Stephen's Secure Blog #198
These stories about Stephen began was when he was 10 years old, and
moving to a new part of the country to attend a special school for
gifted students, in the 1950's. This was from a time before computers
would fit on a desk, and when people communicated with friends in other
countries by actual letters sent through the postal service. He wrote
225 of them to a friend. He stopped writing to his penpal, but found he
still wanted to record his life, in case he lost his memory again, and
wrote 30 entries in his first logbook. Then he wrote to an artificial
intelligence called Geenee, in the master computer in his school for
gifted students, which he started attending in 2016. Now it's after
2018, and he's continuing to save his memories in a secure blog.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
The stories may not be posted in chronological order.
Stephen is 16 in this story, in the Summer after year 6 of his special
school.
Stephen's Secure Blog #198 "A Horse Is a Friend"
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We arrived at the horse ranch, and got out of the van. The manager of
the ranch came and greeted us. After the introductions, he said, "I
have been instructed to comply with your wishes. It would help to know
what they are." I said "That's very reasonable. I do some trick Mongol
riding, and shooting arrows. I will be doing some demonstrations at the
festival. I am here today to pick out a horse to ride, and get to know
it." He said "You don't look like a Mongol." Srinoy laughed, the Monk
grinned, and the driver looked like he was going to have a fit. I said
to the manager, with a big grin, "I was hoping you could tell me
something I didn't already know." He looked confused, and then laughed,
and then said, "Well done! I like you." Srinoy said, "He hears that a
lot." I poked him, and he giggled. I said to the manager, "I want the
horse with the most spirit. The one who knows he rules all." He said
"He will kill you." Srinoy said "That is not possible." He looked
unbelievingly at Srinoy. The Monk said, "I know from experience that it
is not wise, or safe, to doubt them."
I said to the manager, "I had told this same requirement to your
boss. That is why he gave you those instructions. Please take me to
that horse." He nodded, and we followed him. We neared a corral, and I
said, "Please stop." We did. I said "Which horse is it?" He said "The
light grey one with the big dark spot on one side." I said "Does he
have a name?" He said "No." I said "He does now. Grey. He will respond
to it. All stay here. I will go to him." I walked forward, and the
manager tried to grab and restrain me. Behind me, Srinoy had him on the
ground in an arm bar, saying fiercely to him, "You will not touch
Stephen without permission. Acknowledge you understand and will comply,
and I will let you up undamaged." He struggled and couldn't get loose.
Then he noticed the Monk and the driver looking at him like he was a
pile of horse droppings. He said what he should, and was allowed to get
up. He started to move toward me, but Srinoy was in his way, who said,
"You were ordered to obey Stephen. Do you want us to tell your boss
that you refuse that order?" He changed his mind. Srinoy said, "All
animals obey Stephen. They show more intelligence in that than some
people do." The Monk and driver almost strangled, trying not to laugh,
while the manager looked incredulously at Srinoy.
At the fence, all the horses came to me and nodded. I said "Hello my
friends. I love you all." They neighed softly, and nodded. I stroked
their noses. I said "Please move back, so I can come inside with you."
They did that, and I climbed over the fence. I took off my shoes and
socks and stuffed them under my belt at my back. I approached the grey
horse, and stopped two meters from him. He came to me, and butted my
chest gently. I stroked him. I said "Grey. Your name is Grey. Remember
that, Grey." He nodded. I said "We are friends, and will trust each
other. I will ride you, and we will have fun. You will be a good friend
to me, and to all my friends, won't you?" He nodded. I said "Hold still
while I get on your back." I grabbed his mane and jumped onto his back.
He had not been ridden before, and was surprised and almost reared. I
said "Steady, and you will get used to me." I stroked his neck with my
hand, and the barrel of his body with my feel and legs. He liked it. I
directed him to walk around the corral. Then we moved to the gate. I
called out, "Please open the gate for us." Srinoy motioned the manager
to go ahead. He hesitated. Srinoy picked him up from behind and
balanced him over his head, and walked to the gate and put him down,
and said, "You looked like you had some problem with walking, so I
helped. Now, please open the gate, before I rip it off its hinges, and
feed it to you one board at a time." A little push got him started, and
he did open the gate, and then closed it behind me after I went through
it.
Grey and I flew around the ranch in a glorious full gallop. He loved
being free to do that, and so did I. Then we tried different gaits.
Then we went to stand in front of the manager. I said to the Monk,
"Please call out the number of steps to take, and the direction." I
held my hands up in front of me, still, while Gray and I followed those
directions. I said to the manager, "Do you now believe I can ride this
horse?" He was silent. I said "Has somebody stolen your voice? Maybe my
student would like to encourage you." I heard the Monk mutter under his
breath, "I'm sure he would." I nodded to him, and he was surprised I
heard that. The manager said, "Sir, I believe you can ride anything." I
said "Well, I haven't tried that with a grasshopper." Even he had to
laugh at that one. I said to Srinoy, "You know, I missed that
opportunity with the elephants." He said "We can always go back. I
wouldn't mind if you scared THAT manager again." I said "I understand.
He didn't treat them well. Oddly, he had to have a similar degree of
persuasion to open the gate for me." That got the manager's attention.
He bowed to me, and said, "Master, I apologize. I was so confused by
what was so unusual to me, I acted badly." I said softly, "I don't
think you understand how fortunate you are that Srinoy was just
annoyed, and not angry." He swallowed his fear in a big lump, and bowed
to Srinoy and begged to be forgiven. He was.
We moved back to where the van was. The horse followed. I said to the
manager's nervous look behind him, "Grey will follow me wherever I go.
Any animal will, of their own desire, unless I ask them not to, which I
usually do. That's why I am not covered in bird droppings." He just
stared at me, while the rest laughed. I sighed and said, "Oh, alright."
A bird flew to me and perched on my shoulder. I said to him, "Now you
see. Why do you have so much trouble accepting true words? And from
people who are not able to lie? Well?" He said "The fault is mine." I
said "That is true, but why do you have that fault? Do you think the
Monk who is with us would support a lie?" That got his attention. He
said "I have been a fool." I said "I know that, too. But why do you
need to be one?" He couldn't find an answer. I said "Well, now you have
something important to think about, when you have time." Srinoy said,
"He who would truly master a horse, must first master himself." I
nodded, and said, "And he who is without self, doesn't need to master
anything. I did not master the horse. We became friends." We were at
the van. The Monk bowed very low to me, and said, "Thank you again,
Master Teacher!" I bowed to him and said, "It is my pleasure to have
such a receptive student." The manager dropped his mouth open in
surprise. I said to him, "You really should not keep your mouth open
like that, near a bird who is interested in building a nest." He closed
it with a snap, while Srinoy was almost laughing his head off. The Monk
and driver were laughing, too. I said to Srinoy, "I'll try to let you
have the next one." He tried to thank me while he was still laughing. I
said to the bird, "Thank you for your company. Please go now and join
your other friends." It lifted off and circled my head twice, and then
flew off.
We all looked at the manager to see if his mouth would drop open
again. It didn't, and he understood, and couldn't help smiling at that.
I said "There is something else you should consider. We are not our
coverings. That means skin, too. He would still be a Monk, even if he
were covered in feathers, like the Priests of old, in a faraway place,
did." Srinoy said "Mexico!" I nodded, and said, "Do you understand what
I'm saying?" He said, "I think I am beginning to." I said "Today you
will see that despite what I don't look like, I am more a Mongol than
anybody now living." He looked at the Monk, who nodded. I said "Do I
need to put on my Abbot's robes to get you to actually think?" He said
"No, Master." I said "Good, because they sure won't work well riding a
horse!" Then he understood more, and I could see he was cursing himself
inside.
We opened the cases, and I took out the horse gear, while Srinoy took
out the targets, and ran around setting them up. I put the sheepskin on
Grey, and he really liked it. Then I put the saddle on him. He didn't
like the cinch, but quickly grew accustomed to it. He didn't really pay
much attention to the halter, when I put it on him. I put on the Mongol
boots. Then I took out the bow, and strung it. The driver and the
manager were very interested in it. I said "It's real, made just like
they were made, just before the great conquest. By me. I made it, and
others. And the arrows. And the saddle, and all the rest." I mounted
Grey, and he was glad to have me. We galloped around the field a
little, and then I had him canter in a 30m circle while I did some
tricks on him, such as handstands, summersaults, riding draped across
the saddle on my back, and hanging off the side of the horse. Then we
rode back to the van.
Srinoy handed me my bow and a quiver of arrows. I rode past the
targets at speed, and shot them with arrows, from trick riding
positions. Back at the van, I said, "Now I'm going to do something
which is not in any history book I know of. Some of the towns we raided
had high log walls. Here is what some of us would do to shoot arrows at
the defenders who were out of sight behind them." We ran around to
alongside a target, and Grey reared, and then came down and bucked
hard, sending me flying high up into the air, and forward. In the
middle of a summersault, at the top of the arc, I shot an arrow into
the target. At the same time, Grey was still moving forward under me,
and I came down on the saddle, sitting astride it. We trotted back to
the van, to see all their mouths open in astonishment. I said to them,
"You all look like a frozen chorus." Srinoy laughed, which broke the
spell for the others. The driver said, "In all the years of the
festivals, I've never seen anything like it." The manager said in awe,
"Nor have I. You, Master, are a true Mongol!" I grinned and said, "I
was." He said "Oh! Now I understand. Thank you very much!" I said
"You're welcome. Srinoy, would you like to try some of this?" He was
too overcome to speak, so he just nodded.
I said "First, your bow. You have how many total hours on a bow in
basic training?" He said "Four." I said "Good, then you know what to
do. Just note that your bow is much more powerful than the simple one
you used before." He nodded, and shot very accurately. I said "Next,
riding. You did some of that on the ranch?" He said, "Yes, with Sulde."
I said "Then you will have no problem with Grey. Let me introduce you,
and then you can adjust the stirrups." He came over, and I got down off
of Grey, and said to him, "Grey, this is my brother Srinoy. You and he
are very good friends. Please love him as I do, and as you love me." He
nodded, and gave Srinoy a gentle butt in the chest with his nose.
Srinoy laughed, and stroked him. He mounted, and rode Grey very well.
He came back and I passed him the bow and quiver. He shot well, in the
simple ways, and I applauded. I said "I think that was better than the
current archers can do now, after practicing for years, and that was
the first time you shot that bow, and on a moving horse." The driver
said, "I have to agree."
I said to the driver, "Do you think your boss would like to have me
demonstrate what I did today, at the festival?" He said "He would, if
he believed what we would tell him." I said "We will take care of that
thing. I think we are ready to end this for today. Grey needs to be
groomed now. Where do we go for that?" He said "My staff will take care
of that." I said "NO! He who rides, must care for his horse. They work
for us, we work for them. All things must balance. And they want us to,
after we bond by riding. So, where do we go?" He bowed deeply to me,
and then led us to the stables. I took my equipment off of Grey, and
Srinoy and I groomed him. I motioned the manager over, and said, "If
you want him to obey you, please do some of the grooming now, when I
introduce him to you." I did that, and the manager groomed him. I said,
"If you feel friendship, respect, and love for him, and push it at him,
he will sense it, and return that to you. Please try." He did, and Grey
gave him a gentle nudge with his nose. The manager grinned and stroked
him.
On the way back to the van, with the manager, I turned to him, and
said, "I'm not a horse, but thank you." He laughed, and so did Srinoy.
The Monk and the driver figured out what I was referring to, and
grinned. We packed up everything, and loaded it into the van. Before we
left, the manager said to me, "Master Teacher, I am honored beyond
words that you have cared for me as much as you have. I didn't deserve
it. I have learned much, and I am a better man for it." I said "I am
honored to serve. One thing more. Your learning from this day is not
ended. Review, and learn more, each day." I opened my arms to him, and
he came into my hug, and I gave him all my love. Srinoy and the Monk
kept him from falling. We got in the van, and drove away while he was
still in shock.
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Grant
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