Garnet claim

     It was a few weeks until autumn was over and Evelyn could not contain her excitement. Pacing up and down the hallway by the front door, impatiently waiting to drive over to the stables. “Please, hurry! I want to be there early,” her words echoed through the stairway. Worn down sneakers left muddy prints as she raced out the door and to the car.

     Looking out the window watching the clouds and birds fly by,  Evelyn gripped the side door panel with anticipation. Her and her mom turned into the long, stone lined driveway. Quickly unbuckling her seatbelt before the car even came to a full stop-
     "Wait, Evelyn. Don't go without me," her mom spoke with a stern but light tone. Halting in her tracks, she sighed with slight discontent, “well if you went any faster I wouldn’t have to wait.” Nearing the fence line, a small group of people surrounded the area. A few huddles with mild tones were conversing, all waiting for the same thing, ponies! Evelyn and her mom waited by the gate, hoping to get a clear view of the path the ponies run down. The sun still hadn’t fully raised, its pink and blue hues engulfing the surrounding landscape. A slight breeze shifted through the trees and grass, evident that the winter months were nearing.

     They had been there for about an hour before any word spread of the pony’s arrival. Each guest were given a pamphlet with all of the ponies inside, everyone hoping to find their next partner. Evelyn had a lot of interest in a few, but with the rules they can only pick one per group. Furrowing her brows, she stood there for what felt like days trying to come to a final decision. Her mom checked on her every-so-often, making sure she wasn’t going to fry her brain with all of this thinking.

     “How is it going over there, hun?” The sudden sound of her mom’s voice snapped her out of deep thought.

     “I’m really struggling to decide between these two,” pointing down at the pamphlet, “I’m either going to go for this chestnut or black pony, but I can’t decide.” Evelyn let out a disgruntled sigh. “They’re both on the smaller side, but I’ve been thinking about training a pony for liberty and cart pulling. I think these two would fit perfectly.”

     “Well, hun,” Evelyn’s mom put her hand on her back, giving a small rub of reassurance, “I believe that you’ll make the right choice.”

     Evelyn gave her mom a half smile. She let out another sigh, as the timer was beginning to tick down to the last minutes. At this point, Evelyn was ready to just walk in blind and whichever pony showed interest first she was going to pick. She gripped the paper tightly, wrinkling it beyond recognition.

     “Ladies and Gentlemen, please make way for our friends.” The intercom echoed in the distance. People were ushered to neatly line up against the fence line, making sure not to lean over the fence. “The Szívelova, otherwise known as the Teddy Cob, will be making their appearance momentarily, keep an eye out for the one that interests you the most!”

     Trying to look past the other people, Evelyn dodged her head back and forth. The fence line they stood at lead the ponies right from their stable to the pasture where they can go in and interact. Colorful ribbons with a small bell attached were given out just moments later, each one numbered and assigned to a specific person for record-keeping reasons.

     Holding on to her blue ribbon like her life depended on it, she turned to the sound of the thundering rumble of hooves pounding on the ground beneath them. A group of a dozen or so ponies cantered from their stable into the paddock. Evelyn grew a large smile on to her face, excitement and anticipation building up inside her.

     “Oh look, I think that one is the chestnut,” pointing at a small, fat pony, “and the one over there is the black one.” Both, small, fat ponies. The gates were ready to be opened, and the visitors were allowed to enter. Only those who held a bell were able to enter, the rest had to watch from the sidelines. Evelyn went in with her mom watching from the fence, giving her one final thumbs up. Reassuring that whatever choice she makes, it will be the right one.

     A few minutes had passed, and the visitors were allowed given a small bucket of treats, ranging from apples, carrots, peppermints, and more. Evelyn was given a bucket of apples, she carried them around with her. Growing slightly overwhelmed with everything going on, she stood still for a bit with her bucket clutched against her stomach. Their time in the paddock was almost up, and Evelyn seemed to have choked. Another disgruntled sigh, and she walked over to where her mother stood and placed the bucket down.

     “Both of the ponies I wanted to go for are giving their attention to someone else.” Her mom rubbed her shoulder lovingly.

     “It’s ok hun, you know they hold these events every so often before winter. I’m sure the next one a pony will stick out to you again.”

     Evelyn put her arms on the fence, then rest her forehead on top.

     “Five minutes remaining, please make sure your ribbons are securely braided into their mane or tail.” Evelyn raised her head at that announcement, giving one final look around at the ponies. Most had ribbons braided in but one. The little chestnut had made his way over towards her, showing immense interest in the full apple bucket. Without hesitation, he had shoved his muzzle into the bucket chomping on the apples. Evelyn quickly grabbed the ribbon from her pocket and braided it into the pony’s tail. The largest smile formed on her face, watching him eat the apples with her ribbon securely attached.

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total: 45/100