Si?n and the Golden Angel

On a farm nestled among the rolling green hills of the Highlands,
lived a young girl named Si?n. Si?n was the farmer's daughter and she
owned a pretty palomino pony named Prince. Each morning, Si?n would
ride Prince around her parents' large property. One crisp morning Si?n,
went out onto the verandah of the farmhouse with Prince's saddle under
her arm.


"Prince," she called. "Come here, Prince!"


Prince cantered over to Si?n. His golden mane flew in the
wind and his beautiful blonde coat glistened under the rays of the warm
sun.


"It's time for our morning ride" said Si?n as she stroked the
pony's forelock and mane.


Prince neighed, and Si?n saddled him up. They rode through
the pastures. Si?n waved to her mother who was working in the fields.
They rode until they had reached the outskirts of the farm and the
fence that surrounded the property. Si?n and Prince were enjoying their
ride very much but were startled by the voice they heard which came out
of nowhere.


"Hey!" Si?n heard the voice say.


It was Lewis, the annoying boy from the property next
door.


"I bet you and your pathetic nag can't jump over that fence,"
he taunted.


"I bet we can," said Si?n, regretting her words even before
she had finished the sentence.
"Let's see you do it then," said Lewis, egging her on.


Si?n looked down nervously at her horse.


"What do you think, boy? Can we do it?" she
pleaded.


Prince raised his head and neighed. He nodded his
head.


"Okay, Prince let's show him. Let's jump that fence, boy!"
Si?n said to the palomino.


Si?n and Prince were very nervous. They had never jumped a
fence as high as this one. They headed for the fence. Prince was
picking up speed. As he approached the fence, he flung himself as hard
as he could into the air. But he could not jump high enough to clear
the fence. He almost knocked the fence over. Si?n fell out of the
saddle and landed in the dirt. Prince looked down at her sadly. She was
lying there, hurt and dirty. She was crying and holding her arm. Lewis,
being a complete coward, hopped on his bike and pedalled off as fast as
he could.


Si?n's mother heard her daughter's cries from the field and
ran to her side. She lifted up her daughter and took her back to the
house. Then, the farmer and his wife took Si?n to a hospital so the
doctors and nurses could fix her broken arm.


After her fall, Si?n's mother would not allow her to ride
Prince until her arm was completely healed. Days turned into weeks and
weeks turned into months as the time passed slowly. It seemed to take
ages for Si?n's arm to heal and she was feeling more than a little
dejected. She should have shown that little twirp Lewis that she could
get Prince over the fence.


In the meantime, Prince had become very determined to jump
the fence. Unbeknown to Si?n, he practised jumping over it every
day.


One day, the doctor announced that Si?n was ready to ride
Prince once again.


Si?n ran immediately out to the paddock and saddled Prince.
She and Prince started to head for the fence. Si?n gave Prince a gentle
nudge with the stirrups as they headed closer. They were getting closer
and closer to the fence and Prince was picking up speed. Just as the
pony was about to take off into the air, Si?n pulled tightly on the
reins and stopped him dead in his tracks. Si?n had lost her nerve and
was too afraid to go over the fence for fear of falling
again.


That evening Si?n went to bed feeling more dejected than
before. She cried and cried until she fell into a fitful sleep. During
the night, she felt something brush against her cheek very lightly. She
woke up, rubbing her eyes. As she sat up in her bed, something quite
remarkable started to take shape before her eyes. First, she saw a
stunning white light, then a beautiful face surrounded by golden curls
that cascaded down the shoulders of the vision, then there was a
flowing golden gown that reached a pair of petite feet. Then Si?n saw
something even more amazing. Wings! Big, beautiful white wings that
grew out of the back of this beautiful lady.


"Don't be alarmed, my love, I am Ariane, your angel guide. I
have been sent here to comfort and guide you through your troubles,"
she said in a gentle voice.


"You have been feeling very sad and dejected. You have the
desire, the strength and the ability to get your pony over that fence.
However, you are missing one important ingredient," said the
angel.
"What do you mean?" asked Si?n, still half-asleep and feeling very
confused.


"You are missing faith!" answered the angel Ariane. "You need
to have faith in yourself. If you believe in yourself, nothing can stop
you from jumping the fence. Know, in your heart, that you can do
it!"


Then a beautiful golden mist surrounded the apparition until
she disappeared into it. When the mist finally cleared, Si?n's, angel
Ariane had also vanished. Si?n was once again alone in her little
bedroom. She felt an incredible feeling of calm and soon drifted off
into a deep sleep.


The following morning, Si?n burst into Prince's
barn.


"Come on, Prince," she said. "We are going for a ride and
today, you and I are going to clear that fence with
ease."


Si?n saddled up Prince. They were both nervous with
anticipation.


Prince could feel Si?n's hands trembling as she tightened the
cinch on his saddle. He tried to calm her nerves by being very still as
she climbed into the saddle and took tight hold of the reins. They rode
off in the direction of the fence.


As their confidence in each other returned, Si?n turned
Prince towards the fence. As it came into view, he broke into a trot,
then a canter. His pace grew faster and faster. As they approached the
fence, they both held their breath. Si?n was gripped with fear and then
she remembered the angel's words:


"Believe in yourself. Believe in yourself."
Just before horse and rider neared the fence, Prince baulked at the
last moment.


"Come on, Prince, I know we can do it. "If you believe in
yourself, nothing can stop you."


Si?n guided Prince backwards slowly and they stood perfectly
still. She shut her eyes and pictured them flying over the fence with
room to spare.


Prince pawed the ground with his front hoof, neighed loudly
and started for the fence.
He started with a trot, then broke into a canter and then burst into a
gallop.
The fence loomed before them while the angel's words echoed over and
over in Si?n's ears. When they were close enough, Si?n squeezed her
knees into the pony's flanks and Prince pushed away from the ground,
flinging himself high into the air. Prince and Si?n sailed easily over
the fence with about a metre to spare. The farmer and his wife, who had
been watching in silence, clapped their hands with joy. Lewis was also
watching from a distance and he ran home to saddle up his pony and have
a go at jumping the fence himself.


Si?n was quite proud of herself and very proud of
Prince.


Si?n has not received another visit from the mystical angel
but she always remembers her words of advice.


"Believe in yourself. Believe in yourself." "If you do,
nothing can stop you."