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Apples and Cowboy Hats

Sep 24th, 2013
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  1. >squeek
  2. >You wince, as the wooden floorboard announces your presence
  3. >No sound of motion- you're in the clear
  4. >Inch by inch, gliding to the nearest doorway
  5. >You ease open the door, and your breath catches
  6. >A golden beam of sunlight floods in the second story window, bathing the central bed and it's occupant in a cheery glow
  7. >The sheets shift, and the sleeping beauty rolls over to face you
  8. >Her eyes still closed, and chest gently rising and falling in blissful slumber
  9. >Applejack
  10.  
  11. >You shuffle carefully up to the edge of the bed
  12. >One of your feet tangles in the sheets dangling down, so you stop short.
  13. >You're close enough
  14. >You gently run a hand from the top of her head, down her side
  15. >Sliding your fingers through her sun-warmed, slightly coarse hair.
  16. >She sighs
  17. >One eye creaks open, to steal a glance at you
  18. "Howdy, sugar cube"
  19. >She smiles, eyes closed again.
  20. >You carefully lift yourself up onto the bed, lying next to her, separated by several layers of sheets
  21. "No boots on mah bed, anon."
  22. >You forgot
  23. >Blushing, you slip your boots off, and set them to the side
  24.  
  25. >You lie on your back
  26. >She backs up to you, snuggling in close
  27. >Your eyes grow heavy, as you recall the overnight work in the orchard
  28. >You were so worried for Applejack, all night.
  29. >She sprained her back hooves when she slipped while bucking a tree.
  30. >You remember carrying her all the way back to the house, and then working double time with Big Mac to make up the difference, until the sun crested the horizon.
  31. "Thanks for what ya did, anon. I feel right as a worm in an apple, now."
  32. >You lay a hand upon her flank, reassuringly.
  33. "Moreso now that you're here."
  34. >She moves her head back to nuzzle your shoulder
  35. >Her breathing finds a gentle rhythm, and you can tell she's fallen asleep again.
  36. >You settle back into the soft, downy comforter and let your eyes close, finally succumbing to sleep yourself.
  37.  
  38. >You awaken, to find that she's already gone.
  39. >Glancing outside, you see that it must be nearly noon.
  40. >You throw your boots on, and quickly make your way down the stairs.
  41. "Ye haven't missed a thing, sonny. Don't fret."
  42. >Granny Smith catches your attention.
  43. >The table's been set for lunch
  44. >Big Mac and Applejack wave you over, their hooves striking you as comically oversized for such a gesture.
  45. >Applejack scoots over to make room.
  46. "Plenty of apple turnover to go 'round."
  47. >Applejack slides you one with a wink.
  48. >Big Mac drops another dollop of meadowcream atop his turnover, before sliding the bowl to you.
  49. >An Apple family delicacy- made with fresh honey, cream, and other assorted ingredients. Melts in your mouth, and adds just the right combination of sweetness and fluff.
  50. >Everyone sets about eating, before the days plans come up.
  51. "Granny, I reckon the East orchard needs our attention today."
  52.  
  53. >Granny looks between Big Mac and you before addressing Applejack
  54. "Only if you're feeling up to it, dearie. Don't want you spraining naught again."
  55. >Applejack leaps from the table, bucking her legs high into the air and missing Big Mac's head by inches
  56. "I feel fiddlin' fit. Honest!"
  57. >Applejack suddenly blushes, and shuffles her hooves awkwardly.
  58. "Well, no sense in standin' around. Best get out there."
  59. >She bolts out the door before anyone can respond.
  60. >Granny shakes her head
  61. "Left half her turnover, she did."
  62. >Big Mac grabs it and starts muching it down on his way out the door
  63. ****
  64. >You all reconvene at the East orchard.
  65. >Applejack has already stripped half an acre of trees of their fruits by the time you arrive with Big Mac and Granny Smith.
  66. >You nod approvingly. Applejack notices, and smiles shyly.
  67. "Let's get started, then!"
  68. >Granny sets the buckets into position around the trees
  69. "Eeyup."
  70.  
  71. >That night, you all gather around a campfire in the barnyard.
  72. >Old tree branches piled high for a mighty bonfire.
  73. >Big Mac is idly strumming a special stringed instrument, like a banjo, with significantly more spacing between the strings to accommodate his hooves.
  74. >Granny brought out a rocking chair, and is idly crocheting a scarf.
  75. >Every now and again, a chill wind blows down off the Eastern mountains, whipping the bonfire flames into a chaotic dance.
  76. >Applejack is seated next to you on the log.
  77. >For every blast of wind, she's scooted a little closer.
  78. >Your heart begins to beat a little faster as you hear the wind pick up.
  79. >Applejack glances sidelong at Granny.
  80. >Her heads down now, and she's rocking gently, wrapped up in her new scarf and clearly asleep.
  81. >Big Mac set off a short while ago to gather more branches for the fire.
  82. >Applejack turns back toward you, her big, green eyes shimmering in the firelight.
  83. "Anon?- . . . "
  84. >She hesitates, her eyes searching your expression.
  85. >You smile warmly, and lift your arm to welcome her in.
  86. >She leaps at the opportunity, tucking into the crook of your arm, and nuzzling against your chest with unbridled joy.
  87. >You shield her from the wind, as it whips through the barnyard.
  88. >There's a snort from the rocking chair.
  89. "Huh- brrrr. It's awful cold. Time we be getting indoors for the night. Winter's comin'."
  90. >By the time Granny looked your way, you were both untangled and seated awkwardly beside one another.
  91. >Big Mac reappeared out of the orchard, dropped the wood beside the fire for another night, and followed the three of you back home.
  92.  
  93. >You settle down into your bed on the couch downstairs, listening intently
  94. >You hear Big Mac's door close, and Granny Smith's soon after.
  95. >You wait for what seems like ages, hearing your heart pounding in your ears, before you convince yourself that the rest of the house must be asleep.
  96. >You make your way upstairs, avoiding the squeaky floorboard, and silently approach Applejack's door.
  97. >Left open, just for you.
  98. >You find your way in the dark to her bedside, where a hoof emerges from the sheets and gently tugs at your arm, guiding you down.
  99. >You find yourself quickly enveloped in warmth and cozy fur, as she pulls you into a bear hug.
  100. "I missed ya, anon."
  101. >Your return the hug, and climb into bed beside her, sliding beneath the sheets.
  102. >Her firm, muscular body lying pressed against yours, you heart practically skips a beat. A dream come true.
  103. "Anon- . . . "
  104. >You bring a hand up to her mane, running your fingers through it reassuringly.
  105. "Anon, in case ya leave as quickly as ya came . . . "
  106. >You freeze. The thought of leaving had never occurred to you.
  107. >Now that you think about it, you don't exactly remember how you got here. A hazy dream of bills past due and a miserable 9 to 5 keep you from dwelling in the past too long.
  108. "I want ya to have something, Anon. From me."
  109. >You feel her reach off the bed, searching her night stand for something.
  110. >She finds it, and quickly places it atop your head.
  111. >Her cowboy hat.
  112. "Please, keep it. If somethin' should happen, I want ya to have somethin' to remember us- . . . To remember me by."
  113. >Those last four words are barely a squeak, her voice thick with distress. Her hooves wrap around you again, and hold you tightly.
  114. >You return the hug.
  115. >You lay there together, in the calm of night, until before you know it, you find yourself waking up again.
  116.  
  117. >You take in the room at a glance, and your heart sinks- you're back in your apartment, in the city.
  118. >Your alarm clock shows that you have another 3 minutes before the alarm goes off.
  119. >You try to move, but your wrapped up so tightly in your sheets and comforters that you have to struggle for some time just to free an arm.
  120. >The alarm buzzes, and you slap it off.
  121. >The motion sends you off balance, and you topple off the edge of the bed abd crash to the floor.
  122. >You lay there, a mess of a man
  123. >Tears well in your eyes, as you finally free yourself from your cotton and polyester prison.
  124. >It takes every ounce of strength to rise into a kneeling position, bracing yourself with one arm on the bed.
  125. >Just before you completely lose it, you spot something at the foot of the bed.
  126. >A cowboy hat
  127.  
  128. >There are certain moment in life that can come to define us
  129. >Some see them as fleeting or trivial decisions, but they can come to be an integral part of ourselves.
  130. >It was that cowboy hat that finally spurred you onward
  131. >You quit your job, moving out to the country, to manage a portion of the family farm
  132. >Your parents and cousins were baffled by your sudden change of heart- you told them on no uncertain terms that you wanted nothing to do with that "little mud ball" on the edge of town.
  133. >Rising with the sun, and falling asleep watching the fireflies drifting gracefully between the trees
  134. >Life had never been so good
  135. >Whenever you would come to doubt your decision, and the trials of country living would come to the surface, you would pull the hat off of your head, bury your face in it, and breathe deep.
  136. >It smelled like her, and it gave you hope.
  137. >Hope not just for a better life, but hope that one day, you might find her again.
  138. >It was an unassuming Tuesday morning, the last snows of winter still lingering in the shady places, when a calf managed to wriggle out of it's corral.
  139. >You chased it over hill and dale, until you reached the unexplored territory at the far reaches of your family's land.
  140. >Pursuing the calf down a narrow valley, your horse suddenly reared in terror.
  141. >You caught a glimpse of a bird, completely wreathed in flame, before you were bucked off and the horse fled back up the valley.
  142. >Gasping for breath, you blinked until your eyes could focus again.
  143. >There, straight ahead, framed by the sides of the valley, was a magnificent castle.
  144. >Perched on a sheer mountainside, it sparkled brilliant white in the afternoon sunlight.
  145. >You smile like you haven't smiled in years.
  146. >You're home.
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