The Outsider

"Hi Molly, it has been years, sorry about that. I guess you could not block out Angel and the ranch. I have a boy named Tommy. I want you to talk to him."

"Hello?"

"Hi Tommy, my name is Molly, Miss Daisy's closest human friend. Angel was Miss Daisy's very first friend ever, so talking to you about her made her excited."

"Tommy, tell me about yourself."

"Well, I am eight. Mommy wanted me to talk to Miss Daisy about a prayer log. I met some new friends, Kathy and B. They were taking many bird pictures when we met. They even have a blog."

"Miss Daisy can never turn down a bird watching hike; if she agrees, maybe you can go to a local public stable, and ride sometime. At one time, she and I were both expert horse riding teachers, and she would teach those hands at the stable a thing or three."

"Um, Miss Molly, she told me you were calling her before the phone rang?"

"I know, weird huh. We always had that kind of bond, it works both ways, whenever there is a strong emotional response, that we can't block out. I was in a prayer meeting across the country when God told me Daisy became a Christian. I yelled at the top of my lungs. God will let you know things in the way you need to hear them. Find a good friend near your age to be a prayer partner; I will guarantee you that you will be friends for life."

"I pray for Miss Kathy, Mommy, and B, Miss Molly, every day."

"Great to hear that. Daisy and I lived on the ranch; we related to things about nature. Picture yourself on a single grain of wet sand next to a raging river. You need someone else's help to get to the next grain, and you will help people also. Eventually, you will make it to the first moss covered slippery pebble, and the wind will make you slip and slide. You will make a lot of wrong turns. That is OK Tommy; you need to make those wrong turns to get stronger."

"If God so deems it, you will make it to the big rapids in the middle of the river. No one is strong enough to make it through, but the cross will give you a bridge; The Holy Spirit will guide you through the whole process, even before you are a Christian."

"The Holy Spirit will guide and comfort you before and hopefully after you become a Christian. If you get to the point where you confess your sins to Christ, that is when things get interesting; you just declared war on Satan. Don't worry Tommy, God doesn't lose his children; he knows them from the very beginning."

"Thanks, Miss Molly.

Tommy gave the phone back to Miss Daisy, and she talked to Molly for some time and promising to call back soon.

Tommy gave a sly grin. "Miss Daisy, Mis Molly said you might take me horseback riding."

"Tommy, let me do a little homework, and we will talk next Sunday."

When Daisy arrived home, she pulled out her laptop and did a search, A link to a website popped up.

"My, OH, My. I can't believe it."

Daisy was dialing the phone," Hello, can I talk to the owner please?"

"Speaking, who is this?"

"They call me Miss Daisy. I was the vet in town sixty years ago."

"I was hoping to get a grand tour of the place. How much would it cost for something like that, maybe more than one day?"

"Miss Daisy, as in Miss Daisy?"

"I don't know about that, but I grew up on the ranch."

"You have to meet my Dad, it would make his year. You are a legend in this family."

"Would you mind if I gave your horses a quick once over when I get there? I miss working with the animals."

Daisy called Molly right back. "OK Miss trouble maker, if you are going to get me on the back of a horse again, then so are you. We are going home again. Do you still have all those pictures from Miss Zoe's camera? I need you to do something for a friend of ours."

Molly squealed, "We are going home again!"

On Daisy's walk through she noticed a Philly that was in distress.

"What's the matter girl? Why are you hurting? Daisy gently touched her belly, the horse flinched. "Tender tummy? We will get you feeling better; don't you worry girl. I would get this one and the Sire in the corner to the vet today. You can see the pain in their eyes."

Daisy made it there in time. In two more weeks, the horses would be far worse and harder to treat.

The day after the owner greeted his guests, they all mounted up; today the owner's Dad was present.

Molly asked if she could take Tommy back to the creek to show him something. Tommy was beside the river letting the horses drink. Molly said, "Tommy look at the rock beside the creek, what do you see?"

"Pebbles Miss Molly, with moss on them."

"Remember what I told you on the phone about God?"

"That he would put me on moss-covered pebbles, and I would fall a lot because of the wind and raging waters."

A hand approached the group, his horse at full gallop.

"Boss, Joe called, he is hurt. He fell off his horse, and a large stone fell and broke his legs. He is not sure how long he can keep his head above the water."

"Where?"

Molly and Daisy nodded their heads. "Tommy hold onto his mane and keep up. We need your help!"

"Why are all you waiting? Joe is my friend, and I will be damned if he dies on my watch," yelled the owner's Dad. With that, he galloped off following the trio.

The cowhands were extremely confused. How could these two know where to go with a simple nod? Why is his boss letting them lead?"

Tommy's Dad said, "What are you waiting for wife? Tommy needs us. I have never been on a horse before either; I am willing to risk anything for Tommy."

Tommy couldn't believe he was jumping log after log like Miss Daisy.

The accident happened far away, near some waterfalls. The current was faster there. Molly and Daisy had to use every short cut and all their knowledge of horses to get there on time.

Finally, they arrived. Joe was gasping for breath, and trying to spit out as much water as he could. "Tommy, kneel in the water and put his head on your thighs, keep his head out of the water."

The owner's Dad arrived shortly after. The owner's party got lost several times.

"My legs aren't the best, but I can get the wood for splints. I can't believe my son does not carry any extra rope. Tommy, try your hardest to keep his head out of the water."

Soon the reins came off Daisy's and Molly's horses and were wrapped tightly around Joe's leg splints. Tommy used his shirt to make a sling for Joe's arm and his belt to immobilize it. Molly and Daisy put Joe on Tommy's horse for a job well done.

The ambulance already left for St. Luke's when the owner and his group reached home.

The owner's Dad ripped into his son like never before, "Where were you? Don't you know your way around your ranch? Can't your horses jump yet? Where was the rope, flashlight, compass, map, matches, and something to write with?"

Dad was exasperated. "Miss Daisy, Miss Molly, would you consent to teach us to ride and jump?"

The cowpokes were snickering at the comment.

"Gentlemen, you are insulting Miss Molly and Miss Daisy. They grew up on this ranch. They know every inch of it. Miss Daisy became the town's vet while Miss Molly was the ranch foreman. They found Joe; we got lost several times on our ranch. This stops now.

"In your saddlebags, you will carry a large first-aid kit, all the things my Dad mentioned as well as tools for work. On your person you will have a charged phone with recharging cable and external battery. On the saddle will be ten to fifteen feet of rope."

"As for your thoughts about them knowing how to ride, Miss Daisy won a jumping competition when she was nine. Miss Molly won other trophies. We were ill prepared to save Joe today. Do I need to elaborate on the significance of that?"

The owner's Dad put a newspaper on the table. The cowpokes went slack-jawed. "Is that you Miss Daisy? You won the same cup as Miss Dawn did. How is that possible?"

Daisy commented, "Tommy, did you see how God worked through you today?"

"No Ma'am."

"Tommy, you saved Mr. Joe's life today. God told you how to keep his head out of the water, you rode with us, even though you never did it before. You made a sling and used your belt and brought Joe home, so the people at Saint Luke's could take care of him."

"You told me all that."

"Tommy, I am but a vehicle of His words. Never take anything for granted. He is in charge of everything. He knows you inside and out. Don't put God in a box, He won't fit."

"Tommy do you think this is a onetime thing, or is God training you for something much bigger, too big for us to contemplate?"

"Sir, before our special dessert, can I take a peek into your office?"

"Sure."

"MOLLY!" Daisy broke down into Molly's arms weeping uncontrollably.

Molly ran to the office and stopped dead in her tracks; she held Daisy."

"What's the matter with Miss Daisy?"

"The pictures, she has not seen them in sixty years. The one on the left is Angel, there may be several behind that one, and the one on your right is Beauty, Angel's Mother and Miss Sarah's and her Mother's horse. It is the etching in the door."

"She must have them."

"Only if I can give your Dad a couple of gifts." Molly went out to her car.

"Is this it? It looks beautiful. I will treasure it."

"It is. Where would you like us to sign it?"

"Wow, I thought it was a story."

Dad went into his old office, opened a secret drawer in the desk, and retrieved a second newspaper and placed it on the table.

"Tommy, these two are the last people on the planet to have seen this bird in the wild." Molly and Daisy signed the pictures and the newspaper.

It took over an hour for Daisy and Molly to make the milkshakes; all were banned from the kitchen. The two were talking to each other as if they were still ten-years-old. They were in total empath mode when talking about what to add to the shakes. When serving, they only gave a cryptic message.

"Miss Sarah was a master at tricking your taste buds."

Tommy neutralized some of the lemon juice on the top, by digging right in. This was already anticipated, so three different flavors of pop rocks countered the measure. As they started to pop, Tommy slowed down to savor the milkshake.

The others took it slow. After the lemon juice froth were pop rocks, flavor packets, eggnog, a unique ice crème, liquified, and vanilla ice cream scoops to name a few. They tasted the full taste spectrum after the sour came explosions of flavor from all directions.

The next morning, under Molly's and Daisy's supervision, the now humbled cowpokes started to reassemble the low level jumping corral. They needed to teach their horses what to do if there was an obstacle. Today's lesson was short, and everyone had to get familiar with the new situation. Molly knew what was coming up, the trap.

Daisy was in her element; she had everyone lined up and was riding her horse sideways, like a General inspecting her troops.

"Who would not mind losing, even if a higher principle were involved?"

Only Tommy, Molly, and Daisy raised their hands. Tommy was disappointed his parents did not raise their hands.

"Molly, can you explain why you raised your hand?"

"Well, Miss Daisy, when I grew up on this ranch, our teacher, Miss Dawn, and her mother, pledged to their horses never to whip them. Miss Dawn's Mom was of the thinking that even if you came in last place, you could hold your head high that you kept your word. It must have worked, as each had trophy cases of more than two hundred ribbons and trophies.

"Miss Daisy, can I relate a story about why we are doing this today?"

"Yes, you may."

"Well, it was night time. I was riding Spirit, my pure white pony into town, holding our brightest flashlight. Then two cars came racing around the corner; we found out later that one was speeding at 120 miles per hour and the other near 110. I had no time to react, but because, for fun, I was teaching Spirit how to jump logs and small creeks, she found a safe place to land, the flashlight I was holding lay shattered on the road. Spirit saved my life."

"I was terrified, so I called Miss Dawn to pick me up. Along the way she found the rear car wrapped around the Great Oak. The following day we found the other car, flipped over into the creek. Miss Penny lost her brother, as well as both of their dates, also a brother and sister."

"Daisy, the horse show is coming to town. Perhaps the hands would learn faster by watching, and having a little fun."

Tommy's Mom borrowed a camera and phoned Miss Kathy and B just how to adjust the settings. What Tommy didn't know was his Mom talked Kathy and B to cut short their Grand Isle vacation and come to the Image of God for four days.

Every night, Daisy, Tommy, and Molly looked at what was new on the blog. B set things up so every day you would see different kinds of birds. Their two-camera system worked well, as it allowed for two different perspectives of the same shot. Kathy took the shots where it looked like the bird was looking into your soul; B took the more ordinary shots. After a little bit of editing the image popped off the page.

The guests plus the owner and his father would leave early for the fair, and the hands would join later after some of the chores at the ranch were finished.

Tommy, never attending such an event before wanted to be there early. An official's ears perked up as he was walking near the admissions gate as Miss Daisy approached the counter. The owner's Dad spoke up.

"Is it true that past winners and children get in free ma'am?"

"Yes Sir, I didn't charge for the child."

"Let me present to you Miss Molly and Miss Daisy. I believe they both qualify as past winners."

"Miss Daisy? As in the closest contest of this fair, Miss Daisy?"

'" Well, I was a mere nine-year-old at the time, and Molly was eleven, but we both qualify as past winners. Molly and Spirit entered in the speed events."

The fair official walked over to Miss Molly and Daisy, who asked, "Would you permit me for them to open the fair today for us? Most past winners never would draw the interest that you two did."

Molly said, "If you want, I will take the American flag out into the center of the arena in all its glory, while Daisy can ride around with the horse show banner and she can join me. I made other people make promises to me about showboating on a horse; I don't intend to do that myself."

And so it was when officials announced the duo, the crowd erupted. Miss Daisy seemed to be almost a legend, and Molly, being a leader, changed so many people's lives in the area.

Many of the hands felt having their horse step over a cross on the corral was foolish. It was not until they saw the precision and beauty of the jumpers that they realized the commitment that had to be made to train. Many walked into the paddock area to talk to the riders. The skill of the jumpers far surpassed anything the hands could even dream.

"Miss, I am ashamed to say it, but when Miss Daisy had us stepping over a one-foot cross it seemed to me to be foolish. Now I see all of the jumpers doing three and four rail fences which gives me an appreciation to the commitment you made to the sport."

"I couldn't do what Miss Daisy did at her age. I think most of us at the show could learn a few things from her, even though most of us have been jumping twenty years. The best kids' year I ever had was my last one where I finally got into the finals, finishing in sixth place. Daisy came in and beat the reigning champion of several years her first time out."

"I heard my granddad was at the show back then. Miss Dawn, Molly and Daisy, and friends came in and destroyed the whole pecking order we all had. Miss Dawn set two track records that still stand."

"I only had one spanking while I was growing up; it was not something I wished to have repeated. It happened when I wanted to use a crop on my horse to go faster."

"I guess Dad thought if I had a personal, first-hand account of knowledge of what she was feeling like when she was getting cropped, I would think differently about using a whip. He was right. That night I gave my solemn pledge to her to never whip her. If I miss a final because several others used one, then I guess it was not my year to win."

"I love her. We have been through so much together, it would be a betrayal. Would you ever want to do that to someone you love? Remember, a pledge is a principle. My children are young; they know I would have no qualms about teaching them this lesson."

"Well, Ma'am, I never thought about it like that. What kind of person would I be if I went around 'breaking my word to?' I would not even want to be a friend to myself. Thank you for explaining it in such clear terms."

"Well, I got to go. I was only entered in one event today, knocked over two rails. I finished in eighth place. The only one I beat out was the one that refused a jump. Competitive jumping is tough, even turning your head the wrong way at the wrong time could slow you down enough to lose. You always have to look forward and stay balanced in the saddle."

Miss Daisy doted on Tommy. By the time they hit the midway, Mom was almost on her fourth HDSD memory card. Through trial and error, Mom was getting better. It didn't take long for Tommy to find out why they were at the midway. "Look, Miss Daisy, Eagles!"

"Why don't you go over and find out what you have to do to win one. Then we will try."

"He said you had to throw the ring on the tiny milk bottle at the very back row; he never saw anyone win one."

"Well, Tommy, there is always a first for everything."

The man behind the booth gave Tommy five rings.

"Tommy, would you mind if I try one? You go first then I will try."

Momma knew something was up and she moved on Miss Daisy's throwing side.

The first two Tommy threw fell well short. The next hit a bottle and the last one he had gone around the neck of a rubber ducky; it was not what he wanted to win.

Momma crouched down with her camera so that she could capture the entire throwing arc of Miss Daisy's ring. All the drama drew a big crowd; all eyes were on Miss Daisy. She slowly brought her arm back, then flung the ring as she extended her arm, back flip after back flip, flying over row after row. The tiny bottle drew the ring to itself like a magnet. The ring bounced off the back of the container; the audience gave out a gasp, then the ring fell forward encircling the tiny bottle.

"Oh yeah, the old lady still has the knack." Miss Daisy went into her Snoopy dance.

"For the record, that is six rings and six Eagles I won from here."

Miss Daisy handed Tommy her phone. Soon, the ring tone 'You have a friend in me' was sounded.

"Hello?"

"So, Tommy, did you thank Miss Daisy for winning you that Eagle? She has always been such a show-off. None of the hands would play horseshoes with her when we were kids."

"Hi Miss Molly, yes I did. She is still dancing around."

"That sounds like her. There is a group of us in the grandstand watching the sulkies. They are fancy carriages. Take your Mom on the Ferris wheel so we can see your prize."

Mom didn't want to go but realized she had little choice. The sun was just about to set; the view would be fantastic.

The hands went home on staggered shifts, so they could do the chores that needed to be done back at the ranch.

Even though it was well past Tommy's bedtime, a campfire was in order. Tommy was over-stimulated, and the fire could lull him to sleep. Molly showcased her musical ability on her guitar. Just before everyone was going to sleep several hands threw their crops into the fire.

A tear streaked down Daisy's cheek. "Beauty, Angel, Apache, Spirit, and all the others thank you."

The following night, Molly kept checking the window.

"B turn off your headlights when you go in. We have fifteen minutes to take all the pictures; Miss Daisy told me where to go."