Horse Feathers and Fairy Feet
Here is a legend of Woe and of Joy that happened one Christmas Eve long long ago and far far away when all the animals could still speak the languages of the world -- even human's.
According to legend on a bright winter's night there was a Mother Horse nestled in the tall grass who gave coloredbirth to a lovely cinnamin foal and the bright stars shone on the little filly .
The animals in the barn yard peered cautiously at the new foal while commenting on its beautiful color, lovely eyes, and long glassy tail. The mother horseneighed softly toher baby and said , "Your name shall be Sally."
Sally lay in the soft hay and as her mother nudged her to get up she felt her feet give out from under her as she fell back down with a thump.
There was a loud and collective GASP from all the farm animals watching with horror and disbelief at what they saw .
They saw that Sally that the new, perfect , baby horse had Feathers on her Feet!!
All the animals ran away from the pen that held Sally and her Mother. They squawked, and oinked, and mooed and cawed and clucked the news," Horse Feathers!Horse Feathers are in our midst !"
Sally's mother looked down at her colt's feet folded on the hay beside her and to her great surprise she did indeed see colourful feathers on Sally's small hooves.
Sally's mother neighed to her to stand up but sadly the more Sally tried the feathers on her feet kept getting in the way and made her feel tipsey and uncertain.
Slowly slowly as the days and weeks went by Sally learned to walk on her feathery feet. She mostly just bounced and tottered. Other young colts in the yard were running around prancing, trotting and gamboling like roly polyies kicking up their feet as they played to the delight of the farm children watching.
Sally had to spend most of her time trying to keep her balance by not bouncing and toppling over on her colourful Horse Feathers in the corner of the corral.
She was standing there one day swaying slowly from side to side hoping the strong breeze wouldn't knock her over when a Butterfly flew by and landed on Sally's nose.
"What beautiful feet you have." said the Butterfly. "I do believe they are Fairy Feet!"
"You mean these miserable Horse Feathers don't you?" asked Sally.
"Yes," replied the Butterfly. "There is nothing miserable about them. Fairy Feet are a sign that the wearer will do something awesome in the future. You just wait and see."
Sally felt doubtful about what the Butterfly had said.
As time went by Silly Sally, the mean name the other horses called her, grew to be a beautiful horse with a wonderful long mane and huge brown eyes. Sally was always very quiet and shy as she didn't want anyone to notice her Fairy Feet which the other horses all called Horse Feathers.
One winter night when only the stars shone above Sally was awakened by a tinkling by her ear ... When she opened her eyes she saw a Pixie dancing in the dark leaving sparkles wherever she went.
"Wake up Sally. We need you tonight," said the Pixie in her sing song way. " Santa needs someone to pull his sled because all the reindeer have come down with a cold. We need you to come and help."
Sally was so surprised that she nearly lost her balance as her feathered feet started to quiver and shake.
'Could this be what the Butterfly was talking about?' wondered Sally.
"How can I help Santa," she asked. "I can barely even stand up."
"You can too do it," encouraged the Pixie. "Your feathers will guide you. I will show you."
The Pixie told Sally to stand on a square bale and leap off letting her Feathered Feet reach up high.
Sally reluctantly stumbled onto the bale and did as she was told and wonder of wonders Silly Sally began to FLY!
The Feathered Feet started to wave and wiggle and soon Sally was flying high up in the air.
That Christmas strange sounds were on every roof that Santa visited.
Instead of the tapping of the feet of 8 tiny reindeer there seemed only to be a type of Swishing Sound not unlike a huge feather duster sweeping snow off the roof.
When finally all of Santa's deliveries were made and Sally returned to her own corral she heard a strange Clump Clumping of hooves. When Sally looked down at her feet she realized that all her colourful feathers were gone! She had lost them while on her trip with Santa.
Sally quickly tested out her walking, then her trotting, and finally she raced around the corral without even a bounce or fall. She would no longer be teased and called Silly Sally by the other horses but simply and finally just Sally!
What happed to the colourful feathers you ask? Well, if someday when you look up into the night and see some green, purple,or pink lights dancing in the sky it you will actually be seeing Sally's Fairy Feathers waving to you.
Sally became a very nice horse and belonged to a little girl named Penny who rode Sally to school and also out to the pasture to check on the cows.
Sally was a special horse indeed!
