Lake of the Phantom Horses - Part I: Trusting Again

by Hannah
(Wyoming)

My stallion pounded the ground as he raced up the mountain. My speed was nothing compared to his ever growing lightning gallop. It was unbearable to watch my life flash before me as i was swept down the mountain from a flash flood. I tried to grab on to any object that was in reach but i was out cold before i was able to grip on to something.......

I awoke the next morning (or so i thought) to find unbearable pain coming from my ankle. I managed to sit up and look at my battered ankle. It was visible to see that it was definitely broken. I slid my hands to a large stick to boost myself off the ground.

I remembered. Trigger my stallion, I never saw him since last night. I flopped back down flinching from the pain.

"Trigger! Trigger!" I shouted with my weak voice. Then I heard a thick whinny through the mist. Trigger's muzzle shot out of the fog. I grabbed his neck hugging him tightly. He raised his neck with me still clinging on.

i managed to slide my un-injured leg over Trigger's blue roan back. Then I remembered I had vet wrap in my soaked backpack. When the vet wrap dried it would stiffen like a cast. I flipped my pack off my back and dug through it. Found the vet wrap and bent over to wrap it gently on my now swollen ankle.

Trigger turned his neck to see what i was up to. I patted his neck as i finished securing my ankle.

Now i gripped on to his mane and gently kicked him torward the top of the mountain. I had gained my trust back in my 4-year old arabian who now got into a smooth lope.

We rode up the mountain side for it seemed like 10 hours. We reached the lake that we had planned to camp out for 4 nights then go home. But little did I know Trigger wasn't planning on going home. (to be continued)

******Authors note*******
this story was based on something that a friend of mine did. yes trigger is real and my friend really did break her ankle. but her story took place on a trail ride unlike mine.

part two will be out soon so plz comment and rate!

Lake of the Phantom Horses - Part II

by Hannah
(Wyoming)

this is my horse mixer. he's a rocky mt. horse and also trigger's cousin

I rested my tired head on his neck and closed my eyes. I didnt realize i had dozed off until i had a nightmare of Trigger rearing up and me flying off. Then he ran off and I was left there to die.

No one was going to come look for me, I mean what for? They knew i was camping up here so they wouldn't send out a search party for me at least until after the 4th day. That would give me so much time to die.. I snapped out of it, I wouldn't let that horror happen at least not yet.

When my eyes adjusted, I sat up on Trigger who was drinking from a lake... a lake I have never seen before. It was nighttime and I was about to rest my eyes again but Trigger was spooked from a flash of lightning and I was thrown off. I was okay. I chased after him.

When I reached him in a field of oak and grass my mouth dropped open. There was Trigger enjoying oak. He didn't know that oak is poisonous to horses. I limped over and pulled open his powerful jaws. I picked all the visible pieces out of his mouth. He began to cough and cough.

I panicked. He lay down and lowered his head. Then his dark eyes closed slowly. "No Trigger! Be strong don't leave me." I was too late. My best friend had left this world because I made him go on this stupid trip.

I picked leaves and flowers and covered Trigger. I took a sharpie I had in my backpack and wrote on a rock: Here lies a girl's best friend and a dream come true. I love Trigger forever. You'll always be my boy.

I wiped my tears that streamed down my frowning face. "I love you trigger and I always will," I whispered as I kissed my hand and placed it on Trigger.

I slept next to Trigger's grave that night. When I awoke everything was gone. I thought I was going crazy! Then i heard a faint nicker come from the lakeside. I limped over to find Trigger in pure white and leading a herd of mares and foals. They had come from the water and wouldn't leave the lakeside area. "Ghost horses.." i thought with wide eyes.

Trigger came here and ate the oak to become one of those phantom equines. This was shocking for me. i grabbed a rock and my sharpie then wrote: "April 6th 2003 i discovered ghost horses. Trigger included. Is this a dream?" (to be continued)

*******authors note********
so trigger is a ghost horse now. just wait for part 3 that's where things flare.
do not steal please!
comment and rate please!
oh, in real life, my friend and trigger does NOT die.

Lake of the Phantom Horses - Part III: Weird World

by Hannah the SPEEDY BARREL RACER!
(Oregon)

After making such a shocking decovery i was a little confused.

The next morning i woke up and my ghost horse ( trigger) was looking down at me like " come on get on!" i smiled and climbed aboard my trusty steed.

We cantered along a stream in tell a cougar pounced from an upcoming cave. Trigger reared and i flew off.

I was thrown into a rock wall hitting my head and blacking out for the second time. During my stage of darkness i let my mind wander i thought about going home to mom's sweet apple pie and my dad building a warm and toasty fire. i was missing all this because i was the one who dragged Trigger and I into this death bed.

What was the point of waking up Trigger would be joining me in heaven anyway? So i didn't go home nor heaven, i left the land of the living next to that rock where my blood stains remained but i woke up there too.

i was confused...

then i figured it all out. that band of horses was the healing herd of the mountains of Wyoming. i was now a ghost because my soul was healed by their powers.

This was something unbearable... undescribable and i was speechless. this was the place i would pursue the rest of my life without the fact of aging.

Mmy eyes grew larger and my mouth dropped as the team of horses charged from the water with girls my age and older riding them. trigger came to me and i climbed on still glaring through the mist at the beautiful and flawless girls.

"You are the soul of River?" a girl around 14 questioned me, she was riding a black arabian mare. "what?" i looked puzzled at the brunette. " you are the rider of this horse?" she pointed at Trigger. i nodded slowly. "he is named trigger not river." i told her. "no River is his name. he is now a ghost horse of the deep waters and he is also the herds leader. the water has named him and he shall be called River." she said with a straight face.

this was all to confusing i kicked river and loped off into the thick brush. i heard the girls call to their horses.---they were chasing me i kicked river faster and faster! it was like a wild indian chase. i knew with his speed river would lose the trail of the others and we would be safe but i was wrong they had extermly fast horses and were just inches from us. i made up and mind and jumped off of river and ran. ran my heart out . river met me again when doing a loop.. we had lost them. i patted river and whispered to him: " good boy. and your name is going to stay trigger."

From then on i knew we were going to have some troubles. ( to be continued)

****author's note****
look for part 4
please no copying.
thanks!
comment and rate!