Welcome To The Studio...

The creation of a thoroughbred can be much like the creation of a fine painting. You start with an idea; plan it out; find your materials; work your butt off; and by the end of it all you might just come out with a remarkably beautiful picture, ready to sell or keep for your very own. Smiling inwardly at this thought, Sarah�Or ‘Moochi,’ as she was often called by friends and peers�pushed and pulled with all of her might to get the first of the giant, dusty, old, paint-chipped and weather beaten, double-doors that opened up to the building she had dubbed the ‘Racing Barn.’ After she managed to open the first door, the second was more of a challenge, and she had to get down on her knees and brush away the dirt and debris from underneath the door a bit before it would budge. Then, blowing at the tendrils of her long, dark-brown hair that had managed to pull lose from her bun, she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, her analytical hazel eyes gazing into the dark. Still trying to catch her breath, she entered the building and leaned against the wall as she found the light switch and flicked it on. Dusty overhead lamps flickered slowly, like lazy fireflies, and she sighed at the work ahead of her. So. Much. Dust. She bit her bottom lip and wondered for the sixteenth time, just what she’d gotten herself into, for there was far more than just dust to worry about on this old farm…

The place had lain abandoned since the first owner had died: nearly thirty years ago. It had stayed in the hands of the former owner’s family, although they had never used the land or the buildings, keeping it only for sentimental value more than anything. But, after passing into the hands of newer generations, they had discovered the value in their property, and decided to sell the old heap. Dipping heavily into her savings (money she had received through selling paintings, receiving commissions, and doing a little freelance journalism and photography), Moochi had managed to put a down payment on the place that was small enough for her budget but apparently large enough to delight the former owner’s family. She had moved into the two-story, white-trimmed, blue farmhouse on the hill (with a perfect view of the barns and the workout track) six weeks later. But, when she arrived, and finally took an honest look at the damages that had seemed so minor when she had first looked at the place, she began to feel panicked.

A few of the paddocks, as well as the workout track, had rotting wooden fences that would need to be entirely replaced. The building she had dubbed the ‘Stallion Barn,’ had holes in the roof, and the ‘Foaling Shed,’ had horrifically expensive water damage. The ‘Yearling and Weanling Barn’ was alright except for the tractor-sized hole in one wall that looked as if a frenzied mare had launched herself through to reach her scared baby. The ‘Broodmare Barn’ and the ‘Racing Barn’ were the only buildings that seemed to be in fairly good shape, although the Broodmare Barn had a few minor electrical problems. It would be a long time, and a labor of tough love, before ‘Artful Acres,’ Moochi’s dream racing farm, was fully operational. But, in the meantime, Moochi took care dusting, cleaning, and fixing what she could, sure that one day she would be rewarded for all the work she had put into the place.

Checking her watch, she grinned and surveyed the outcome of her efforts. It had taken her nearly four hours to do it, but she had managed to get a ladder from the garage and clean the lamps, sweep the aisles of dust and dirt, and fix the latches on a couple of the stall doors. Moochi’s back and shoulders were aching, and her arms and legs were on the verge of falling off–but she was happy. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a car-horn, and she jumped, her eyebrows shooting upward. She had almost forgotten what time it was… THE HORSES! She started heading towards the open double-doors, her beat-up leather paddock boots making loud thumps on the hardwood floors (would the floors break under her if she stepped on them hard enough? She wondered…). Squinting in the sunlight, she put a hand up to cover her eyes and waved to the blue Dodge pickup truck with the beige horse trailer hitched on the back, watching as they slowly came to a stop on the long dirt road that lead from the house and onward to the main road.

Moochi didn’t wait for the car-door to open, or the young man inside to step out, but flung the door open herself and grabbed the Dodge’s inhabitant in a crushing hug.

�Sethyboo!� She laughed, as the young man wheezed, his grey-blue eyes flashing with amusement, and his nose wrinkling with his own tender smile. Moochi ruffled the cropped light-brown hair of the young man, and he kissed her on the cheek, causing her face to flush slightly.

“Moo, Moo!� He finally replied when she released him (and he could breathe again), grinning ear-to-ear. “How’s the farm coming?� He glanced around before looking back at her face expectantly. She shrugged, her face suddenly solemn.

“Oh Seth… I have so much work cut out for me. If I get just the fences alone repaired by the end of the year, I’ll be horrendously lucky.� She sighed and stepped back as he came out of the truck. What he did next surprised her. Grabbing her by the waist, he half-lifted her off the ground and twirled her around a few times before setting her down again and looking her squarely in the eye. After she was done laughing and punching him in the arm playfully, he spoke again.

“Don’t look so glum, chum. I knew you’d bitten off more than you could chew when you showed me the pictures of this place. But, I knew you had your heart set on it, so I said nothing.� Seth tapped the girl on the nose, and she looked at him quizzically. “While you were busy dreaming and making plans, I made a few plans of my own, and even did a little asking around. I think I might have found a good electrician who doesn’t charge anything too unreasonable, and a couple of nice prospects for contractors to help us fix up this place.� Seth found himself tackled again by the 5’ 4� ball of hyperness, and even got a kiss on the lips for his trouble. Breathless, he blinked. “Uh, I take it you’re happy?�

“Tremendously, fanatically, ecstatically happy!� She exclaimed, and gave him the most dazzling smile she could muster. “You always think of everything!� In reply to this, he rubbed the back of his head and chuckled in an ‘aw, shucks’ manner.

At that moment, a flea-bitten grey head with a white blaze down the middle, appeared out the window of the horse trailer and nickered.

“Oh, duh!� Moochi said, chuckling. “We forgot the horses.� She grabbed Seth by the hand and tugged him towards the back of the trailer. He opened the doors to the trailer as Moochi preoccupied herself by waving to the horse, cooing over how beautiful she was. When both Moochi and Seth entered the trailer, they each led out one horse�Seth taking the gorgeous flea-bitten grey filly, and Moochi cautiously following with a handsome grey colt. They led each horse into their new stalls, which Moochi had provided with fresh bedding, water, and a little feed that morning, and then both humans relaxed on the polished wooden bench (the one Moochi had found in the garage soon after moving in and decided it was too pretty not to use), and simply watched the horses. Before long, she leaned her head on his shoulder and he took her hand, and together they remained that way, still gazing at the horses as they sniffed their new surroundings. Upon deciding it suitable enough, the horses too, began to settle in, and a feeling of calm drifted over the people and horses.

After another long moment, Seth closed his eyes and leaned his head on Moochi’s lap, while she found herself unable to look away from her new horses. How perfect they looked in their new home. The flea-bitten grey filly, MusicboxDancer, whom was kin to Deputy Minister and Mr. Prospector, was incredibly tall for a two-year-old (or a filly for that matter), and she would only get bigger. The one who had been her travelling companion, the grey three-year-old colt, Rock Runner, was kin himself to Forty Niner, and although he was shorter than the filly, what he lacked in height he made up in muscle mass. Both were extremely wise buys, if she did say so herself, and she was sure they’d make her proud. Unable to smile anymore, because her cheeks were beginning to hurt, she smiled inwardly instead, her hazel eyes shining with unshed tears.

“Welcome to my studio,â€Â� Moochi whispered to the horses, whose eyes were beginning to close with fatigue, and she rested her head on the wall behind her, closing her own eyes and giving herself over to sleep.     

“She’s either really bold, or really stupid.”

“I HEARD THAT RICK!”

“YEAH? WELL YA OUGHT ‘A TRY LISTENING WHEN I’M ACTUALLY TALKIN’ TO YOU!” A wrinkled manâ€â€�who was only in his late 50’s but resembled someone closer to 70â€â€�shouted from the living room of the two-story blue farmhouse in a place called ‘Artful Acres.’ Upstairs, the girl called Moochi, smoothed her dark chocolate-colored hair back into a bun, rolling her hazel eyes in the mirror of the guest bathroom.

“Well, stop telling everyone already. I know how stupid it was…� Moochi muttered flatly, speaking only to herself. She checked herself in the mirror, and tried to find out what was missing. “Jewelry…� She finally whispered, walking out of the bathroom and heading towards her own room at the end of the hall. The dress she wore, which had a fluttery free-moving skirt, and a fitted top with spaghetti-straps, was the color of a sunflower, and contrasted with the dark hue of her hair. Her lips were glossy and soft pink, a rare sight for anyone who knew Moochi. For this was a girl that didn’t wear make-up, didn’t see a need for it, and almost never wore a dress. Grabbing the jewelry box off the black-painted nightstand, she opened compartments and tiny drawers until she found a chain of silver, with a single silver and gold maple leaf shining on the end of it. She put it on, fiddling with the clasp until it caught, and then grabbed the two maple-leaf earrings that went with it. She put the earrings on as she walked down the stairs, her clear-plastic, open-toed high-heels looking much like Cinderella’s glass slippers, only with some silver sparkles on the tops of them to add some ‘bling.’ Staring down with every careful step, she was amazed at the way her humongous elephant feet (Size 8-9 ½, depending on the type of shoe) actually looked smaller in these shoes, making her feel a lot less like one of Cinderella’s evil step-sisters, whose own over-sized feet had been too big to fit into Cinderella’s miniscule shoe in the fairytale. In fact, it had been a miracle that Moochi had even found these shoes in her size, for people with enormous feet were not quite as catered to as people with small feet. In essence�small-footed people had all the fun. Which is why she so envied them. Not that it was their fault they had small feet, of course, but Moochi still didn’t appreciate the discrimination. It was bad enough to be born this way, it was worse that they had to rub it in your face every time you went to the mall (or Walmart, rather) to find a pair of cute shoes, and all the cute ones were for small-footed people… Life could be so cruel.

Shaking her head, Moochi briefly wondered why on earth she was still thinking about feet and shoes, when she stepped off the last stair and onto the first floor. Her shoes made a soft clack on the polished oak, and at the sound, those in the room turned to look in her direction. Moochi watched the old man who had spoken before, Rick, as his lips twitched into a smile that he hid behind a not-so-subtle cough. The moonlight that was shining in from the window beside his chair, cast everything in a blue-glow, including Rick’s balding skull. In the loveseat across from the old man, sat the boy she loved, and as her eyes moved to him, she marveled at the look on his face, his grey-blue eyes widened ever so slightly, his eyebrows reaching ceiling-ward. The old woman who sat beside the boy that was Moochi’s love, looked to be slightly younger than the old man, yet they were actually the same age. When Moochi looked her way, the woman’s face creased into a kind smile, and her short, curly, pale silver hair, bobbed.

“Er… too much?â€Â� Moochi pointed to her face, talking about the make-up she had applied, and the old woman was the only one who replied with a shake of her head that caused her hair to bob more furiously than before. The men, however, simply continued to stare at her for another moment, smiling, before Moochi rolled her eyes again and crossed her arms. “Okay, come on. You guys have to give me something to work with here. Maybe a ‘You’re not going out like that, are you? You look like a street-walker.’ Or ‘Oh no! Have the clowns started going door-to-door now?’ Or–â€Â�

Seth got up from the loveseat, drawing the eyes of all in the room. He moved with a grace that was catlike, and when he reached her, he gave Moochi a kiss on the forehead, his hand reaching back to touch her hair.

“You look beautiful.�

“I know you’re just saying that so I don’t complain about how much this dress cost me later.� Moochi said, meeting his eyes. He looked up at the ceiling, as if considering this. Then, he gave her a crooked smile.

“Could be.�

Moochi grabbed the yellow tie he wore, that matched her dress almost perfectly, and pulled his face level with hers, giving him a glare and a quick kiss before freeing him.

“Awright, quit the cute stuff and lets get going. We’ll lose our reservations if we keep sittin’ here chattin’.� The old man said gruffly, getting out of his chair with a grunt and settling a dusty-looking driver’s cap on his head. The old woman got up and followed the man as he headed out the front door towards the car. Then, Seth and Moochi were alone, the moon their only source of light in the room. Moochi’s heart raced in her chest, and the sound of it reminded her of the pounding hooves of her filly, MusicboxDancer (or ‘Muse’) on the workout track.

Soft and sweet, Seth’s kiss seemed to make reality shatter around her. When he released her, and she placed her arm in the crook of his, the world seemed sharper, clearer somehow. Then, they walked out the door together.

Sitting around a table covered in a white linen tablecloth, the four people, all looking rather stylish in their dresses (Moochi in her yellow dress, and the old woman in a lavender gown that reached her ankles and set off the glorious silver of her hair) and suits (Rick in a tan blazer and trousers with a white shirt and a red tie, and Seth in a navy-blue jacket and pants, with his yellow tie) sipped at their drinks and cut at their food. Every so often, they mixed in some conversation, and laughter, adding to the low chatter and the violin-music in the background.

“�And I heard him say, ‘Well Mr. Rick ain’t got a clue what he’s sayin’! He says he wants me to go drag that horse outta his stall, and get him into that startin’ gate, or he says he’ll shoot the dang thing himself!’� The old woman said, trying to imitate the young man’s voice, and not doing too bad a job of it. Around the table, Moochi, Seth, and even Rick, chuckled.

“Oh, and I would have, too! But the bugger actually loaded without complaint, and,� Rick raised his finger and pointed at Seth, looking at him directly with his green eyes as he spoke, “the stubborn little bugger actually went on to win his maiden, a week later.� Seth and Moochi both grinned, as Rick sat back in his chair, smiling proudly. “He was something else, that horse. Died ‘bout a year ago I think. Heard they got five stakes winners out of him. Yep… he was really something.� Rick took a sip from his glass and set it back on the table. Moochi took a sip of her own glass, cooling her throat with iced tea, and then looked back at Rick. She hesitated a moment, took another sip, and then finally set her glass down again.

“Do you really think he can’t win it, Rick?� Rick looked up from his steak and found the girl’s hazel gaze locked on his.

“Ya mean that colt of yours?� Rick asked, knowing full well whom she was talking about. Moochi only nodded to humor him. “Well…� Rick stroked his chin in thought, and Moochi turned her eyes to the tablecloth, finding it suddenly very fascinating. After an agonizing moment of silence that seemed like forever, Rick cleared his throat and Moochi looked up at him. “Race Runner�“

“Rock Runner,� Moochi corrected, her throat tight with anxiety, and pending tears, “Or just ‘Beau.’�

“Fine, Beau then.� Rick took a steady breath. “Beau’s been doing fairly well with his workouts, from what you’ve told me. It looks like he’s in good shape too, which is lucky for you. His lines aren’t terribly impressive, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. However,� Rick looked solemn as he spoke, and Moochi knew she could bare the tightening in her throat for only so long before she screamed, “That horse has yet to prove himself. He hasn’t run in a real race before, and this isn’t a game, missy. Those other horses are more experienced, bigger, and meaner than any your little colt has ever seen before. If you aren’t careful, they’ll eat him up and spit him out.�

“Rick, I’m not a little girl anymore. I know that.� Moochi’s voice shook as she tried to maintain control of it. “But, what you don’t know is that I have faith in Beau. Unlike everyone else, I have faith in him.� Every time she said the word faith, her voice rose just the slightest bit. Around them, Seth and the old woman, Rick’s wife Marcie, exchanged worried glances.

“When you asked me to be your trainer, you told me you wanted me to be honest. Well, I’m being honest! I don’t think your horse has a chance in an allowance race against other experienced horses! It’s just unrealistic! I don’t think you see that, and until you do, you will continue putting a strain on your horses!� Rick said, his gruff voice growing gruffer. Moochi sat still and silent for a moment, glaring at Rick. Then, she got up from her chair, the sound of Seth’s gentle pleas following her as she left the table and the restaurant, stepping into the black night.

The night was warm, and would have been comforting to the girl, had she let go of the thoughts and fears that plagued her mind. A quarrel was going on in her head, one that had to do with knowing she was wrong and yet insisting that she wasn’t, her selfish dreams getting the better of her. How she wanted to believe she had done the right thing as simply as she had said it. How she wanted to know that Beau would win, know it in her heart and soul, and not care that everyone around her thought she was crazy. She really did believe in her colt, but not to the point of putting him into a position that could be harmful to him in the long run. Moochi felt a tickle on her nose, and brushed off a tear, biting back a sob. Stupid. It was all so stupid of her. What had she been thinking? Had she even been thinking? So incredibly stupid.

Seth found her on a bench by the front door of the restaurant, and he sat beside her casually, looking up at the star-filled sky. Moochi didn’t dare look his way, knowing he would see her tears if she did, and she was too ashamed to let him see them. She knew she had no right to cry about something she, herself, had caused. After a moment, Seth sighed.

“Moochi, you have done so much to make your dreams come true.� Seth said softly, still looking at the sky. “You have worked, and continue to work, really hard to make it through college, get a job, buy this farm, and fix it all up into something you can be proud of. You have made me, and everyone around you proud. You have done WELL, Moochi. � Seth suddenly turned to look at Moochi but she still wouldn’t look at him directly, choosing instead to study his shoes. That, however, led her back to her previous discussion with herself about feet and shoes. She looked at the bench instead. “Moochi,� Seth continued, “Rick just wants you to be realistic about this race. He doesn’t want you getting your hopes up, because this is Beau’s first. He wants to make sure you aren’t heartbroken if he loses.�

“I know. But, I won’t be.� Moochi said quietly, her voice barely loud enough to reach Seth. Seth pulled Moochi to him so that she was lying with the back of her head on his shoulder.

“Promise?� Seth whispered.

“Yes.� Moochi replied, nodding her head so that it bounced awkwardly against Seth’s shoulder.

“Okay.� Seth replied simply, and brushed the loose tendrils of hair from the girl’s face, wiping away her tears in the same movement. They looked at the sky together for a long time, before Rick and Marcie walked outside. Rick gave Moochi and Seth a single glance, and then he started walking toward the parking lot without a word. Moochi sat up, unraveling Seth’s arm from around her shoulders.

“Hey!�

Rick paused and turned his head to look back at Moochi. With her eyelashes glittering with starlit tears, and her eyes shining like candles, Moochi allowed herself to smile.

“Thanks for being honest.� Moochi called, and laughed softly. Rick just threw his hands at her in a dismissive manner, and turned, walking back in the direction of the parking lot. But, Moochi had managed to catch it�the smallest of smiles that would almost have seemed like she imagined it, if the gruff old trainer hadn’t cleared his throat in a not-terribly-subtle manner. The old woman, Marcie, stopped beside the bench that Seth and Moochi sat in, and waited while they both stood up, smiling at Moochi. Moochi smiled back, and together they headed to the parking lot where Rick was already waiting in his dusty silver Toyota.

After the long drive back to Artful Acres, and after she had said goodbye to everyone, watching Rick’s old silver Toyota and Seth’s blue Dodge pickup disappear down the road, Moochi was exhausted. But, before she turned in for the night, she took off her Cinderella shoes and raced through the cool green grass, heading towards the big red Racing Barn. When she got there, she shifted the door open just enough to fit through it, and then silently, carefully, she walked across the barn towards the two stalls that sat across from one another, one housing the 2-year-old flea-bitten gray filly that Moochi called Muse, and the other housing the 3-year-old grey colt that had been the source of her… er… discussion with Rick, Beau. Both horses were still wide awake when she found them, and they looked at her with keen interest, sniffing the air to see if she had brought them anything.

“You sillies.� Moochi whispered to both of them, putting a hand in-between the bars of first one stall, and then the other, feeding them peppermints that she had managed to snag from the restaurant while they had waited to be seated. “You should both be sleeping. You both have races in the next few days.� The girl looked at Muse as she nickered in reply, still munching on the last bits of her peppermint. Moochi hadn’t worried nearly as much about the filly’s first race, which was a maiden for 2-year-old fillies. It was further away than Beau’s race was, which was scheduled to run within a few days. Moochi figured there was plenty of time left to worry herself sick about Muse’s race after Beau’s was over.

Sighing heavily, her body sagging with fatigue, Moochi gave both horses a departing rub on the nose, and left the barn, closing the door behind her. A whinny followed her out, and she smiled as she recognized it as Beau’s. Then, holding her shoes up, she ran barefoot through the grass once more, returning to the old blue farmhouse with white trim that sat on a hill surruounded by trees, in a place called Artful Acres.

((Whoo… that was long, but fun XP I haven’t written any type of story in a while, so this is my practice :wink: EDIT: I am not entirely pleased with this… I know I left out a lot, and some of it is really confusing. There’s also the fact that I am horrible with grammar (and this from someone who wants to be a writer/editor/publisher someday XD ) and I am comma-crazy. And oh, the rampant melodrama! ::) But, hopefully I’ll get better with the next one… Thank you for reading! :3)) 

Great job, Moochi.

OH MY SNOG THANK YOU!!! ;___; I’m so glad you like it!!! (EXCLAMATION POINT EXCLAMATION POINT EXCLAMATION POINT… lol)

Wow, it’s hard to capture my attention and this did it. You have great talent.

-nods- I agree. :slight_smile:

Good gravy!!! O_O All these compliments! X_x I’m going to die of shock if you keep this up! XD But, thank you. From the bottom of my heart. ^_____^