only one month old when the trauma begun. It all started when my mother, my older brother and I went running down a big patch of land, just playing and laughing about. It was a nice, breezy day, when I heard a roaring noise in the air.
    'Did you hear that?' I asked worriedly.
    'I sure did.' replied my brother.
     My mother looked up into the sky. So did I. But there was nothing in sight. 'It must have been our imaginations.' my mother said, trying to sound cheerful, but it was pretty obvious she was just as worried as my brother and I were.
    We decided to ignore the noise and continue our play in the field. Something that we shouldn't have done. If only we had been sensible and went home. If only we hadn't ignored the noise. If only, if only, if only…
    But it was too late now.
    The roar of the noise grew louder, louder and louder. But our laughs and conversations were all we could hear. I didn't look up once until I heard the rustle of a tree, and when I looked up, it all happened in a blur.
    The helicopter lost control and crashed towards the ground, near to us, nearest to my mother and brother. My mother shouted 'RUN!' and we took off. So did the helicopter. It tried to hover again, but all it managed was to fly a couple inches off the ground, speed towards us, and crash down the ground again, ramming over both my mother and brother.
    I didn't notice anything, only until I turned to make sure the helicopter was a distance away from us - from me, and it was just then I saw the helicopter lying on top of my mother and brother. In no time, I slammed my brakes and swung my head around, my mane flying behind me.

    To my shock … the last thing I expected lay in front of my eyes. I burst into a loud cry and collapsed …
   

5 MONTHS LATER
I was feeding on grass somewhere near the town. A large, wooden gate had separated me and the buildings. I could see a few houses and barns with tame horses in the stables. I saw a kind-looking lady feeding one of the beautiful white stallions a green apple. And suddenly, I felt miserable. They were loved. And nobody loved me.
    What happened four days ago was anything on my mind now. I couldn't think of anything else. I had vowed to never, never go near a big patch of land that helicopters could land on again. And whenever I saw a helicopter hovering in the sky, I'd shudder and feel sick.
    Dully, I plucked up another bunch of grass from my mouth and chewed it up. The crunchy texture burst in my mouth. Just at that moment, I saw a pale hand holding a carrot under my nose.
    I whinnied in panic and backed away quickly. A girl with hazel blonde hair stood before me. She had a puzzled expression on her face. 'Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you,' she said. 'Would you like a carrot?'
    I studied her eyes. They were big, innocent, brown, looked honest and trustworthy. I stepped one of my front hooves towards her. 'Come!' she said gently, holding out the carrot in her hand. Slowly, I edged towards her and sniffed the carrot. It smelt fine. I nibbled a bite.
    'I'm Ellie Watson,' she said, 'what's your name?'
    'Ace,' I managed to say, 'Ace Tucker.'
    She was around 9 years old, for a human girl. She said, 'That's a nice name, Ace Tucker. It's really nice to meet you.'
    I nibbled some more at the carrot. 'Nice to meet you too,' I answered her.
    'Where's your mother? Is it safe for you to be wandering around here?'
    Suddenly, I felt desperate. Where 𝘸𝘢𝘴 my mother? Gone. Crashed by a helicopter. Gone, gone, 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦. Just four words "𝘔𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦" and yet, it felt like a heavy weight on my shoulders. But I decided not to tell Ellie. Thinking of the incident was bad enough - let alone say the words out of my mouth. So instead, I told Ellie, 'She's not far from here. She's having a comfortable snooze, and she said I was fine to trot alone by myself; as long as I don't go inside the forest.'
    Ellie nodded, like she understood. Maybe she did. Maybe her mother was gone too, like mine. Maybe - 𝘯𝘰. I shook myself. Just because I was feeling blue, it didn't mean that I had to think that other people's lives were in the blue as well. As Ellie opened her mouth to say something, a voice shouted from a distance, 'Oi, Ellie! Come 'ere and help with the gardening, will you!'
    Ellie blushed, turned around, and shouted back to a man wearing a cowboy hat. 'I'll be there, Uncle Thomas! Give me a minute!'
    'NO!' howled the man. 'There is no minute! You come 'ere now, young lady, or you'll wish you were never born! Move it, you lazy creature!'
    Ellie turned to me hurriedly and whispered, 'That's my Uncle Thomas. He's in a real rage now. Everyday, he makes me garden and do all the housework while he does some of his business; selling things and all that. He treats me real cruelly.'
    I was taken-aback. 'Why? Where are your parents?'
    Ellie hesitated. Five seconds passed - then six, then seven ...
    'They're dead,' she said. 'They died in a car crash. They were on the way back home from celebrating their anniversary, and I was home alone with my babysitter. Mummy and Daddy were looking the other way, and then another car that was driving probably at a hundred miles per hour came whooshing past, and they ended up dying tragically. Mummy and Daddy, and the thug in the other car.'
    I felt devastated. 'I'm sorry, Ellie,' I said, my voice low. 'Don't be,' she said. It's been two years now. But I still miss them, every second of my life, and I live with my horrible Uncle Thom -'
    'YOU LITTLE BRAT!' screamed the uncle's voice far off. 'COME HERE THIS INSTANT!'
    Without saying another word, Ellie dashed off, looking scared, her knees wobbling. I stared after her, and found myself still staring after she and her uncle had disappeared. Her mother was gone. So was mine. And she had been honest with me. And I'd lied to her. And I decided to make it up to her, and all I could do was hope that she came back - for me.
    The very next day, I waited for Ellie where I met her yesterday. I'd waited for an hour, and was just giving hope, when a girl came rushing toward me.
    'Oh, Ace! I'm so glad to see you!'
    I chomped down the bunch of grass I was eating and quickly swallowed it. 'Hello, Ellie!' Ellie reached the long, wooden gate and rested her arms there. She was panting, and out of breath.
    She pulled out a green apple from her pocket and handed it to me. 'Here you are. Uncle Thomas said I could have fifteen minutes to myself, then I have to get back to help him with the gardening.' I bit into the apple and chomped it up. Its sweet taste filled my tongue with deliciousness.
    We talked for a little while. Mostly, it was Ellie who did the talking. She chattered about her uncle, her school, her friends, when she finally paused to have a drink of water.
    'Actually, Ellie,' I said slowly, 'I've been meaning to tell you something.'
    'Yes, Ace?' she implored. 'Anything, I'm ready to listen.'
    'I-I wanted to tell you after you left yesterday,' I whispered hoarsely. 'Since you had been so honest about - about you know, your parents and the car crash and everything. I'd lied to you.'
    'Lied to 𝘮𝘦? What about?'
    'About me being alone. About my mother. She wasn't having a snooze yesterday. She and my brother died one month ago. Crashed by a helicopter while we ran for our lives.'
    I allowed her gasp to fill the silence between us. There was a tense pause, then Ellie's voice said, 'I'm very, very sorry to hear that.'
    I looked up, and to my amazement, tears dripped down her face. I didn't ask why. She and I had gone through one thing in common - the way we both felt when we received the news our family was gone.
    'Oh, Ace,' she whispered finally, 'I feel so sorry for you. I know how you feel, because I felt that way too, and I still do. To know that the people you love are - well, gone.'
    'Do you think that we could be friends?' I asked her reproachfully.
    'Oh no! Not just that,' she said, smiling, and that was the most radiant expression I’ve seen on her face, 'we're going to be more than that. We're going to be family. Because every horse deserves to be loved. People forget that, you know. People like my uncle. He's cruel to the horses he owns. He thinks that they're just animals, that they have no feeling, no troubles in life.'

    I was very grateful to have met a new friend who cared for me. I once thought I would live the rest of my life in hopelessness and loneliness. As the wind blew into my mane, I closed my eyes and focused on the good things in life.

    Yes, every horse deserves to be loved, I thought. And from that day on, Ellie and I weren't just friends. We were family.