Teagan's Amazing Experience (Story - Chapter 6)

Michelle stared back at Teagan. "Your fantasy!" she exclaimed. "This is MY fantasy and what are you doing here in the middle of it?"

Teagan’s mouth was open as she absorbed what Michelle was saying. What in the heck was going on here? She took a deep breath as the two of them kept their eyes locked on each other, both unable to grasp this wildly bizarre situation.

Finally Michelle spoke. "You say this is your fantasy?" She eyed Teagan carefully. "Just how did you get here?"

Teagan took a deep breath – why not, she thought. "Through the mirror in my bedroom when I was getting ready to go to sleep." She held her breath.

Michelle’s mouth dropped open. "Me too," she murmured. "I thought it was so weird at the time, but now . . ." Eyes wide, she stopped speaking.

"OH . . . MY . . . GOSH," Teagan said, her eyes getting wider with each word. "This just can’t be happening, and if it is happening, what is happening. Is this real or am I crazy?"

"If you’re not crazy, then I am," Michelle added. She looked around. "What are you doing here in the tack room, anyway?"

Getting to more familiar ground, if that was possible, Teagan was eager to reply to this rather simple question. "Picking a saddle so I can go riding."

"You’re so lucky then. I have to clean stalls in order to get a saddle and ride." A sad look came across her face. "I’m just resting and in here checking it out for when I get finished."

"Oh, I had to do that too," Teagan countered, tapping Michelle on the arm.

"How many did you have to do to get the saddle?" Michelle said anxiously.

Teagan paused. What to say? "Do you know Werd?"

"Oh yeah," Michelle replied, a huge sarcastic tone to her voice. "He’s my boyfriend, no less."

Teagan couldn’t help but laugh. "Oh no," she countered. "He’s my boyfriend, and I had to clean, ummm, 10 stalls to get the saddle." She took a deep breath as she said "10 stalls."

"Wow, I better get started then. And I’m jealous that you get to ride before I do." She glanced out into the field. "Whatcha gonna ride?"

Teagan grinned broadly. "Quarter horse," she replied enthusiastically. "I can hardly wait – it’s been soooo long since I’ve ridden. I’m just excited."

"Guh!" Michelle exclaimed and headed out the door and back down the long aisle, condemned to clean her 10 cells in order to ride.

Teagan, still soundly puzzled, looked around the room, sizing up the saddles that seemed to be everywhere. She checked several, finally choosing a beautifully tooled western job that she loved the moment she saw it. She carried the saddle just outside the field door of the tack room, went back inside to choose a bridle, grabbed a lead rope, and then headed into the field to find her horse.

She was amazed at how calm all the horses seemed to be, totally ignoring her passing, almost as though she wasn’t really there. And that thought made her heart beat a little faster. Was she really there and if so, where was "there?" Were the horses ignoring her because she really wasn’t there. She shook her head and banished those thoughts from her brain. Wherever or whatever, fantasy or dream, she might as well enjoy the time and what was happening. She might never get another chance to slip through that mirror into this fantasy world. And that thought just made her hope and pray that she could somehow slip backward through that mirror into her . . . her "other" world. If she didn’t stop her brain from doing this thinking, she knew she was going to go crazy. Now, back to business. Where was the quarter horse amongst all these other huge animals?

It took her about 15 minutes of wandering before she found it, and she was a long way from the barn now. She rubbed the big nose and looked into those dark brown eyes that seemed almost ready to wink at her. Or, was he eyeing her quizzically? Then a light dawned.

"Hey big guy, are you pretty tame? She rubbed his nose again, then carefully slipped the bridle on and made sure it was secure. She spent a few more minutes rubbing his neck and talking softly to him. He was a beauty and she was getting anxious to ride. She carefully tied one end of the lead rope to one side of the bridle, then the second end to the other side. A huge smile crossed her face. She tossed the rope carefully over the horse’s head, grabbed him around the neck and, with a huge grunt, swung herself up onto his back.

It felt wonderful to just sit there looking out across the field at all those horses, most with their heads down and they gently grazed, but some seeming to be looking right at her. She gazed like that for long minutes, totally unaware of the passage of time. Then she sighed deeply, just a little nervous. Riding bareback on a strange horse might not be the smartest thing in the world for her to be doing.

She held the rope carefully and gently nudged him with her heels. Nothing happened. She nudged again, a little harder this time but still nothing. What was this? The perfect horse but he wouldn’t move.

"What’s up, man?" she said aloud. You’re supposed to move." She shook the reins and dug her heels in again but still no movement.

Just then she heard the sound of a horse cantering and, turning her head saw Michelle headed toward her on a beautiful grayish white Andalusian. The smile on her face was huge and Teagan was afraid she might explode from joy.

"That’s so beautiful," Teagan exclaimed. She leaned out and looked the horse over from back to front. "Absolutely beautiful!"

"I know – I love him already." She looked over at Teagan. "Let’s go and we can ride together.

"Ummm, he won’t move," Teagan said dejectedly. She shook her head from side to side. "I don’t know what’s wrong."

Michelle looked equally puzzled. "What the heck," she said. "What’s up with that?"

Suddenly they heard another voice and Werd appeared around the front end of a huge Belgium that was standing close at hand. "What’s wrong, Teagan?"

"Stupid horse won’t move," she snarled. "I think I’m gonna change to another one."

"Won’t do any good," he said, shaking his head.

"Why not?" Teagan asked, puzzled.

"They all operate the same way."

"What does that mean?"

"You’re not in your normal place you know, and here, well, it’s hard to explain. But let me try with a simple question. How many stalls did you clean?"

Teagan’s shoulder’s slumped. What had she gotten herself into?