Fly With Me

         Loran Walters raised a hand and slammed it down atop the buzzing annoyance and shut off the morning alarm before rolling over onto her back and staring at the dark ceiling.  It was too early in the morning, she told herself, but she pulled herself up and climbed out of the bed.  Loran’s gaze went outside to the dark world there.  Her imagination told her what she would see so that she had no need of light anymore.  She would see the magnificent horses being readied for their morning workouts.  Their warm breath misting upon the cool air.  Their neighs and nickers ringing through the chill, striking to the bone as they pranced toward the dirt track.  This was her life, she lived on a Thoroughbred farm in upstate New York, and she was one of the best exercise riders out there.  Her parents had owned the farm since before the seventeen-year-old girl was born, and it was the only home she had ever known.
         Dressing quickly into a pair of denim jeans and a “Princess” tee shirt, Loran pulled her shoulder length chestnut hair into a ponytail and secured it with an elastic.  Grabbing the book bag and her keys, she slipped out of her room quietly and headed downstairs to the kitchen.  Already there was coffee brewing and she knew that her mother and father were down at the barn.  It made a grin appear on her face as she thought about her parents and how much they loved the horses.  Never would they abuse them as some might.  They never raced a two-year-old unless they were certain they were ready.  Most of their horses started their racing careers at three and in the entire twenty years the Walters have owned Luckthorne Farms, the only Triple Crown hopeful had been a stallion named Tearful Reunion.  The horse had run amazing races, but never managed to win any of the famous races.  At four, he had been retired due to a minor injury.  Her parents decided they would rather have a living stallion than a dead racehorse.
         After pouring herself a cup of coffee and fixing it to the way she liked it, Loran made her way outside and stopped on the porch to take in the smell of the morning.  It always made her feel special, like it was all hers and hers alone.  She would stand there for five minutes, just savoring it with her eyes closed.  A grin appeared on her face as she heard a very familiar whinny carrying through the darkness and her eyes opened to peer into it.  She hopped off the porch and jogged to the barn, stopping as she neared a large gray colt.  The horse began to prance in place and then paw the ground, tossing his regal head.
         “Proof, stop that.  Do you want everyone to think you play favorites?” Loran asked the horse, who merely perked his ears and snorted into coming dawn.  She giggled and shook her head, then took the helmet that one of the grooms handed her and buckled it.  After checking the girth one last time, she took a hand up and mounted the excited colt.  “Yes, Proof, we get to run today.”
         Just then, Mark Walters walked up to the pair and placed his hand upon his daughter’s leg.  He looked up and smiled, for he held no fear for Loran’s life.  He had taught her everything she knew and he understood the bond these two had for each other.  Proof Positive was a three-year-old colt they owned and were training for the Derby.  Mark knew that the horse had a lot of promise and he would be their first entry in the Derby in thirteen years, since Tearful Reunion.
         “All right Loran, just take him out to the quarter marker after warming him up and let him out.  I want to see his speed today.  If he gets a good work in, we’ll put him with Devil in a couple days and see how he does then.”
         “Okay Dad.  Come on Proof.  Let’s show ‘em.”
         Loran moved the colt towards the gap in the rail and then onto the dirt track, touching her heels to his flank and Proof moved into a smooth trot.  Loran posted easily and then patted the colt’s neck.  He tossed his head again and seemed to sense that today was a special day.  Loran knew that he would prove to everyone that he was ready for the Triple Crown trail.  She already knew it, but now everyone else would know it as well.  As they cantered around the track a few times, she watched Lorenzo pass by on Devil Killer.  They did not own the black colt, but her father was training him.  She saw the power in the colt, but the rider had a hard time controlling him.  Because of this, the horse was always wearing the worst bit, and his saddle was usually cinched too tightly.  She had spoken to her father about it several times, but he would always tell her that he had to do what the owner wished or lose the horse as a trainee.  She shook her head and focused on Proof.
         “Don’t worry boy, you’ll beat the socks off anyone who challenges you.  I have faith in you.”  Loran then noticed the quarter marker coming closer and she readied herself for the all-out run that was coming.  Sensing the change in his rider, Proof seemed to prepare himself as well.  He flicked his tail and moved his ears back, waiting for the signal from Loran.  It came a moment later in the form of an imperceptible nudge by her heels.  Proof shot off from the slow gallop he was already in into a faster gallop.  His long strides ate up the track as if he were flying and the humans standing at the rail became nothing more than blurs of color.  Loran leaned over the colt’s neck and whispered words of love into his ears, encouraging him to fly.
         Proof responded with another burst of speed and when he passed the ‘wire’, it felt to Loran like he was flying after all.  She stood in her stirrups and slowed the colt down slowly.  Her father, meanwhile, was staring at his stopwatch with a slack jaw.  He could not believe it.  Proof Positive had just run 2 furlongs in 25 seconds.  He swallowed and wrote it down, then passed the watch to his assistant, who passed it down the line to everyone else.  No one had believed it was possible.  Not since Tearful Reunion had a horse run that fast.  When Loran brought him back to the gap and dismounted, she knew he had been fast, but then she was told how fast and the grin grew on her face.
         “This is it, Proof.  Triple Crown here we come!”
Proof shook his head and pranced once again, as if he knew he had done really well and would now be given the respect that he demanded.  Loran laughed and led him back to the barn.  She had enough time to hose him and cool him off before having to drive to school.  She wished she could be home all day long with the farm, but she knew that school would only help her out later.  Besides, it gave her a chance to see her boyfriend, Gary Portol, and her best friend, Jan Merrol.  Gary lived down the road and had a string of Show Jumpers.  Jan did not own any horses, but she rode regularly at a local riding stable that her parents paid for.  She finished with Proof and then let the groom take him after giving the colt a kiss on his nose.  She grinned and made her way to the dark blue sedan that she called hers and headed to school.  The morning had been wonderful and her father would surely send Proof on the trail now. She had no doubt about that.
         All day during school, Loran thought about what it would be like to ride Proof in the upcoming races, but she knew it was impossible.  Her father might have been willing to let her, but her mother would never allow it.  She sighed and tried to think of some way that she could convince her mother that everything would be fine.  She and Proof had a bond that was unbreakable.  The colt would not hurt her; he would hurt himself before letting anything happen to her.  Her mother, of course, would not hear of it she knew.  Ever since her older brother had died in a race, her mother had been against letting her race.  Exercising horses was allowed, as long as Helen did not have to watch the workouts, but racing was strictly forbidden.  Loran sighed and ran this same thought through her head without reaching any sort of end.  At the end of school, she spoke with her friends about her situation.
         “I just don’t know what to do anymore guys.  Mom is dead set against it and I know that I can get the best out of Proof.  Fred does his best, but Proof just doesn’t run as well for him as he does for me.”
         “Maybe you could tell your mom that, Loran.  I bet if she knew that you were the best rider for Proof, she’d just have to let you ride him,” Jan said comfortingly, patting Loran’s hand.
         “I don’t know, Jan.  Mom’s not quite that easy to convince.”  Loran laughed a little as she remembered when she announced she wanted to become a jockey two years ago.  It had only been six months since Joseph’s death and even though Loran knew that it had been a bad time to speak of it, she wanted to race so badly.  Her mother put her foot down and said ‘no’.  It was only after almost another six months of working on her that Helen relented and allowed Loran to start exercise riding.  She would not allow racing, though.
         “Hey, why not just tell your mom that you need to race.  That you’ll just die if you don’t get to.  Worked for me when I wanted to get Jooper,” Gary offered with his arm around Loran’s shoulders.  He was a tall guy, definitely not jockey-material, but he was sweet and Loran really loved him.
         “I don’t think that will work either, Gary.  You know my mom.  She’s a hard ass when she wants to be.  This is something she would be that way about too.”  Loran sighed and shrugged.  “Well, I can’t really do much about it right now.  I have to get home and do chores.  I’ll see you guys tomorrow night at Barclay’s.”  Loran looked at Gary and then she kissed him softly before getting up off the hood of his car.  “I love you, Gary.”
         “I love you back, Loran.”
         Jan rolled her eyes and shook her head.  “All right love bugs, break it up.  I’ll see you tomorrow, Loran.  Just talk to her, let her know how you feel and what you want.  She can only say ‘no’ right?”
         “Yeah, guess you’re right.  She’s already said that.  At least it’s something I can expect.”  She said good-bye to her friends once more, got into her car and headed home.  She thought about how to convince her mother to let her race, but by the time she pulled into the driveway and parked the car, she had nothing more than what she had had earlier.  Shutting the car off, she stepped out, then headed into the house to grab an apple, and then went upstairs to get her homework done.
         When she was finished with her homework, she headed outside to help the grooms and stable hands with the work that was always never-ending on a farm.  She groomed horses, she lunged horses, she brought horses in from their pastures, and finally she fed the horses.  It was the best thing in her life, this work that to someone else might seem hard or mundane.  It was her work.  It was her life.  She would not change it for the world either.
         After dinner that night, she broached the subject again about racing Proof.  She brought up the argument that she knew that horse better than anyone, that she could get the best speed out of him, that nothing would happen to her.  Each time, her mother shot her down.  It was not that Helen wanted to prevent her daughter from racing, but more that she wanted to protect Loran.  Something she had failed to do with Joseph and had regretted it since.  Mark did not want to go against Helen, but he also did not want to upset his daughter.  She was a great rider, he knew this, but he also knew that Helen would never notice it until she actually saw Loran ride.  Perhaps then she would allow Loran to race Proof.  He began to work on a plan to get Helen to see Loran riding.
         Loran let the argument drop for the time being and went upstairs to bed.  She went on in her daily routine as always, accepting the fact that the closest she would get to racing Proof would be riding him on the track at home.  Her father started the colt on the Triple Crown trail along with Devil Killer and the two quickly became well-known rivals on the track.  When Proof Positive would win a race, Devil Killer would come in second.  When Devil Killer would win a race, Proof Positive would come in second.  As time passed, it became known throughout the United States that there was rivalry between these two horses.  As the Kentucky Derby date neared, it only intensified and several times, it had been very close between the two horses.
Loran knew that if something were not done soon, there would be no conclusion to the rivalry.  She knew that if she were riding Proof, there would not be any close races.  He had the speed and she knew it.  She also knew how to get it out of him.  Fred could get him to run well, but he could not get the kind of speed that Loran could.  It hurt, sometimes, to see the man riding her horse, but she knew Fred Lorne to be a great jockey and she trusted him fully with Proof, otherwise he would not be allowed within ten feet of him, but it still hurt to watch another riding a horse that she knew she should be riding.
         As the first Saturday in May approached, everyone was jittery and excited.  Loran invited Gary and Jan to sit in their box with them to watch the race.  She was too excited to sit, so she began to pace back and forth inside the owner’s box.  As the announcer began the pre-race talk, she started to bite her lip.  Gary sighed and pulled her to sit beside him, soothing her with sweet words of praise.  How well the colt would do, how he would win, how he would beat Devil Killer by a mile.  It helped Loran calm down, a little.
         She watched as the horses were loaded into the gate and she bit her lip in anticipation of the start.  When the bell rang, she jumped and grabbed Gary’s hand, squeezing.  Immediately, she began to urge Proof onward with whispers and thoughts.  She watched them bunch together around the first turn, and then slowly pan out around the second.
         “And Fogherty takes the early lead with WheresMyJewels right at his heels.  The filly, Princess Pattie, runs in third.  It’s two lengths back to Devil Killer and Have Sum Luv, dueling it out for fourth.  Another length separates them from Sun Driver, Track Star, RopeMeTheMoon, and Proof Positive racing together.”
         Loran’s heart was in her throat as she watched the horses start the backstretch run.  Fogherty and WheresMyJewels were speed horses, she knew this, and they were fading quickly.  Princess Pattie was starting to approach them easily.  She squeezed Gary’s hand tighter as Devil Killer beat out Have Sum Luv and moved up towards Princess Pattie’s flank.  Her eyes found the gray colt as he passed RopeMeTheMoon and Track Star together, making his run on Sun Driver’s side.  Her heart jumped into her throat when suddenly Fogherty went down and a gasp rose from the crowd.
         “Fogherty is down!  Princess Pattie passes WheresMyJewels with Devil Killer racing at her side.  Here comes Proof Positive making his bid now as they start into the third turn!  WheresMyJewels has faded and Have Sum Luv with him.  Sun Driver, Track Star, and RopeMeTheMoon are racing on, but there are now three lengths between them and Proof Positive.”
         Loran jumped up as the horses came into the final turn before the homestretch and she saw Fred open up Proof.  She watched the big gray colt dig in and take off after Princess Pattie and Devil Killer.  She did not care anymore and began to yell to Proof to run.  It was almost as if the horse heard her calls and dug in for more speed, passing between the two horses.  She was afraid that something would happen, someone would be bumped and go down, or he would burn out, but he went on and passed under the wire first.  Ahead by half a length!  Devil Killer and Princess Pattie held a photo finish for second and third.  Loran jumped up and down as she looked over at Gary and Jan, hugging them both excitedly.  He had done it!  Proof had won the Kentucky Derby!
         Her family and friends made their way down to the winner’s circle for the ceremony and when she saw Proof, she went right up to him and kissed his great gray nose.  After it was all said and done, the results were that Devil Killer beat out Princess Pattie by a sliver.  Track Star came in fourth, Sun Driver was fifth, RopeMeTheMoon was sixth, and WheresMyJewels and Have Sum Luv were seventh and eighth, respectively.  Loran heard later that Fogherty had broken his cannon bone in three places and was put down that night at the animal hospital.  It was sad to hear that, but Loran was so happy that Proof had won that it did not hurt as much as if she had seen it on television.
         Life was pretty calm after the Derby, since Proof was kept on light work in preparation for the Preakness Stakes.  He was still exercised and put in great workouts, but there were no more races for him.  The day came for the Preakness and everyone was excited to see what would happen between the rivals.  Would Devil Killer come back and win this race out from under Proof Positive or would the gray horse keep up his momentum and win the second jewel of the crown?  Reporters came to speak with Loran’s parents about this and the fact that there were fewer horses in the Preakness than the Derby.  Did they think that was unusual?  Loran rolled her eyes and left the barn, heading to the track before it got busy.
         She wondered what Fred had done to Proof in the Derby, but every time she asked him, he always said he had done the same as he always did when racing the colt.  It was as if the horse just ran and he was merely his passenger.  Loran grinned when she recalled this and knew, somehow, Proof was running for her and no one else.  Not even himself.  He knew she was watching and maybe, just maybe, he had even heard her yelling to him to go faster.
         The field was shorter, only five other horses besides Proof were running today and she was not sure if that was a good or bad thing yet.  Devil Killer, of course, was running.  As was Princess Pattie.  The other three were Sun Driver, Track Star, and a newcomer to the trail, One Fast Buck.  Loran knew that Fred would run this race in a similar manner, but would stay closer to the lead instead of holding back.  Proof was a closer, which meant he liked to wait until the last couple turns before making his move on the competition.  Loran grinned as she watched the horses loaded into the gate.  Proof stood calmly she saw.
         Once again, she squeezed Gary’s hand as the bell sounded and the horses emerged from within the gate.  As predicted, Princess Pattie and Sun Driver leapt to the front.  Track Star and Devil Killer came next, and then finally Proof Positive and One Fast Buck broke together.  They charged down the track in a pretty tight pack and stayed that way through the first two turns.  On the backstretch, Sun Driver began to struggle and Track Star moved up to duel with Princess Pattie.  Devil Killer made his move as they neared the third turn with Proof Positive right behind him.  One Fast Buck did not do much, but did manage to pass Sun Driver as the other horse slowed.
         Loran watched the horses enter the final turn and Devil Killer passed Track Star easily.  Proof Positive was blocked but Fred moved him into an opening against the rail and squeezed him past.  They raced on to catch Princess Pattie and Devil Killer as they entered the homestretch.  Loran jumped up and pounded her fists against the rail of their box, her heart in her throat once more.  She began to urge the colt onward, telling him he could beat those wimps.  Amazingly, she saw Proof flick an ear and change gears, charging on with more speed.  Princess Pattie faded and Devil Killer took the lead with a length to spare.  Proof Positive did not let that stop him and challenged his rival to a duel.
         Loran agonized as she saw them battling, each getting ahead of the other, then falling back as the other gained the lead back.  It hurt and she cried despite her resolve to remain in control.  As the wire loomed, Proof Positive took one more charge and came out under the wire ahead of Devil Killer by his head and shoulders.  Loran fell to her seat, shaking with the effort.  She could not see anyone as her parents ushered her down to the winner’s circle for the ceremony.  She did not hear anyone as the crowd screamed out things like ‘the next great superhorse’, ‘the new Secretariat’, ‘Triple Crown winner’.  It all fell on deaf ears and blind eyes as she hugged her colt and praised him for a job well done.
         Life after the Preakness was not so easy.  They returned to New York and she tried to get back to her routine, but there were reporters everywhere and people following her, whispering whenever she went into town.  All because she owned the horse who had won two of the three races in the Triple Crown.  Loran stopped going into town.  Now that school was finished, she could stay at home all day long and not have to worry.  That was not to say that they were not bothered at home, however.  Sometimes Loran was not sure what was worse.
         She was almost dreading the day of the Belmont.  As it loomed, she was so uptight that she let Fred exercise Proof, not wanting to get him all tensed up as well.  He already knew that a big race was coming up, just by all the attention and light work schedule.  She took more long walks with Gary and by herself.  Using it to clear her head.
         The day of the Belmont arrived and everyone was packed in the stands.  It was being called the ‘race of the century’ and it had not even been run yet.  With only three runners in the race -Proof Positive, Devil Killer, and Princess Pattie- it was more like a match race than anything else.  Loran told her parents, Gary, and Jan that she wished to drive herself to the race, so she was not so keyed up.  They agreed and said they would see her later.  Loran waited until the last moment to leave.  She did not want to frazzle Proof up by being around him.  She only hoped he understood her reasons for staying away from him.  It would hurt her to know that he thought she was abandoning him.
         Loran got in her car and started toward the track, turning on some country music to try to calm herself down.  It was working, somewhat.  It stopped working when she ended up stuck in traffic.  Honking and yelling did no good, so she simply sat, sending her thoughts out to Proof to let him know she was with him and to do well.
         As the horses were led to the gate, the announcer mentioned how keyed up Proof Positive looked, as if he were nervous.  Something he had not been in the last two races.  Mark and Helen watched anxiously for Loran’s arrival, but did not see her.  Gary mentioned that perhaps she chose to stand at the rail instead.  Everyone accepted this explanation and turned back to the race.  The bell rang and the trio of horses leapt out of the gate.
         Princess Pattie and Devil Killer took the lead with Proof Positive right behind them.  The three of them stayed that way until halfway on the backstretch.  The crowd of nearly 150,000 people watched in awe as Proof Positive seemed to shoot off like a rocket, passing Princess Pattie and Devil Killer as if they were nothing.  Many thought they were watching another Secretariat Belmont race as the big gray horse lengthened the distance between himself and his competition to nearly 10 lengths in a very short amount of time.  It was as if the horse were really flying.
         The race was won at the final turn when Proof Positive changed gears and took off.  Mark gaped with surprise as he watched his horse running over the ground so fast that he had trouble seeing anything but a gray blur.  When he passed under the wire, a roar went up in the crowd and everyone was standing.  The announcer gave the final time as 2 minutes flat, 24 seconds faster than the world record set by Secretariat.  The distance was 40 lengths ahead of Devil Killer, who came in two lengths ahead of Princess Pattie.
         When Mark and Helen made their way to the winner’s circle, with Gary and Jan beside them, they expected to find Loran waiting for them.  They were met by many people, but no Loran.  When they cleared the people, there was a great cry that went up as Proof Positive was led into the circle.  Immediately Fred Lorne jumped off the colt’s back and shook his head, trying to push people out of the way.
         “Back up!  Back up!  Give him some room!”
         Mark and Helen went to the colt and stared in horror as the horse collapsed to the ground, bleeding from mouth and nose.  A veterinarian was called over right off, but anyone close enough saw the big gray horse stop breathing, saw his eyes flicker once, then close, knew that the horse who had just won the Triple Crown had died.  Helen began to worry about Loran and what she would think.  She was crying over the horse when the police officer approached her and Mark.
         Gary and Jan stood beside them as the cop told Loran’s parents about the accident that had taken her life.  That it had happened only ten minutes ago.  Mark held his wife as they cried together.  They had lost both their amazing horse and their equally amazing daughter.  Gary held onto Jan and they both hugged the Walters together.  Those in the circle that day, having heard that at the moment the Walters daughter died, the big gray horse charged onward, would go on to say that Loran Walters finally did race her stallion in the biggest race of his life.  He gave everything he had and they would then say that the two of them were now racing across Heaven together.
         It was the way Loran would have wanted it.  What better way for a racehorse to die?  They were buried on the Walters’ Luckthorne Farms side by side; so that they might eternally be together to race over the skies and never again did the farm have a runner on the Triple Crown trail.