"Mother, may I take some apples?"
"They are in the basket, as you know for yourself."
"Thank you." There was no time to wonder what her mother was feeling,
if anything. She
strode up and kissed her quickly, then took two of the apples and went
outside.
There both man and beast looked back at her. With neither haste nor
hesitation, she took a bite of the first apple, and, as if the man did
not exist, walked directly toward the stallion. It craned its neck at
this, and looked cautiously back at its master. But as he made no
move, it turned its large, animal eyes back to the girl.
She did not hold the apple out enticingly, or make the cooing sounds
of entreaty which she knew it would instinctively mistrust. She simply
advanced, acting as if the reins did not exist, paused, came closer,
then stopped carelessly perhaps ten feet away. She took another bite
of the apple, then laughed as the creature snorted impatiently, and at
last came up to her. She reached below its head with one hand, and fed
it the apples with the other.
The reins were in her hand, and the animal ate greedily.
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