The Stick Pony

It was a steady mid-afternoon at the Bakersbury's; Tom was sitting on the deck as usual, rocking back and forth in his chair, pulling on his pipe. The kids were playing in the yard. Little Charlie was running around with a stick pony, eyeing the big pile of leaves mommy had raked up earlier, while Lucy (who, despite being a year and a half younger, stood a few inches taller than him) trailed close behind, trying to catch him.

"Don't mess with the leaves, Charlie", Tom said, with white puffs of tobacco smoke emphasizing his gravelly words as he spoke them. Charlie didn't respond, as that would interrupt him teasing Lucy, but his wild path took a turn away from the tempting mound. Tom smirked, "And go easy on your sister!".

"Papa! Charlie won't share the pony!" - Lucy, who was so frustrated trying to catch her brother that she had almost burst into tears, decided to switch tactics.

"Nuh uh!" Charlie exclaimed, "She had it before me, it's my turn!"

Here we go again. "Charlie, give your sister the pony. You can have it back later."

"But dad, it's not Lucy's turn yet!"

Tom wasn't ecstatic about discussing the politics of the situation, though, "You'll get it back later! Let your sister play with it."

"Fiiine", Charlie sighed, handing over the toy. Lucy beamed, smug in her apparent victory. She ran around the yard giggling, no doubt competing in some imaginary derby, while Charlie sulked back to the house - head hanging low. Tom didn't see a reason to stop him, but then again, he didn't realize why Charlie was going inside.

A few moments later, the porch door opened again. This time, Charlie had backup. "Sweetie, what's going on?" Theresa asked, dripping irritation. Charlie, clasping her half-dirtied apron, was hiccupping through crocodile tears. Tom always struggled to explain these things, and this time was no different, as he stammered through the events of the last few minutes to his unamused wife. Lucy had noticed the discussion, but didn't care what it was about, preoccupied instead with the landscape of her fantasy. She did feel, however, that this would be a good opportunity to pay the leaf-pile a visit, since its guardian was now distracted. With a shout of glee, an explosion of leaves littered the yard. Lucy temporarily vanished in a flurry of hazel confetti, only to emerge again from the chaos.

Tom, who was secretly relieved his clumsy monologue had been interrupted, shifted his attention to the mess in his yard - "Lucy, I told you to stay away from the leaves!". Lucy, however, no longer carried the smug impression she bore before, nor the toy she had conned from her brother. She was silently limping towards the house, sobbing softly. Theresa now sensed there was something wrong besides Tom's harsh words, and quickly made her way over to scoop up Lucy.

"What's wrong, dear?" She asked.

"My foot hurts", Lucy sobbed. But before she reached her mother, a rustle among the mess and some movement caught Tom's eye. The checkered hide of a rattlesnake appeared - slithering quickly to escape its destroyed encampment. It wasn't headed for the girls, but Tom shot up from his chair.

"Snake!" He exclaimed, almost falling forward as he bounded down the staircase, pointing. Theresa grabbed Lucy, and both made it into the house safely as Tom and Charlie followed. Theresa put Lucy down on the dining-room table, and yanked the pink and white trainers off her feet, acting on instinct. Two crimson rivulets emerged above her left ankle.

"Tom, get the car."

The ride to the hospital was tense, with Theresa in the back with the kids, doing her best to comfort them. Charlie was crying for real, now, and struggled to speak, "is... hic... is she going to be okay?"

"Yes, she'll be okay", his mother assured him quietly, but the fear in her own eyes conveyed a more uncertain message.

"Dad, I'm scared," Lucy said.

"Everything is going to be okay, sweetheart."

They arrived at the hospital a few minutes later, and Lucy was quickly treated with antivenom. She would have to stay and be monitored for a while, but the doctors let the Bakersbury's know that Lucy was likely going to be okay. Tom nodded, "thank you."

"I'm sorry I jumped in the leaves, dad," said Lucy, solemnly, "I should have listened." Her chin was pressed against her chest, sniffing away tears of guilt.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Theresa responded.

Tom paused, admiring his brave young daughter - who had handled the ordeal surprisingly well. "You sure gave that snake a fright, kiddo."

She giggled, wiping her face, "yeah."

"If you want," Charlie said, "when we get back home, I'll let you play with my Legos."

"Really?" she asked excitedly, almost forgetting the IV in her arm, and the bleak walls of the hospital room.

"Yeah!" Charlie continued, "And you can have as many turns with the pony as you like!"

Maybe snakes aren't so bad, Lucy thought.