New Start

“Oh Mom, why do we have to move?  I just signed up for the basketball team with Ryan.”  I whined to my mostly annoying stepmother.  “Because we need a change.” said Mom, who was stacking her jewelry boxes (she has five!) into a box.  “Yeah, but I like living in Wyoming.” I said, thinking about my best friends.  Mom ignored me and started to put her shoes in another box.  “I like having the same colored houses, and having all white people in class.  I even have all boys.”  I continued, starting out the window at all the rows of same colored, sized houses.  When I looked back, Mom was gone.  I walked into the hallway.  She was getting down more boxes from the attic.  “Now you pack.” she said, putting the boxes in my arms.  “Did you hear what I said?” I asked her, throwing the boxes in my room.  “Yes, I actually did.” Mom said, closing the attic door.  “But, all my friends are counting on me and--”  Mom put a finger to her lips.  I stopped talking.  “We need some diversity around here.” said Mom.  She kissed my forehead.  “You need some diversity, Tommy.”  Ugh, I hate it when they call me Tommy, I thought.  But so far, my ratings for diversity is:  BAD!!!

The next day, I walked up the sidewalk to Bayside Middle School.  It loomed in front of me like a haunted house, asking, Come in, if you dare!  I sucked in a deep breath of air and walked in.  Ryan was waiting for me at the water fountain.  “What’s up, yo?”  We gave each other a high five.  Two other guys joined us.  I stared curiously.  “Meet…” Ryan said, pausing for effect (I love it when he does that.) “…the awesome Basketball Twins!”  The two guys shook hands with me.  Then I whispered in Ryan’s ear, “the bell’s about to ring.”  He nodded and we walked away from the boys.  I kept my head low, trying to make sure Ryan didn’t see my tears.  But Ryan has these hawk like eyes that can see everything.  Literally.  “Dude, what’s wrong?” he asked.  “Nothing.” I said.  But Ryan knew better.  “Really, Tom, what’s wrong?”  I whispered, “I’m moving.”  Ryan’s jaw dropped open.  Then the bell rang.  “I’m sorry.” said Ryan, giving me a slap on the back.  I felt a tear roll down my cheek.  We rushed to our homeroom.  “Here.” said Ryan, taking a basketball handkerchief out of his backpack.  “Thanks.” I said, wiping my eyes.  We opened the door to homeroom and took our seats. I tried to give the handkerchief back to Ryan but he wouldn’t take it.  “It’s yours.” I said, putting it on his desk.  He put it back on mine.  “Ok class, we are going to start Language Arts.” said Mrs. Swirl.  “Boys.” she said, “pay attention.”  I definitely don’t want to be called a crybaby but I almost cried.

After a long day of school, I walked home with Ryan.  For a few minutes we walked in silence.  Then Ryan spoke up.  “I wrote down my phone number.”  He said uneasily.  “Here.”  I took the small piece of paper.  On it said:  RYAN’S PHONE NUMBER 207-555-6578.  I looked up.  “Thanks.” I said sadly.  “Where are you moving to?” asked Ryan.  “Washington D.C.” I said, kicking at all the rocks I saw.  Ryan stopped in his tracks.  “Washington D.C.?!?!” he yelled excitedly.  “Yeah.”  I said, surprised by his reaction.  “Dude, that’s awesome!” he said, jumping up and grabbing a branch from a tree.  “What’s so great about it?” I asked, curious to know what he was so excited about.

 “That’s where so many monuments are!” Ryan said, waving at a car.  “You will be able to look out the window and instead of seeing all the same types of houses, there will be
different colors, sizes and shapes everywhere!”  He continued.  “When you go to school, there will probably be black, white, even medium skin!”  Then an evil grin spread across his face.  “There will be chicks.” he said dreamily.  “Tell me about the cute ones ok?”  Ryan is possessed by girls.  I don’t see anything wrong with them.  “Your real mom used to live there, right?” asked Ryan.  “Yep.” I answered, amazed that Ryan could talk so fast.  “That was before she got killed in that car.”  Ryan pursed his lips.  “It’s ok.” I said, patting him on the back.  We came to my house.  Maybe diversity isn’t so bad, I thought.  I give it a rating of OK.

“Tom.  Tommy.  Tom. Tom. TOM!!!”  I woke up staring into my father’s eyes.  “Hey, Dad.”  I said, giving him a hug.  “Today’s the move.”  My good spirits were pushed back down.  The day I had dreaded had come.  I suddenly felt sick.  I quickly got dressed.  I ran down the hall into the bathroom.  “Auuuuuh.”  I threw up in the toilet.  “Tom?”  Mom asked from the kitchen.  “Are you ok?”  “Yeah.” I said, turning on the cold water.  I sprayed my face with the refreshing water.  Then I flushed the toilet.  I slowly ambled into the kitchen.  “Your father is outside helping the movers put everything into the van. Oh…” she picked up a piece of paper. “Found this.  Didn’t think you would want to lose it.”  She handed it to me.  It was Ryan’s number.  “Thanks.” I said, slipping it in my pocket.  “Go try to help your father.” she said. I stealthily stole a pancake from the stack and ran out the door.   I stopped in surprise.  My entire homeroom class was on my front lawn, even the bully, Gerry Lenniard.  Some were holding signs, and some were holding cards.  Ryan was standing in front of the class, beaming like he had just won a trophy.  I gave him a hug and said “Hi, and bye, dude.” Ryan wiped his eyes.  I did, too.  “Tom, let’s go.”  My dad honked his horn.  I looked over.  Everyone was ready to go.  I waved, then hopped into the car.  I waved out the window.  Ryan waved back.  I guess I must have fallen asleep because before I knew it, we were stopping for the night at a hotel in Nebraska.

For the next three days, we were like travelers. We would stop at a hotel for the night, in the morning have breakfast there, hit the rood, find a place to have lunch, find a place to have dinner, then stop at a hotel for the night and so on.  “I’m so bored.”  I told my mom on the third day.  “Well, I’m so sorry.”  she said, turning around in her seat.  “Are we going to have an apartment?”  I asked her, changing the subject.  “No.” said Mom.  “We are going to live in a house that is pretty much right outside the gates of the White House.”   “What?!?!” I screamed.  “That’s awesome! Who was the former owner?”  Mom looked worryingly at Dad.  Then she said, “Your, um, your…” I expected her to say my grandparents but I got a surprise. “…Your mom.” said Mom glancing at Dad.  I couldn’t believe it!  They were making me to go my dead mother’s house!  “We wanted to go there so you could learn a little more about her, since you were only two when, um, she passed away.”  I nodded.  “Look, there’s your school!” said Dad.  I looked out the window.  A red, blue and pink building was standing tall on a concrete platform.  Black and white children were walking up and down the sidewalks.  In big black letters, a sign said, Cheery Middle School.  “Now that’s a whole lot of diversity right there!” said Mom, laughing.  You know, I have to agree with her.  This was a  lot different than Bayside.  I looked again.  Maybe I was going to have a friend here.  Might have a girl in homeroom.  Maybe diversity is good.  For now, I’m calling it good.

The next day, on Tuesday, I helped Mom and Dad unpack everything.  I carried in my comic books and toys.  I opened the door and walked inside.  The place was humongous!  It had four stories with five flights of stairs.  I went up two flights and walked into a huge bedroom.  Three windows, a very high ceiling, and a small closet.  “Cool.” I whispered.  I dropped all my boxes down on the floor and started to unpack. While I had been unpacking, the movers had moved in my dresser, bed and nightstand.  They were now hauling in my desk.  I noticed they had different types of skins too.  I quickly slipped by them and ran up the next two flights of stairs and opened the first door I saw.  It was filled with books, notebooks and a bed.  I opened one of the journals.  I almost dropped it.  It was my mother’s diary.  I read Day 1, I just moved. Lots of diversity and people.  I stopped there. Maybe I wasn’t the only one who had just learned about diversity.  I smiled.  I wasn’t the odd man out.

The next day was school.  I walked by myself.  It felt weird not to have Ryan by my side.  I made it into homeroom just as the bell rang.  Nobody stared at me when I walked in.  But I stared at them.  There were five girls and five boys.  Half of the boys and girls were black, the other was white.  “Take your seats,” said a lady with large and round spectacles.  She looked at me.  “We have a new student,” she said.  “His name is Tom.  Tom, I am Mrs. Weasel.  Hope you get used to your new home.”  I looked around.  A few guys winked and a few girls smiled.  Diversity was turning out to be pretty cool. The first six periods passed by quickly.  Soon I was at lunch.  Black kids were sitting with whites.  Girls were sitting with boys.  The only problem was that I was sitting by myself.  I couldn’t wait until recess.   I quickly ate my sandwich, then threw everything else away.  Hurry.  Recess has to come quicker.

When recess finally came, I quickly explored around the area.  Everything was pretty much the same as Bayside. I ran back to see if I could nab the basketball.  But someone else had already got it.  I ran to the basketball court to see who it was.  Two guys, a black guy & and white, were playing a pretend basketball game with the ball.  I sat on the bench and watched.  Suddenly, a voice cried out, “Want to play?” I looked around.  No one there.  Except…I looked at the basketball players.  They had stopped playing.  The black player asked again, “Want to play?”  “Yeah.”  I got up and walked over to them.  “You start.” said the white dude.  “My name’s Alex.” said the black dude.  “This is my friend, Daniel.”  Daniel smiled.  “So you go first, uh,” Alex started.  “My name’s Tom” I told them.  “Ok Tom, shoot.” said Daniel.  I backed away ten feet and shot.  The ball bounced on the rim, then into the basket.  “Pretty good.” said Daniel.  Pretty soon we had fired up a good game.  When it was time to go inside, Daniel made a pouty face.  We all laughed.  After school I walked as slowly as I could across the parking lot.  I wished someone was there with me. Then Alex appeared.   “Let’s walk home together.” he said.  When we got to my house, I rang the doorbell.   Mom answered, “What in the world?” she asked, looking from Alex to me.  “This is my friend,” I said.  Mom smiled.  “Ok then, I should leave you two alone.”  She closed the door.  “Want to play basketball?” I asked Alex.  “Sure” he said.  So now I have new friends and a great mom and dad.  And for diversity, well, I have to say it’s awesome!!!

This is my first time writing on my blog , since my moms been typing all my stories on here.So it feels a little strange to be thinking that a lot of people could read every single word I type.But I wanted to say what I've been thinking all day:How do adults talk to each other,back and forth,without jumping up and down,and without interrupting each other????I think it's weird and not normal.When I tell my best friend a really good story,when she remembers something really funny,she jumps up and down,pointing her finger at me and interrupts.But don't get me wrong,she's a really good friend.As you can see,in the rest of my blog,I love to write.Especially about animals.I love them!I would do anything for them.I would like to save the most dogs in need of a home at the Humane Society.(When I grow up of course.)I've always loved horses.You can probably tell because of the title of the actual blog!The first time I was ever on a horse was when I was the age of two.I was screaming,''Look,mommy!Look!''Got to go now.My little sister has to have a turn on the computer.She'll still have a longer turn on it than me.She's sometimes as annoying as the little sister in the book I wrote!(PS:It was based on her!!!!)

The Werewolf of Great Wolf

Once upon a time, long, long ago there was a mountain where four woodcutters were building the first Great Wolf Lodge.  Every things was good except the pack of wolves that howled every night.  The wood cutters couldn't sleep.  The first night they thought, they will go away.  The second night the wolves howled, they thought, they will go away tomorrow.  The third night the wolves howled, the woodcutters thought, tomorrow we will put up a trap and catch those wolves.

So the next day they set up the trap.  It had a dead bunny inside to get the wolves inside.  That night the woodcutters didn't have a peaceful sleep, but they knew that sleep would come.  The next day the woodcutters finished building the first Great Wolf Lodge.  And they also caught a wolf!  As they removed the cage to the car, the wolf bit one of the men.  It wasn't a bad bite , so the men didn't worry about it.  That night the men slept peacefully, except for the man who got bit.  He felt a tingling sensation.  He felt his face.  Hair grew on it.  He suddenly had the urge to howl at the moon.  He opened the door and vanished into the night.  So from this day on, if you're at the Great Wolf Lodge, and if it's a full moon, you will hear the werewolf of Great Wolf Lodge.  Howoooooooooooo!!!!!!!

Earthquake

It was such a quiet and beautiful afternoon.  I was just sitting with my mom in her bedroom.  She was discussing with me what fun it is to be a kid if you were just happy.  Whatever.  Then, the ground started to shake.  I didn't pay attention to it.  Then it shook more & didn't stop.  I live in Maryland you know.  Mom then said, "Is the ground shaking?"  We could hear the door of the shower rattling and the TV swaying.  We both got off the bed.  Mom looked out the window.  By that time I was scared.  I started to run out the door.  Mom grabbed my arm.  "We should stay in the doorway."  I had tears in my eyes.  I held onto mom's waist & started crying.  Right then, it stopped.  Me & Mom ran out of the room.  I was shaking hard.  I couldn't stop.  We went downstairs to where Dad, Josie & Jamison were.  We went outside.  A couple of our neighbors were looking around from their driveways too.  "That was a scary earthquake," said Josie.  We went to our school to meet our teachers and when we got there everyone was leaving.  We parked the car & asked somebody if they knew if the building was being evacuated.  They said yes.  We left & went back home.  I ran upstairs to check on my gerbils.  They were fine.  So that was my really scary experience.  I never want to go through that again.

Grown Ups

"Come on Dutch"  I yelled.  "Nikki & Brownie are right behind us!"

I was grown up now.  Me & Nikki are neighbors.  Every morning we would bring our horses, Brownie & Dutch, out to the field to race.  Right now I was in the lead.

"Come on Dutch," I said gently.  "Just to the top of the hill." As if that quarter horse had heard me, she went a little faster.  By now Nikki & Brownie were right beside us!  I carefully reached over & poked Nikki in the shoulder.  She poked me back.  I laughed & turned my attention back to Dutch.  We were almost there!  I leaned forward.  Dutch could feel that I had given her the strength she needed.  She trudged forward.  but Brownie was already in front & had reached the top of the hill.  "Uh Man!" I cried.

When I reached the top of the hill, I dismounted.  I gave Dutch a pat.  Then I held Dutch's reins & waited for Nikki.  She did the same & we walked down the hill.  When we had untacked our horses, me & Nikki went into the field.  "This is for beating me," I said.  I tackled Nikki & we rumbled in the grass.  I thought, I don't feel like a grownup.  I feel like a child.  We stopped tackling each other & laid on the grass, looking up at the sun.  The sun hurt my eyes.  Then I noticed some things have solutions.  If the sun hurts your eyes, wear sunglasses.  And if Brownie & Nikki beat me, I'll practice with Dutch and finally beat them.  A smile crept on my face.  Tomorrow, just wait till tomorrow...

Later the same day I was eating lunch with Nikki.  "I'm going outside," I said.  Before I could even reach the door, Nikki stopped me.  "You don't have to practice," she said.  "You know Dutch is faster than Brownie.  I just gave her extra sweet feed."  I was relieved.  "Let's go ride the horses for fun," I said.  "Sure" said Nikki.

We went outside.  I had sneaked an apple for Dutch.  I hope Nikki didn't notice.  When we got inside the barn, we split up.  I went into the tack room to get the tack for both of the horses while Nikki groomed them.  When I got into the barn with the tack, Nikki was already grooming Dutch.  She always grooms Brownie first.

"Done." she said, throwing the hoof pick into the bin.  "Let's get them tacked up."  Me & Nikki finished tacking in two minutes.  We got their reins & headed into the field.  When we started to trot, we heard a siren.  Well, not just A siren.  A police siren!  We stopped as the car rolled into the gravel.  Me & Nikki galloped to it.  A little man came out of the car.  He had a police outfit on.  "Mr. Linder," I said. "What are you doing here?"

"I am here," started Mr. Linder, "to tell you that you still don't have enough money to pay for those horses."

"Oh yeah, I forgot," said Nikki.

"You will have to sell them if you can't pay for them in two weeks."

"Oh no!" I said,  "You can't take them!"

"Two weeks." said Mr. Lender.  "Remember."  And just like that, the little man was gone.

Right when he left, I said, "We have to rob a bank."

"WHAT?" said Nikki, "We can't do that!"

"We have to save our horses," I said.

"Ok, but how do we get in?" asked Nikki?

"Use the horses to get in and use a paperclip to open the door.  We can take the rottweilers for pets.  It's easy."

"Ok," said Nikki.  "I don't know how you talked me into this."  So me & Nikki planned that we would rob the bank tonight.

The only thing I heard on our way to the bank was the horses hooves clopping on the pavement & Nikki complaining.  "I feel like a child," she had grumbled.  "We are grown ups, right?"

"Yes" I said every time she asked.  Every few minutes I would feel nervous.  Then I would bend down and pat Dutches neck and say "for the horses."  When we finally reached the bank I was really nervous.  What if we got caught?  We would go to jail.  I pushed the thought to the back of my mind.  I looked up at the bank. In the dark it looked creepy.  "Let's go," I said, pulling out a paperclip.  Me & Nikki dismounted then tied the horses to a pole.  I sticked the paperclip into the door and opened it.  We were in.  Suddenly dogs started barking & ran toward us.  "Rottweilers! Halt!" I said gently.  The dogs slowly crept toward me then stopped. A big rottweiler came over and started licking me.  "Nikki" I said quietly, "I want to take this one."  But Nikki didn't hear me.  She was being licked to death by a huge German Shepard.  "I...want...to...take...this one." she said.   "Ok," I said. "We have to find the money."  We crept through dark corridors with Banker the rottweiler & Buddy the German Shepard.  Finally, we reached a door with a big lock.  "This must be the door," I said.  I reached in the bag & got out 2 hammers.  I gave one to Nikki.  We started banging on the lock.  In twenty minutes it opened.  We crept inside.  Money was everywhere!

"Grab a sack & put it in my bag," I told Nikki.  She grabbed one.  I put it in my bag.  "Let's go" I said.  We went through the corridors with Banker & Buddy still behind us.  When we reached the outside, four hands reached out & grabbed us.  I recognized the face of Mr. Linder.  One other police man was with us.  "You're going to court," snarled the other police man.  This can't be happening. I thought.

Then I heard a loud bark & Banker and Buddy were biting the police men's legs.  "OWWWW" they yelled, "Get off dumb mutts!"  But the dogs wouldn't give up.  All the way to the police car, the dogs stayed.  "Just let us take the dogs & horses with us" me & Nikki begged.  "Fine." said the police officers.  "At least we have a trailer"  Me & Nikki got the horses & brought them up the ramp.  I took off Dutches' bridle & stuff and Brownie's too.  We got into the police car with Banker & Buddy.  I knew we were busted.

Me & Nikki were sitting on the cold, hard chairs of court.  I was petting Banker's head.  Nikki wouldn't let go of Buddy, as if he was a protection shield.  We will be ok. I told myself.  We will be ok.  The sound of shrill whinnies split the air.  I knew it was Dutch & Brownie.  They missed us.  I sniffed, then wiped my nose with my sleeve.  Then the judge banged his hammer on the desk.  "Order!  Order!" he yelled.  Me & Nikki slumped in our seat.  Many people turned to look at us.

"We are here to announce that Nicole F & Jackie W have robbed a bank for no reason." said the judge.

"But we do have a reason!" yelled Nikki.

"What would that be?" asked the judge.

"We stole money because we wanted to keep our horses." we both blurted out.

Mr. Linder was about to say something, but the other police man said, "Why didn't you say so?  You can have some money."

"But they didn't pay for their horses, Randy" said Mr. Linder.  "Who cares?" asked Randy.  "They deserve money if they robbed a bank just to save their horses."

The judge slammed his hammer on the table.  "They are free of guilt!"

"YES!!!" Me & Nikki yelled.  Banker & Buddy barked.  I heard Dutch & Brownie whinny outside.  I danced around the court.  Everyone stared at me.  I was too excited to be embarrassed.  "Can we go now?" I asked the judge.  "Yes." he said.  Me & Nikki ran out of the court house with Buddy & Banker barking excitedly behind us.  We got the horses out of the trailer & galloped bareback.  Banker & Buddy were always in front of us.  "What if we have to rob another bank?" I asked.

"We can do it," said Nikki, "because we are grown ups."

I smiled.

THE END

The Adventures of Penny, Mary & Black: The Big Race

Jackie came running into the paddock.  "LOOK!" she yelled.  "It's a letter for Black!"

Black and the horses came running.  "Here, read it!"  said Jackie.  

It said,

Dear Black,

     We are having a race on, September 16, 2010.  

"That's after tomorrow!" squealed Penny.

"Keep reading, Black," said Mary.

So Black went on...

We know that you are a fast horse.  We would like for you to come and compete.  We will be running for four hours, starting at 1:00 in the afternoon and ending at 5:00.  If you want to compete, please come to Easy Street in Owings.  We will start there.  No rider allowed!

From Horse Racing Company

Black looked up while Jackie tucked the paper in her bag.  "Well, I had better start packing," said Black.

"Why?" asked Penny.

"Because I want to do the race!" said Black.

"But Black, you wouldn't do this to me!" complained Jackie.

"What am I doing to you?" asked Black.

"I want to race with you but the rules are No Rider Allowed!" she started sobbing.  

"But Jackie, it's only four hours!" cried Penny.  Jackie stopped sobbing.  

"Ok, Black, promise me you can win the race!" pleaded Jackie

"Alright!" said Black.  "But you have to promise me that you will help me pack."

"ok" said Jackie.  She turned to Penny & Mary.  "You guys are going to have to help me get stuff out of the attic."

"Ok" the girls replied back.  Black was already in his stall. "I had better say goodbye to this stall" he said.

Penny walked in, "The race is only for four hours!"

"Oh right!" said Black.  

"Black!  Black!" called Jackie & Mary from the attic.  

"What?" Black yelled back.

"Get some carrots from the refrigerator!"  

"Ok," he said.  He went into the kitchen.  His hooves made a clip clop sound on the hardwood floor.  "This is easy peasy!" he said as he opened the refrigerator door.  Then PLOP!  All the food tumbled out.  "HELP!" yelled Black.

Mary, Penny & Jackie ran into the kitchen.  "OH BLACK!" they all yelled.  "It was an accident," he said, as they helped him to his feet.  "So this is why my mom told me never to invite a horse into the house!" said Jackie.  

"Black!" they screamed as he stood up.  "You look like a food salad!"  He sure did.  He had ketchup with salad sticking to his body.  Milk was in his mane.  "We have to hose you off" said Jackie.

"No!" yelled Black.

"We have to wash you off anyways before the race," said Penny.  

"Can we go in the field and do it?" asked Black.  "Sure" said the girls.

They washed him off.  "Guys, it's getting late," said Mary.  "We had better get to bed," said Penny.  

"Lets..."Jackie paused to yawn, "let's go to bed"  They went to their stalls.  "Goodnight" said Jackie as she went into her room.  

The next morning they were all in the field.  "Ok Black, go around three times," said Jackie.  Black was on the lead rope.  He was prancing around not tired at all.  

"Ok, I think you're ready!" said Penny.  

"Really?" asked Black as he stopped.  

"Really!  We think you're the fastest horse in the universe."

"Gee thanks guys!" said Black sheepishly.  

"All right, let's have lunch," said Jackie.  While they were eating, Black asked, "Are you guys going to watch me race?"  Nobody said a word.  Penny broke the silence, "I think we can, right Mare?"

"I think so!  Jackie do you think..." she stopped mid sentence.  Jackie was sobbing again with Black nuzzling her cheek.  "It's ok!" he said.  Penny came over.

"Like I told you," said Penny. "It's only for four hours!"

"I'm not upset about that!" she cried.

"Then why are you crying?" they all yelled.  "I can't come to the race!" she said.  "I have a whole bunch of papers to do and I can't come!"  She started crying again.  "Jackie, said Black, "you don't have to go through this just because you can't see me!"  Penny, Mary & Jackie just stared at him.  "WOW," they said.  "You've never been that considerate to us."

"Well, I guess I just learned that I don't have to be dumb."  He caught a quick glimpse of Penny.  She was blushing.  "So who wants dessert?" yelled Jackie.  "ME!" they all cried!

Jackie gave all three of them four sugar cubes each.  "Tomorrow is the big day!" said Jackie.  "Time to hit the sack."  They went into their stalls and said goodnight.  

The next morning Jackie was helping Black get groomed.  After he was sleek black, "I'm ready," he said.  So at 1:00 they were off.  Jackie was riding Mary because she didn't want to get Black's hair dirty.  When they got there Black started to groan.  "Oh no.  Brono is here!"

"Who's Brono?" the girls asked.  "Before I came to you guys I was a racing horse. Brono raced against me.  Only one time did I win.   I also broke my leg racing him."  He shook his head.  

"You broke your leg?" screamed Mary?  "Yeah.  You want to see Brono?" he asked them.  The girls slowly nodded.  "Ok, that's him!" he said pointing his muzzle at the big strong lookin' horse.  He was bigger than Black and I think it would be okay if you thought he was fat.  He had brown streaks that went all the way across his body.  Jackie, Penny and Mary turned to Black.  But he wasn't looking at them.  Penny went beside him to see what he was lookin' at.  When she saw what he was looking at she started to giggle.  

ALL RACE HORSES REPORT TO THE RACE TRACK!  ALL RACE HORSES REPORT TO THE RACE TRACK!

"Ok, see you guys after the race."  He raced the other horses to the starting line.  

On your mark, get set, GO!

The sound of thundering hooves beat the ground.  "Oh and I forgot to tell you guys..." said Jackie.

"What?" they asked.

"I finished that paper work.  That's why I was able to come."

"Oh that's great!" said Mary & Penny.  Then the loud speaker was on again...

BRONO AND BLACK IN THE LEAD!  NO!  MILKSHAKE IS CATCHING UP!

"Who's Milkshake?" asked Jackie.  

"I'm guessing that she's Black's girlfriend, maybe?" said Mary.

The loudspeaker was on again...

THREE HORSES IN THE LEAD!  WOW!  THIS IS HISTORY! LET'S PUT THE SOUND ON THE HORSES SHALL WE?

They heard Milkshake say "Hi Boys."  Brono & Black stared lovingly at the beautiful pinto.  Then suddenly Black lost his footing.  He tumbled to the ground.  Brono & Milkshake were in the lead!  Black got steadily to his feet.  He looked at the figures of Brono & Milkshake.  He thought about Jackie, Penny & Mary.  The thought about the trophy.  He started to gallop.  Not a normal gallop.  A very, very, very fast gallop.  He caught up with Milkshake & Brono.  Instead of being left behind with Brono, Milkshake came up with Black. Jackie, Mary & Penny were screaming at the top of their lungs.  As Brono slowed down, all the other horses came thundering past.  "I wanted that girl," he murmured from under his breath.  The loud speaker was on again...

AND IT'S AND IT'S...Mary, Penny and Jackie pleaded it was Black. IT'S A TIE! shouted the loud speaker. "YES!" the girls yelled!  They went over to greet Black & Milkshake.  They were nuzzling noses.  Someone came over & gave them both a trophy.  "We knew you could do it!" said the girls as they ran over.  Jackie flung her arms over Black's neck.  "Good job, Black!" she gave him a kiss on the nose.  "Not in front of Milkshake," he murmured.  Jackie went over to Milkshake.  "Congratulations!" she said as she patted her nose.  Suddenly Milkshake's owner called her.  "Master calls," she said.  

Black turned to her, "So I guess this is to say bye."  

"Yeah," said Milkshake.  "But I think we'll see each other again.  Where do you live?"

"At Whitestone Farm."

"Ok, I'll see you around." she galloped off.  

When they got home, Jackie put the trophy on the trophy shelf.  When they got in their stalls Black said, "I'm going to visit Milkshake."

"Yep" whispered Penny, "he's still his normal self.

The End.

Dogs

Dogs are friendly animals.  So let me tell you a folk tale story about a dog. 

There was a dog, and his name was Red.  All the other dogs laughed at him for his color.  They were all brown.  Red, the red dog, was very sad.  The brown dogs didn't play with him.  To tell you, this story is like what Martin Luther King did.  What do you know about him? 

So back to Red.  He sighed and ran away.  He talked to himself, "Why can't I be like them?"

A sudden loe voice said, "You are different because that's how you are special."  Red looked up.

"Who are you?" he asked. 

"I'm your future human, Red"  Now Red could make out a man's voice.  The man said, "Go tell those dogs that you are special just the way you are."
And Red did just that.  The other dogs listened, then broke into howls. 

"We'll let you play!" said one.  "Yeah, we will" said another. 

That's how dogs came to be different colors.  And for Red, well he sure did get that future human.  And a whole new family too.

The End

Moral:  You are special no matter how big or small.