Book #3

Horses of the Dawn

The Escape
By: Kathryn Lasky

        Being born on the moving ground isn’t easy, especially for a horse. Estrella was though. She didn’t know what grass tasted like, or how it felt to run, all she knew was the sling in the dark barn under the deck of the ship. Her dam told her lots of stories about living in England; stories about the meadow, the grass, running, kicking, and being able to see the stars and feel the warmth of the sun. The stories fascinated Estrella. She had millions of questions, some even her dam didn’t know.

        One day Estrella’s mom starts to stomp and squeal. All of a sudden the slings started to move. She was carried above the deck and dropped into the ocean. For a horse that hasn’t even seen the sunlight, this is an extreme shock. Her dam helps her by telling her to, “Breathe and keep swimming with your head high.”

        As they swam, Estrella heard screams of terror, human screams. They were pointing at the water. When Estrella looked down, the water turned white. A huge animal was swimming under them. It bumped Estrella and she shrieked. Estrella’s dam hurried to her side knowing the shark was after the foal. Moments after the large animal grabbed Estrella’s dam in its large white jagged teeth and drug her under the water. It soon turned from dark blue to blood red. Estrella was horrified, they had been off the boat for only minutes and her mom had already been killed.

Something flashed through her dam’s eyes; the smell of sweet grass and a tiny pony. After reaching the beach, all of the horses began to run and kick in the freedom they now have. Once they were done, Estrella took the lead and will lead the horses on a parlous journey filled with strife and sorrow.