The Girl Who Remembered Horses

Chapter One

SAHARA AWOKE TO a pounding inside her head. Thundering. Loud. Was it rain against the tent? Rain would bring relief from the dust and the smothering heat. She blinked, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She heard nothing. The sound must have been from the dream, the dream she had again and again.

Hooves thundering. Fleet feet, countless feet pounding against the earth. I am among them, fingers locked into flowing mane for balance, wind whipping in my face, flying across the earth. I glide, meld into one being, I ride.

Come, girl, cried Laurel from outside. Up, now. Build the fire and keep the camp.

Sahara sat abruptly, scratchy blanket sliding from her thin body. She reached for the comfort of her dogs’ snuggly fur, but felt only air. They must be outside already.

"Now, Sahara, not tomorrow."

Sahara pulled the rag shirt over her head, tucking the silver medallion she wore around her neck down inside. She shoved her feet into her boots, tied them crookedly and hobbled out to the fire. Sahara hated being treated like a baby. She was almost thirteen.

I’m here, sister.

Laurel appeared anxious to be off. We have little meat. I will go down along the dry river bed and look for rabbits again. Stay in camp, start the fire, and don’t forget to stir the stew.

Sahara made a face. Stay in camp. Build the fire. Stir the stew. Her chores were so boring. She wished she could do something important. Why couldn’t she have adventures like her older sister?

Laurel was a huntress, and good at her job. Standing straight as a rod, her long braid pulled neatly behind her head, she twirled her weapon, a short rope with stones attached to each end.

I will return, little sister. She tucked her trip cord into her belt and headed out with long strides.

Sahara slunk over to the stew-pot, finger-combing tangles from her unruly brown hair. It was early, and few people from the camp were awake. No other fires warmed the cool morning air. A makeshift variety of tents and shelters, built from salvaged tarps, skins, and old pieces of corrugated metal were set up helter-skelter along the edge of a dry river bed.

Sahara’s dogs, Banner and Blitz, strained at their ropes, yipping with hunger. For two days there had been no meat to spare for the dogs, only dried pieces of squash and potato.

Hush now. Behave, Sahara whispered. The dogs immediately quieted.

Sahara went to them, hugging each one and absorbing the warmth of their long fur. Her belly rumbled. God speed, she breathed, but her sister was already gone.

She wished she could ask Laurel about the creatures in her dream. Fast like a deer, but larger. Swift and powerful. I was among them, floating across the earth, astride. But Laurel would make fun. Her older sister was way too serious to think about dreams. Ever since their parents died in the flu epidemic, Laurel had taken on the responsibilities of both mother and father. Grandfather had helped at first, but now he was older and unable to do much.

Sahara shivered in the brisk morning, calculating how long before the sun rose over the parched earth. She stirred the coals under the battered pot that held the leftovers from last night’s meal. At the first flicker she poked dry kindling into the flame, then balanced two larger sticks on top. Just enough fire to warm the dank vegetable stew that would serve as morning and evening meal.

Sahara hoped Laurel’s hunt would be successful. Rabbits and small game were scarce this season. Deer, too. She could barely remember the last time she’d eaten venison. Coyotes yodeled in the distance. She cursed them silently. They hunted, too, but at the expense of her full stomach.

At the smell of food, the dogs whined, never taking their eyes from Sahara. She spooned a bit of thin stew for them into a cracked plastic bowl. Reaching into the pot for two large chunks of potato, she threw each dog a piece. Blitz grabbed his in midair, gulping it immediately. Banner, the female, was more patient. She pulled small bites from hers, taking her time, her tail wagging in pleasure.

Oh, my doggies. Maybe we’ll have fresh rabbit tonight, huh? Sahara spoke to them in a sing-song voice, mimicking the ways parents talked to their babies. The dogs’ tails wove fiercely back and forth, as if they understood the words.

Talking to the animals again, my girl?

Sahara startled. Grandfather could sneak up on anyone. He had been a skilled hunter in his youth, tracking game to its den with his quiet stealth.

It is a rare gift you have, to sooth the beasts as you do, he said.

Sahara patted the make-shift bench beside the warm fire. Sit, Grandfather. I will share my stew.

No, you eat, daughter of my son. Grandfather eased his spare frame down alongside her. You are still growing, and I hear your stomach grumbling all the way across camp.

You must have good hearing, Sahara chuckled.

What I cannot hear, I can imagine, he said. And I imagine you will be glad if your sister is successful today.

Sahara nodded. Will we move our camp soon, Grandfather? There seems to be so little to eat here. My poor dogs are hungry, and Banner is carrying babies in her belly.

I believe we will. Nehalem will make that decision soon. He shifted his weight on the bench, resting his walking stick across his bony knees.

I’m more than ready to go. I am tired of rabbit. And squash, said Sahara, shoving her thick brown hair behind her ears. She slurped a spoonful of thin broth from her bowl. I remember corn, and melon. Maybe the Gardener’s Camp will have peaches again, too.

Hmm. Peaches. Grandfather’s watery eyes crinkled at the corners. Those are my favorite also.

Even winter greens would taste delicious right now, said Sahara. Don’t you think?

The old man wrapped a long skin about his frail body and stood, using his stick for balance. The dogs stood, too, and began to whine.

Sahara motioned to them with hand signals, asking them to lie down and be quiet, which they did. 

I am impressed with the way you have those animals trained, said Grandfather.

Sahara wrinkled her nose. You are?

Your sister cannot make the dogs behave like that, can she?

Sahara grinned. "No, they barely listen to her at all. Sometimes it makes her a bit angry. She says I spend way too much time with them, and I should be doing other, more useful things."

Well, keep in mind that you and your sister are not the same person.

I know that, said Sahara. In fact, we seem more and more different all the time. Sometimes it’s hard to believe we are even sisters. Laurel is the practical one, and she thinks I’m too much of a dreamer.

Too much of a dreamer, sighed Grandfather. Well, everyone is entitled to their own views. But in my opinion, this world could use more dreamers.

Anyway, Banner and Blitz don’t care, said Sahara. Do you? she chirped to the dogs. Their eyes followed her every move, tails thumping in the dirt. They like me just the way I am.

I believe that is true, Grandfather agreed. Perhaps your skill with animals is something special - a gift.

A gift? Sahara knotted her brow.

A rare gift, murmured Grandfather.

A gift? Maybe she should ask Grandfather about her dreams - filled with the same animals, over and over. Sahara closed her eyes for just a moment and heard again the steady thunder of hooves. Dust swirling, balancing upon the creature’s back . . . Grandfather might know. He was born right after the Dark Days - a time in the past no one ever talked about. But how could she ask without feeling foolish?

Grandfather - she began.

But he was gone before she could form her question, hobbling stiff-legged toward the other side of camp.

People milled around now outside their crude shelters, starting fires and preparing the morning meal. The few children of the camp still slept soundly, except for young Ash, whose happy voice broke the silence as he ran in circles, playing chase with his neighbor’s dogs. Sahara stifled a smile watching him, shoved her strange dreams to the back of her thoughts, and reached for soggy vegetables to add to the stew. Grandfather’s words still echoed in her mind.

A rare gift.

Chapter Two

THE SWELTERING HEAT lingered as Nehalem gathered the clan a few days later. Sahara watched as everyone crowded close together. Besides Laurel and herself, quite a few older people, a handful of hunters, a few couples with babies and young children, and several young men and boys made up the entire Trader’s Clan.

Voices rose and fell in nervous anticipation, awaiting their leader’s words. Sahara found a spot close to her sister, on a log behind Grandfather. Laurel had snared one small rabbit two nights ago, and none yesterday. The stew pot was almost empty. Sahara hoped this meeting signaled a change.

Nehalem, a tall, rangy man with a beard graying at the edges, stood to speak. He was a thoughtful man, and he’d been the leader of Trader’s Clan for as long as Sahara could remember. The entire clan quieted to hear his words.

We have been traveling now for many months. Thanks to our hunters, we have a good stash of skins.

The crowd murmured in agreement.

And we’ve been fortunate this year, Nehalem spread his arms wide, to have such a load of scavenged and reusable goods. As much as our dogs can pull. But now food runs out. Game is scarce. Tomorrow evening the full moon will light our way as we begin. We will leave for Gardener’s Camp, where we will trade our bounty for greens and vegetables. We will travel in the cool of the evening, and rest during the heat of the day. Let us pray for a safe journey. Let us pray for rain.

Heads bowed and lips mumbled the well-known words.

Keep us safe. Let there be rain. Keep our families safe and keep us healthy. Let us live and prosper.

Let us live and prosper, Sahara finished.

She thought of her history lessons from Camp School, which she had attended for a short while before the teacher had taken ill and died. More people than anyone could possibly imagine had inhabited the world before the Dark Days. They had lived close together in cities - with strange names like Nu-York, She-caw-go, and Baw-ston. Then came the Dark Days - the cold times, when crops did not grow. Famine, disease and death had followed. Then the climate changed again, and now there were days and long months with sweltering sun. Little grass grew with the shortage of rain, and people suffered once again with the lack of food.

Let us live and prosper, Sahara prayed to herself, shuddering. She could hardly wait to be at Gardener’s Camp again. Set near a small spring, the water was transferred through a system of canals to grow crops year round. Sahara remembered the sweet fruits and vegetables she had tasted there, as well as goat meat, so different from rabbit and ground squirrel.

Sahara rushed home to their tent to tell the dogs of their upcoming journey and to help Laurel pack their meager belongings. Banner and Blitz would pull a heavy cart loaded with trade goods, their tent, water jugs and cooking pots. Everywhere she looked, families readied for the long trip.

By dusk of the next day, the heat began to dissipate. Sahara inspected all the straps and fittings used to harness her dogs to their cart, and laid them out on the ground. Those people lucky enough to own larger dogs, like Banner and Blitz, would tether them in front of a variety of make-shift carts and sleds. These were piled high with reusable items from the past - before the Dark Days. Found on the desert during their travels, there were metal pots and shovels, plastic containers and pottery dishes. Even some well-worn but still useful lumber. All made good trade items for the people at the Gardener’s Camp.

Those without dogs would have to walk, carrying their belongings on their backs. The going would be slow, and the path dusty from so many months without rain.

We are lucky to have these good dogs, Laurel said, knotting a rope as she pulled it taut.

Banner and Blitz were some of the strongest pullers in camp, and the most well behaved. They stood quietly and watched, while Laurel and Sahara loaded skins on the cart, and then made a place for Grandfather to sit when he became tired.

Do you remember the dog distemper? asked Laurel.

Not very well. I was too young, said Sahara.

It was an awful time. Dogs sneezed and coughed and wouldn’t eat. Then they would get horribly sick and just die. We lost so many, and no one knew what to do. It’s sad when a dog dies, but then we were stuck and could not move our belongings.

So what did everyone do?

Some tried shouldering the carts themselves, putting the straps around their chests. But it didn’t work very well. You don’t remember that?

Sahara shook her head, trying to imagine pulling one of these heavy carts by herself.

Oh, well you were just a few years old. But the clan didn’t move far that year. We could not even get to the Gardener’s Camp.

Sahara shuddered, imagining Banner or Blitz becoming so sick. Could that happen again?

I don’t know. I think the sickness came from the wild dogs that hung around camp. But not all of our dogs died. Banner and Blitz were born from a strain that survived, so maybe they are safe.

Sahara hugged Banner fiercely. She understood how important the dogs were to her family’s welfare. Sahara could not imagine a night without falling asleep against the warmth of Banner’s long black fur. Banner and Blitz were strong dogs, useful to the clan for their pulling power. But to Sahara, they were her loyal companions and friends.

Safe from what? Ash raced into their camp, stopping to ruffle the dogs’ fur and scratch their bellies.

A dog sickness, answered Sahara. Laurel shot her a glance, but Sahara shrugged her shoulders. Ash was only nine, but surely old enough to hear about the realities of life.

So they aren’t sick, then? he asked.

Sahara shook her head. No, she said, a slow smile spreading across her face. Except they can probably see how big this load is they must pull tonight. They might get sick thinking about that.

Blitz doesn’t care, said Ash. He’s strong. And fast. Watch this, he said, finding a short stick on the ground and tossing it. Get it, Blitz.

Sahara grinned, watching the big dog romp away. Ash was Nehalem’s grandson, and although he liked the dogs, he was really too young to be a playmate to Sahara. Except for Banner and Blitz, she had no close friends in the clan. Maybe that was why she spent so much time with her animals.

I think we have this lashed down as well as we can, said Laurel. We’ll be up most of the night traveling. Are you getting excited?

Sahara nodded.

My mother says I have to take a nap before we leave, said Ash, but I’m not tired at all. He dashed away across the busy camp.

A slight twinge of jealousy ran through Sahara. She could not remember her mother. Anyway, I’m way too old for a nap, she thought. But she sat in the shade of the loaded cart and closed her eyes anyway, trying to recall the route to the Gardener’s Camp. It was several weeks’ journey, mostly evenings traveling slowly by the thin light of the moon, or rising at cool dawn on the nights with a moonless sky. And long days spent waiting out the heat in strange terrain.

Thundering. Thundering. Hoofbeats thundering. Sweat gleaming against long necks, sides heaving, and long tails flung in the air. One of the animals snorts in alarm and the whole herd stops as one. Heads turn as they search across the prairie for danger. Then, in one motion, they gallop in another direction, sweeping out of vision, and they are gone . . .

Chapter Three

SAHARA, ARE YOU awake? Laurel stood above her.