Cindy’s Fella 

              by Teena McCurry

      “CONNER”! Conner quickly jerked his head toward the direction from which his name was being bellowed.  His vicious stepfather, Tom, was glaring at him from the bottom of the hill.  “What’s taking you so long to get all that wood chopped?”  Tom growled. 

            Conner lowered his head and shrugged his shoulders in exasperation.  He couldn’t believe that Tom really expected him to chop nearly half of an acre of wood in a day.  On second thought, he really shouldn’t be surprised.  Tom and his two sons, Dave and John, were always pushing Conner around and dumping their chores on him.  Conner’s stepbrothers had malicious natures. Conner sighed and wiped his sweaty hands on a patch sewn on his jeans that were in need of tacking again.  He looked up to explain to his stepfather that he had been working since dawn and hadn’t taken a single break. It was now 6:00 p.m., and it looked as if the pile was getting bigger instead of smaller. However, Tom had already stomped off to take his two sons to town to purchase new clothes.  Conner picked up his ax again, and swung at the next piece of wood like he was attacking all those feelings that were stirring around inside him. He gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the excruciating pain in his back while he continued to work.

            Conner’s father had died in 1902, nearly two years ago soon after Conner‘s fifteenth birthday, but the pain was still intense.  It seemed as if it had been only yesterday that father and son had been fishing practically all of the riverbanks in western North Carolina.  Many changes had plagued Connor’s life since his father’s passing.  The worst was his mother’s marriage to Tom eight months ago.  Conner was so thankful that his mother decided that the new family should move in with them so he wouldn‘t have to leave the mountains.  Conner had lived in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina his entire life, and he couldn’t imagine living elsewhere.  So the new family moved into Conner’s small, two bedroom, log house that was at least fifty years old. The house was nestled back in the pines, and there was a small surrounding farm.  The house had been just right for Conner and his parents, but now it seemed stuffy and cold with his stepfather and stepbrothers presence.  Even Conner’s mother was cold toward him lately.  Conner’s family had never been wealthy, but they weren’t exactly poor either, until his mother’s remarriage.  It was much harder to feed a family of five than a family of three.   Tom didn’t allow Conner to receive any money for his chores.  Conner had to do Dave and John’s share of the work, but Tom always gave all of the allowance money to his two biological sons.  Therefore, Conner never had any money to buy any new clothes or other materials he needed.  He was also forced to quit school while in the tenth grade because that was the only way he could get all of the work around the farm finished. This was rather sad because Conner was the brightest student in his class.  

            “Hey Conner, which horse do you think I should take to the Appalachian’s Annual Finest Horse Show?” asked Dave. 

            Conner just walked away.  He knew that Dave was just rubbing it in his face that he was going to participate in the horse show.  The horse show was always held in October in Asheville, NC.  It was the biggest event in the mountains!  The winner always received four thousand dollars and every girl wanted to date the winner.  Conner secretly thought about how much he would love to participate in the event.  He knew he had the skills to win, but he didn’t have proper clothes or a show horse. All he had was his fifteen-year-old pony, Dan that helped him plow the fields.  Dave interrupted his thoughts.  “You better do an extra good job grooming and feeding our horses this week, so they will be in great shape for the show,” he said in threatening tone. 

            Conner just nodded.  Dave and John had three beautiful quarter horses.  He knew they would only need two of the horses for the event, but there is no way they would let Conner borrow the third horse.  Conner couldn’t understand their reasoning behind this; after all he was the one who took care of the animals.

            Dark was falling.  Thousands of stars glittered the black sky.  Conner stretched out on the side of the hill.  The fall air was crisp and the ground was damp, but Conner didn’t even notice.  He closed his eyes and wished for things to get better.  Conner wasn’t a complainer or selfish person, but he missed having decent clothes, money, and especially someone who understood him like his father used to.  Conner had a feeling that if he could just enter the contest at the horse show, his life would change forever.

       The next day before dawn, Conner grabbed a lantern and decided to go for a ride on his pony before it was daylight, and all his grueling chores would begin again.  He loved the tranquility of nature.  Sometimes it seemed as if the whole world was at peace on those walks.  The only sounds were of the rippling creek, crunching leaves, and an occasional animal.  It was a great way for Conner to escape Tom’s demands and Dave and John’s snide comments.  He rode further and further up the mountain, until he realized he was in front of his old friend’s house.  Clear Water was an old Cherokee Indian that was well known as a medicine man.  He lived alone in a little, rustic, shack. Clear Water had wanted to escape the reservation and be free in the forest.  Conner thought he would see how his old friend was doing.  He went and tapped on the old door that consisted of four large, rickety, planks nailed together crookedly.  

            “Long time, no see,” Clear Water greeted Conner.  Clear Water inquired about Conner’s whereabouts and realized why his young friend had not visited in awhile.  Clear Water was angry that his goodhearted friend had been mistreated by his stepfamily.  Conner had always been so kind and helpful to everyone, and Clear Water believed he deserved the same.  “We will get you to that horse show,” Clear Water promised.  He knew Conner needed something positive in his life.  Clear Water invited Conner inside.  He walked in the one room shack and watched as Clear Water pulled three glass bottles of herbs off of a shelf.  “This should help your luck,” Clear Water said with a mysterious smile. 

            Next, he placed an old black, iron pot over the fire and added the mixture of herbs and water.  After the potion came to a sizzling bowl, Clear Water offered Conner the ladle.  The brown liquid looked and tasted strange.  Conner winced as it trickled down his throat.  He took a deep breath, and then he drank it all.  He figured the more he drank, the better his luck might become.  Although he felt odd doing such a thing, Clear Water had always had a prestigious reputation as a medicine man.  Hopefully, he could be trusted just as much at performing magic.

            About five minutes later, Conner already felt a little different.  His spirits were lifted, so he graciously thanked Clear Water.  He went outside to untie Dan from the tree, and the sight before him was astounding.  Conner gasped!  In his old brown pony’s place, stood a magnificent black stallion.  It had a long, flowing, shiny mane. When the horse turned around, Conner realized it was still Dan!  It had that same sparkle in its’ eyes that always looked at Conner as if they understood the very center of his soul.  Conner suddenly realized that he could take Dan to the horse show after all.  Dan looked and acted like he was years younger than he did in his other form.  Conner walked back to the shack to tell Clear Water how grateful he was, but he was nowhere in sight.

            Conner rode back to the farm.  Dan’s trot was twice as fast as before.  When he rode up beside the cabin, John stared at him bewildered at the sight of Dan.  “Where did you get that horse?” he asked.  Conner told him that he traded with Clear Water.  It was partially true.  “Why would somebody trade a magnificent stallion for old Dan?” John muttered.  His eyes filled with jealousy and anger.  John ran off to tell his brother and father.  That week Conner was forced to do even more chores than usual.  He avoided his spiteful stepbrothers whenever he could.

            It was only one week before the horse show and Conner was practicing daily with Dan.  He still had a problem.  In order to win the show, Conner must impress the judges with his attire.  He knew his ripped, faded, flannel shirt, and his patched jeans would not impress them one bit.  Conner didn’t have to worry for long.  Two days before the show, Conner found an old box, sitting on the step of his cabin, with his name scribbled sloppily across the top.  He rushed inside and darted into the bedroom so that he could open the box in privacy.  After cutting a slit in the top, Conner peered inside the box and couldn’t believe his eyes. Inside was a perfect outfit for the horse show.  Conner knew this was a result of Clear Water’s magic. Conner couldn’t image clothes any better than the wardrobe before him.  There was a midnight blue, button-down shirt, fancy leather chaps, black riding pants, and shiny black cowboy boots.  Suddenly, something else fell out of the box!  It was a note!  It warned Conner to return home the night of the show before midnight.   He had no idea how the box arrived on his steps, but he did know that it would have never happened if he hadn’t made that trip to Clear Water’s cabin.

            Finally, it was the day of the horse show.  Dave and John had no idea that Conner had the elegant riding clothes. They believed he still could not go to the show.  All morning they bickered back and forth over which one of them was going to win the money.  They also kept talking about a wealthy banker’s daughter, Cindy.  Everyone wanted a date with Cindy.  Everyone said she was the most beautiful girl in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina.  Dave and John hoped to impress her with their new clothes and riding abilities.  Conner scarcely remembered Cindy, and he didn’t think that much about impressing her.  He just wanted a chance to prove his talents and a chance to receive the money.  If only Conner could win the money, he wouldn’t have to worry about living with his horrible stepfamily.  He would soon be eighteen, build a small house of his own, and still have money to buy other necessities until he found a good job. 

            Conner was amazed at his appearance after putting on the new clothes.  He looked like a totally new person.  He was getting very nervous and started to doubt his chances.  Conner hoped that Clear Water’s magic would help him get through the night.  Dave and John had left the night before to stay in a hotel in Asheville.  Conner was so glad they weren’t around to figure out what he was up to.  He went outside where Dan was waiting for him and saddled up for the trip to Asheville.

            Conner arrived just in time to line up with the contestants for the show. He looked so different with his new clothes that his stepbrothers didn’t look at him twice.  Conner took a deep breath.  He was feeling very determined now. The performances seemed natural to him, and Dan did a splendid job. At the end of the evening he was crowned the winner of the Appalachian Annual Finest Horse Show.  The judges raved about his riding skills, Dan, and off course Conner’s overall show presence.  Conner was ecstatic.  However, his stepbrothers weren’t so happy.  Dave and John were sulking in a corner and they glared at Conner when he glanced over. 

            “Congratulations,” a voice murmured beside Conner.  He turned around to see the most gorgeous girl he had ever seen.  She had bright blue eyes, long, silky, wavy, brown hair, and a beautiful smile.  There was something distinctly familiar about her.  “I’m Cindy, do you remember me?” 

            Conner remembered going to school with a pretty brunette girl a long time ago.  He couldn’t believe it was this stunning lady.  She blushed and told Conner that he had certainly changed since the last time she had seen him.  It was true that Conner had changed. Now he was much taller, more muscular, and his hair was darker.  Cindy also told Conner how she had always admired his intelligence when they were classmates.  Conner was shocked. He had never known that Cindy had noticed him before.  Besides, although he used to have enough money, he had never been rich like Cindy.  Cindy smiled at him again and said she was also amazed at his performance tonight.  Conner’s heart started pounding. He felt like he was dreaming.  When he glanced at his pocket watch, he felt as if that dream had turned into a nightmare.  It was a quarter till midnight!  Conner told Cindy that he must go.  He gave her an apologetic look and bolted through the door.

            Conner and Dan were making their way through the forest on their way back home, when Conner noticed his clothes felt differently.  He looked down to see that he was wearing his old clothes once again.  Dan seemed to be moving slower as well, and Conner could see that he was in his old form once again.  This didn’t matter to Conner though. He was just happy that he had enough money that he wouldn’t have to depend on his stepfather any more.  He could also buy new clothes later.  All that he could think about now was the way that Cindy had looked at him tonight, and the sweet things she said.  He would think of a way to explain everything to her later.  Tonight he just wanted to get some sleep.

The next morning Conner set out while everyone was still awake.  He was looking for land where he could build his new house.  On the way the heard another horse galloping toward him. It was Cindy!  She had been searching for him all morning.  She confessed that she had always been attracted to him.  Conner had never been happier in his life.  They spent the next few months getting to know each other.  Conner built a new house overlooking a beautiful pond.  In a year, the happy couple was married.  John and Dave were so mad that they moved out west so they would never have to face Conner again.   Conner also planned on finishing his education.  He now had plenty of clothes, and Cindy’s father gave them plenty of money.  However, Cindy cared for him whenever he was poor, and he was attracted to her heart and not her wealth.  Conner visited Clear Water regularly.  He learned that it wasn’t magic that helped him in his performance or impress Cindy.  The magic only helped him get to the show.  It was Conner’s true nature that had shone through that night. Cindy and Conner always shared their wealth with the poor and lived long happy lives together!

THE END