Love Letter Claim
The young boy was skipping along the shoreline, nowhere he needed to be at the time and thus all the time in the world to do whatever pleased him. The morning air was cool and salted, brushing against his cheeks and lifting the loose curls of his ginger hair. The tide had gone out, leaving behind a wide stretch of firm, damp sand that darkened the beach like a long, shining path. His sneakers dangled from one hand by their laces; he preferred the feeling of the cold sand between his toes, the way it packed and shifted beneath each step. Freckles dusted his nose and cheeks like tiny grains of cinnamon, and his round glasses slid slowly down the bridge of his nose whenever he tilted his head too far forward, which he did too often, because the beach was full of things worth studying, like a shell shaped like a spiral or a piece of sea glass.
Daniel hummed to himself as he walked, the tune changing every few moments, half-remembered pieces of songs he'd heard on the radio the day before. The sound blended with the steady rhythm of the waves rolling in and collapsing against the shore, and when he finally reached a patch where the sand was smooth and flat, he stopped and crouched, scanning the ground. Perfect! The boy picked up a flat, oval stone, weighing it in his palm, and then he straightened, pulling his arm back, and flicked the stone low across the water. One skip, then two... no, three! Then it finally sank with a small plunk. Daniel grinned, and tried again. And again. Each throw came with a satisfied little "Yes!" when the stone bounced farther than the last. The world felt peaceful here; empty, but not lonely. The sea moved, the wind breathed, the gulls cried overhead - it was the kind of quiet that felt alive.
He was bending to choose another stone when he heard it; a sharp, ringing neigh. Daniel froze, stone forgotten in his hand as he lifted his head and pushed his glasses back into place, turning slowly towards the dunes. For a moment, he saw nothing but tall grasses bending in the wind, but then something moved and a shape stepped out from between the dunes and onto the sand. A pony. The stallion was small compared to the big horses he'd seen in fields near town, but there was nothing small about the way he carried himself. His coat was a deep red dun, rich and dark like sun-warmed earth. White splashed across his back legs, climbing upward in irregular patterns, and on his hindquarters the marking curved into a shape so neat and clear that Daniel blinked to be sure he wasn't imagining it - a heart. The stallion's mane was wind-tossed and thick, his tail lifted slightly as he watched the boy with bright, alert eyes.
"Hi-", he said softly, and the pony flicked an ear. For a long moment, neither of them approached, but then the stallion took a step forward. Daniel's heart began to beat faster with a kind of bubbling excitement that made it hard to stay still. He crouched slowly and picked up a stone, holding it out like an offering, then laughed at himself and tossed it aside. "Wait... I don't think you want rocks.", he giggled, and the pony snorted. Daniel then took a few careful steps closer, but the stallion took a few steps back. Daniel stopped, only for the stallion to step forward again. The boy grinned. "Oh.", he said, "You want to play, huh?" He took a slow step forward, and the pony wheeled and trotted away, Daniel running after him. The stallion didn't run far, just enough to stay ahead, kicking up little sprays of sand, glancing back as if to check whether Daniel was still following.
Daniel laughed, breathless, "Hey! That's not fair!" The pony slowed, and this time, Daniel lunged forward, but the stallion sprang away again. Back and forth they went along the wide stretch of beach, the boy running, the pony darting and circling, never quite out of reach but never easy to catch. Sometimes the stallion would stop completely, waiting, only to spin away at the last second. Other times he would gallop a short distance, mane flying, then return at a playful trot.
After a while, Daniel's little legs began to ache and his breathing came in quick bursts. He slowed, hands on his knees. The stallion stopped a few yards away, watching. Daniel straightened slowly. "No more tricks-", he said between breaths, "I'm serious now." He walked forward, calm and steady, and step by step, Daniel closed the distance. Then, finally, he reached out a hand, and much to his surprise, the stallion didn't pull away. His nose touched Daniel's small palm, it was soft, and a little damp. Daniel's grin spread wide across his freckled face. "Got you!", he whispered. He stroked the stallion's neck, fingers moving slowly through the coarse hair. The pony lowered his head, relaxed, and after a few moments stepped closer until his shoulder pressed lightly against Daniel's arm. Then, with a heavy sigh, the stallion folded his legs and lay down in the sand.
"Well-", he said, "Okay then.", and he sat down beside him. The sand was cool beneath him, the wind gentler now. The stallion stretched his neck out, resting his chin near Daniel's knee, sides rising and falling slowly. The waves rolled in, one after another, white foam spreading across the shore before slipping back into the sea. Daniel pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around them, resting his chin on top. "Pretty, isn't it?", he murmured, and the stallion flicked an ear before they continued watching the water together.
