Emily Mayfield, part 6: The Fall

Brother Alex is six on this first great night of the stars and the horse. Two years later, as the middle child, the younger brother to the organizer/planner/schemer/horseman, Alex at eight is the doer. Alex wants to ride like the wind on Moon, George’s large brown horse with a crescent on her forehead, but George won’t share Moon. Moon is his only escape from being the older brother.

Alex climbs down from the second story of the Mayfields’ house via the willow tree, to visit Moon in the middle of the night. Moon is waiting. Alex has been told to stay away from Moon without Dad being there. Alex has been warned to stay away from Moon by George or George will tell Mom and Dad about how the fire behind the garage started when Alex was trying out a cigarette he stole from the purse of one of Mom’s friends. But it is night, and Moon is waiting. He shimmies down the tree without incident. He walks across the grass under a full moon. He approaches Moon with soft words and an apple. Moon takes the apple, and while she is munching, Alex puts his bare foot on her hock and quickly throws his right leg over her back. Alex and Moon sweep off into the night, across the farm’s open acres. As they approach the lone sycamore tree, a wind howls; a large branch breaks in the wind, cracks, falls in the path of horse and boy. Moon instinctively jumps and clears the branch. Alex, however, doesn’t see the branch, as his head is raised to the sky in exaltation.

When he feels Moon starting her jump, Alex bails out. He’d rather be in control of his own destiny (read ‘fall’) than trust the horse. Moon clears the branch neatly, feels the absence of her rider and stops to wait.

Alex is not so lucky. His bailout takes him right onto the fallen branch. A sharp stub of the branch rips through Alex’s face, leaving a gash that ends in his left eye socket. Alex faints from the pain and shock.

(continued)