tales for dreamers: invisible horses for the wagon

That was the year they decided to use invisible horses to pull the wagons. 

They were quite a hoot at first. The children whooped with delight when the wagon seemed to move of its own accord, lurching hesitantly at first, then trundling along, sure of its path and destination.

The clippity-clop of the horses’ hooves on the trail was unmistakable. It was evidence of their existence. 

At first the horses were quite obedient, drawing the wagon only along designated trails and not deviating from their paths the slightest bit. 

But it is in the nature of souls to explore, which is what the invisible horses did as the days grew warmer and the sun shone brighter.

They trundled through the woods, took unsuspecting passengers on journeys around town, and sometimes parked in the middle of lush fields, munching on hay, expecting the travellers on the wagon to bask in the sunshine and indulge in a brief hiatus from the busy-ness of their lives.

Only, the passengers didn’t always like these unexpected adventures. They had things to do, places to be. They had dinner to cook and keep ready, and they had bills to pay.

So they complained about the errant behaviours of the beast, and the misbehaving horses were let go.

Now the wagon stands all by itself, abandoned in a lonely field. It is tethered in place by orange cones and boards strictly instructing folks to not climb or play on the wagon. 

It’s clear those warnings are meant to keep children out. 

Because it was always the children who had the grandest time on the unexpected adventures the invisible horses dragged them to. 

All the wagon needs is one unsuspecting child to climb on to it. And the horses will trot away with the wagon once more.

Last week's image info: The yellow sign declaring 'coyote area' and affixed to a pole is located on New Street right beside the creek where it runs past Nelson High School.