The Horse With No Neigh

Hazel sat forlornly gazing at the barn door. The inside was clearly visible, well-lit with hundreds of twinkling yellow lights. She could see her friends laughing, dancing, and enjoying themselves. It made her wince with jealousy. Hazel's Aunt had spent hours encouraging her to overcome her painful shyness. They had practiced karaoke for weeks until Hazel knew every word by heart. It was through song that Hazel had finally found her neigh.

To ensure that Hazel would not lose her newfound self-confidence, her Aunt had made Hazel a beautiful rainbow sweater and an encouraging sign to hang in her stall. "I'm a rainbow sprinkle in a vanilla world," it said. Hazel must have read those words a million times, but now she sat miserable and alone, her eyes red-rimmed from her tears.

During all their hours of practice, neither Hazel nor her Aunt could imagine that on the night of this special annual winter event, the karaoke machine would not be working. When she realized it, Hazel turned sharply and trotted out the door to the farthest pasture where she could still see what was happening.

As the night grew colder, Hazel found herself in a bit of a trance staring at the yellow twinkling lights. Then softly she began to hear her Aunt's voice in her head. One by one, her Aunt sang every song they had practiced. After she had sung them all, her Aunt whispered, "Go back, Hazel. I'll be your karaoke machine! Show them you are not the horse with no neigh!"

Hazel felt a sudden warmth flowing through her veins. She drew in a deep breath and pushed herself to her feet as the cold air steamed from her nostrils. Hazel straightened her beautiful sweater, threw back her mane, and galloped towards the lights in the barn.

Darnell J. Knauss, Author

Cornelia Wenokor, Illustrator

©09/01/2019

Vol. 1 Ep. 11