Most vivid about his childhood memories of his home town was the times he spent at his neighbors farm. He spent every weekend there, and sometimes he'd go over after dinner. He loved to watch the horses in the pasture. He'd watch them for hours. But brushing them wand washing them was his favorite. He loved feeling the strong, sturdy muscles as he stroked the horse's back and flank. The way the horse's glassy eyes watched him as he did his work.
But he'll never forget that fateful day. The first day he rode a horse was fine. But then when he tried riding the horse by himself, well, that's when everything went wrong.
First he tensed, then the horse threw him backwards. As the horse reared it stepped backward, landing on his shin. Hearing the sickening crunch, and the painful wail, the horse shot forward, running around the track, circling back. The instructor had just reached him and pulled him off the track before racing to calm the horse down.
The next hour was a blur. With the paramedics rushing to his side, the ambulance ride to the hospital, and being prepared for surgery. When he woke up in his hospital room pain came shooting up from his leg. Glancing down he saw that his leg was in a brace. As the nurse explained what had happened he started to feel queasy.
And now as he stood at the entrance to the horse farm all those memories came flooding back. He glanced down at his prosthetic leg and took in a shaky breath.
"Daddy! Daddy!"
He turned around and opened his arms wide, crouching to scoop up his daughter. His wife came up, laughing, and put her arm around him.
:This is brave of you, sweetheart. I'm proud of you."
"Anything for my two princesses!"
He took another deep breath, shifted his daughter on his hip, took his wife's hand in his and walked toward the barn.
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