My life on a desert island
When I woke I was on a desert island. Palm trees surrounded me and the sea cornered me. The wind was warm and I lay down on the soft sand. The sea raged before me. One thought came to my bewildered mind: Food!
I kicked a tree. Five coconuts fell down. I smashed them and ate them. Then I did the same only with bananas. Not as good as wheat, I have to admit. I then found a small damp cave where the mosquitos could not get me. Too small for bats as well, after I moved in.
After another dinner of bananas and coconuts, I bathed in the sea. Glorious! Little dolphins swam around me as I paddled through the open waves. Fish surrounded me as I headed for the shore. Diving and ducking, getting seawater in my mouth every second.
As I walked on the soft sand, water droplets skidded off my wet back like little diamonds. I was wet through so I trotted around to get dry. There was no warm towel to rub me dry. Soon I was reasonably dry. The sand made a nice resting place. I napped for a bit then ate some bananas. I was a bit restless then so I went off to explore.
Up two mountains, across five valleys, I marched and trotted, cantered and galloped! Gibbons screeched and monkeys yelled. I almost flew I was going so fast! Then I stopped. I was out of breath. Beautiful birds flew over my head. I never noticed birds in the town.
The earth was soft and lovely for my hooves to touch. Tree leaves were scattered across the floor. They had no trees in the town, apart from deadly black ones which stayed bare, even in summer.
I carefully trotted briskly back to my cave. Monkeys and gibbons were in the trees all around me. I gently drifted off to sleep… again!
The next time I woke up it was morning. I smashed open some coconuts and ate them with a few bright yellow bananas. Some people might have felt lonely being on a desert island all alone. Others might have felt sad. Some might even have felt angry! But I just felt completely calm.
After a glorious swim in the sparkling blue sea, I ate some more bananas and had a little canter through the little rippling waves. This is the life! I laughed to myself. After that I saw a small thing in the distance. I say thing because there wasn’t really anything to describe it as, apart from a small dot supposedly coming straight for the island.
After I had had a walk through the forest that, well, dot, had come even closer. I was getting worried. What if it was a horse butcher? Or a vampire? Silly fantasies crept into my head.
When I pranced around the beach, waiting for the spot to arrive, I thought ‘Maybe it is just a bit of rubbish? A bit of wreckage?’ This helped calm myself down.
Suddenly it was there. A small, makeshift raft. Hardly anything to talk about. It was tied together with colourless rope. On it was a makeshift sail. Only a pole with a shirt tied to it. On the raft was a bucket, an oar and a dirty-faced person. Albert! Would he ever get away from me?
His suit and top hat was gone. Now he wore dirtied clothes and no shoes. He had obviously been travelling for days without food, but plenty of water (!), if you know what I mean.
His grand stride was gone as he waded ashore. He stumbled over to me. He must have recognised me.
“Chama.” He mumbled. “Found you. Got you.”
He then collapsed into a heap. I picked him up with my teeth and dragged him to the shelter of my rocky cave.
When he awoke from his deep sleep he was obviously ready to work. He gathered sticks together and made a wall around the cave. He measured me with his hands and made the door hole wide enough for me.
He then chipped away at the rock and made a window. He put curtains on it and wooden shutters, curtains to keep the sun out and wooden shutters to keep the mosquitos out.
He used some rags that had washed up on the sandy shore to make me a bed. He then made himself a smaller but more organised bed. He could climb trees like a monkey and grab bananas and coconuts and throw them down to me. I’d grab them with my teeth and put them on a pile.
Albert never seemed to tire of anything! While I slept he made my vast cave into an outstanding cave house!
I lay on my bed, very impressed, while he put a small, coconut shell bowl on to the makeshift stove. He made me fish, banana and coconut soup. I gladly let him have more than me; I had had many snacks that day.
I slept happily and content. I had my owner, plenty of food, and no harness, what more could I want? Albert was happy too, I guess. Being with me after we were separated not just once but twice! He was a strong kid.
The next morning I watched as he started fishing. He used a spear and a net. He first speared the fish and then he threw them into the net. He also sometimes threw the odd fish to me. I liked that.
There was never much conversation between us, only friendship. Simple words of encouragement had meant nothing to me at home. But here, they meant a lot. Just a simple ‘Go on Chama!’ made me speed up enormously. I would fly through the trees, or it would seem like it, because I went so fast!
Now he spent even more time with me. Every night he would snuggle up to me and every day he would ride me bareback and keep me close. We did everything together now.
All the time he was looking worried. I think it was because he didn’t want anyone to take me away. I didn’t either, it wasn’t a nice thought. All the time he stroked me and patted me, and for 5 years we stayed on the island and lived happily ever after. Boring! And Lying!
You know that I always attract trouble, right? Well one sunny (as always) day, Albert and I were riding along the beach. Albert loving the sea air and I was getting bored. (As always)
Albert suddenly looked at the sea without his usual twinkle in his eye. He had seen something. That something was a prison boat! We both stood there speechless. Children and horses cried and neighed from the barred windows. In grey on black in big letters it said:
‘The Black House Ship
Property of Black-Eyed Pete’
I suddenly did not want to know who Black-Eyed Pete was. Before I could say anything, the ship was upon us. Great big thing it was, dirty too I bet, and a gangplank made of blood splattered oak tumbled down onto the sand.
There was Black-Eyed Pete. He had two black as ebony eyes, a black as ebony beard and wore the dirtiest pirate clothes ever! He had a dirty cutlass in his horrible, dirty clothes.
“So these are our new inmates. Walk ‘um in!” Bellowed Black-Eyed Pete.
We did as we were told. We walked up the gangplank and into a big corridor, off deck, which had rooms with dying children and horses in them either side.
We were in a small, dirty room. Together though! We were given no food and the ship started off again. After 2 whole weeks on the ship our faces and stomachs were blotchy, our noses red and our eyes pleading food.
We had a barred window so we begged out of that with our arms dangling out, faces blotchy and hungry, everything. But no one was there! Well, that is, before we went into a port.
My Life at last
Everyone got 60 lashes on the hand with a whip before they went to the port. We were being sold as slaves. Albert and I were chained together to a wall. We were first in the que, the que to get sold.
After a short presentation, Black-Eyed Pete went off stage and Albert and I went on.
“So” A loud voice boomed. “Who wants this working pair? I’ll start the bid at over 10 pounds.”
“I’ll have them! 11!” Albert’s dad cried.
“12!”
“13!”
“15!”
“20 pounds!”
“21 pounds!”
“22!”
“Am I to be made look like a fool? 25!”
“26!”
“27!”
“I want my son back. 30.”
“Really? 50!”
“How much money is in your pocket? 51!”
“Only 70 pounds so buck up! 52!”
“58!”
“100!”
“Ummm. Tricky. No bet!”
“Going, Going
, Going, Gone! Sold to Mr U R!”
Albert’s dad got us and took us back to his house, I was allowed inside!
It was a cosy house, a few pictures on the wall here, a chair here, you know the sort of thing. We got fed medicine and lots of food. The vet came round to check me and said I needed a few more weeks care.
After a few more weeks I was pulling the carriage much faster. First for a doctor, then a policeman in a hurry, then a singer, then a busy office man in a black suit, then something really exciting happened!
I was waiting (So was Albert) for a customer when who should come along and spot our humble cart? The prime minister himself! (I’m just a horse so I didn’t know his name)
“Taxi!” He yelled. “To the ministry of Law. NOW!”
Albert carefully whipped my back. I cantered off at a steady pace. Down streets and up alley ways I cantered, not stopping once. At last we reached an old stone building.
Apparently the prime minister tipped Albert nicely. £200! For a ride! Must have been important! Albert’s dad was very impressed.
“So say it again Albert boy?”
“£200! Couldn’t have done it without Chama of course!”
“Indeed. Here is a list of all the things I need.”
He handed Albert a list. The list said:
3kg butter
5pints milk
2pots red paint
1pot blue paint
3pots yellow paint
3loaves bread
7pieces bacon
1cake
1thick paintbrush
1candle
Straw
Hay
1bag Pony nuts
1bag nuts
2apples
Albert saddled me up and we raced to the shops. He tied me up outside the shop and bought everything on the list. When we got back he had to paint the carriage.
It looked very grand when he’d finished. Albert’s dad smiled a cracked smile. He threw Albert 1 penny! 1 penny! He gave me a pat.
When he was gone Albert said to me,
“He’s a right devil but I don’t blame him.”
“Why’s that?” I asked him.
“He goes to the pub EVERY Saturday and Sunday and doesn’t come back till dark.”
“What can he do in the pub?” I asked him.
“Drink and sing like a donkey.” Albert answered smartly. “I watched him once. It was disgraceful.”
“Then why’d you watch?”
“Before then I didn’t know something about my Dad. I didn’t know he was a drunk.”
Albert said no more. He simply groomed me. You know what? I snuggled my head into the crook of his arm. Albert laughed.
“At least I got you.” He whispered.
I wondered why he whispered. Suddenly I knew. Albert’s dad had come back.
“Give that horse a bigger lunch than normal.” He commanded. “He’s the one who should earn it all.”
Albert gave me a super lunch. As he went away I thought, ‘At least I’m home at last.’
By Kate Leonard and Jessica Teixeira
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