Fresh Air

Kylee could feel the air on her face as she loped around the field. It was a beautiful spring day. Her horse, Chestnut, seemed to feel the excitement in the air as well. Kylee had to keep pulling back on the reins now and then to keep Chestnut from going too fast.

Kylee had just gotten home from a spring break trip to Washington. She had gone to spend the week with her dad. Each time she went to visit her dad it was like starting all over again. At the beginning of the trip, she was awfully nervous, but by the end of the trip, she was so sad to leave him. Living 1,000 miles apart just didn’t help.

Just then, Chestnut stumbled and fell. Kylee felt herself flying over the front of Chestnut. She landed on the ground and lay there motionless. A whirl of events raced through Kylee’s mind as she lay helpless. She could picture her dad walking towards her with his arms outstretched. In the same dream, she could see her mother coming up from behind and embracing the two of them.

“Kylee! Are you okay?” Kylee’s mother called desperately. “Kylee! Wake up!”

Kylee could hear her mom and knew she must respond, but she was reluctant to leave the current dream she was having—the dream where everything in her life seemed okay.

Eventually, Kylee’s eyes began to flutter. She could feel her mother’s hand engulfing her own.