Dark moon rising

Moonlight cast eerie shadows across the yard as Judy closed the stable door, the last horse had been bedded down for the night. It was after nine in the evening, her legs ached and she was glad the long day was over. It would take her half an hour to ride home and she hoped Elle her grandmother had a hot meal waiting for her. She yearned for a hot soak in the bath and a long sleep.

Judy had been at Oakridge stables for three years working as a groom. Anna Jones the head groom in her thirties, ran the yard and lived in a small cottage adjacent to the stable yard.

The stables owned by Alice Danes hired out horses for hacking and hunting. Alice a stocky woman in her late sixties had been widowed for ten years and ridden most of her life. With severe arthritis in her knees, she had given up riding, but continued to run the stables with the help of Anna and Judy.

The Belling hunt would meet tomorrow at the Four Bells pub in Acton village. Judy had groomed Monty a black gelding and Solo a rangy grey mare. With an early start the next morning, she needed to get home.

She opened the feed store door, and collected her heavy jacket, pulling on the crash helmet, and wheeled the moped out into the yard. Rocky and Badger the two collies barked from inside their kennel. The lights were out in the cottage, Anna had retired to bed early. Alice waved to her from the kitchen window, as she turned the bike onto the dark country lane.

Her breath spiralled into the night air, frost covered the grass like a jewelled carpet, and she made a mental note to look out for any icy patches on the road.

An owl swooped over the hedge like a white spectre, bright eyes searching for mice in the long meadow grass. On the road out of the village, Judy shivered, gripping the handlebars with icy fingers.

Thoughts raced through her head, had she remembered to clean all the tack. She hoped Monty would not roll in his loose box, she had groomed him to perfection. The moon disappeared behind a cloud, like a ghost in the night. A car appeared in the darkness, its headlights bouncing up and down to avoid the bumps on the road.

Blinking against the lights, she glanced down for a second, before the wheel hit something on the road. In slow motion she was thrown over the handlebars and hit a hole in road. Earlier that day workmen had dug and area of the road, and filled the hole with hard core. A lamp flashing on the roadside warned motorists of the danger ahead.

Judy rolled into the ditch at the side of the road, crying with pain as the bike landed on top of her, the darkness became a shroud to her senses. The back wheel continued to spin in the darkness, followed by an eerie silence.
Meanwhile Mick Barnes drove his jeep along the road with stereo blaring, tapping his finger on the steering wheel.

Rocky his wirehaired terrier stood with front paws on the dashboard watching the road ahead. Mick had been to the village pub for a drink with his friends Jack and Alex. He was on his way home to Oakridge farm, where he worked as a tenant farmer, raising over two hundred beef cattle and a flock of some three hundred sheep.

The glint of the cycle wheel caught his eye as he approached the road works. Swerving onto the grass verge, he jumped out and ran over to the ditch. He saw the inert body of a young woman lying underneath the moped.
With shaking hands, he took his mobile phone from his pocket and rang for an ambulance. He managed to lift the bike off the woman’s body. Turning her over gently, he removed her goggles, to find blood running down her cheek from a gash under her eye. With his hanky he gently staunched the bleeding. The goggles had protected her eyes, but had dug into the flesh on her face.

Leaving Judy on the grass verge, he ran back to the jeep and switched on the hazard warning lights, to alert the ambulance of their whereabouts. Kneeling beside Judy, his heart pounded in his chest. ‘Was she alive, and what injuries had she sustained’ he wondered. Pulling off his coat he tucked it around her, as she lay shivering on the grass.

Fifteen minutes later an ambulance careered down the country road and skidded to a halt by the road works. Two paramedics, in green overalls jumped out with their first aid kit. Mick quickly explained what had happened, as they examined her injuries. With a fresh bandage over left eye to staunch the blood, she was wrapped in a large blanket, and lifted onto a stretcher.

As she was lifted into the ambulance, Mick looked down at her, his blue eyes twinkling in the moonlight. Judy opened her eyes to briefly gaze into his kind face, before drifting out of consciousness.

Meanwhile several miles away in Manton village, Elle Ross looked at the clock again, Judy ought to be home by now from the stables. Judy had lived with Elle her grandmother for the last five years. Joe and Laura her parents had been killed in a road accident and Elle had taken in her in when she was fifteen.

The small cottage provided a comfortable home for the two of them, with Badger an old border collie.

Judy opened her eyes and felt the sway of the ambulance, a man in green overalls looked down at her.
‘Where am I ‘ she cried struggling to sit up on the stretcher.
Andy the paramedic gently pushed Judy’s head back onto the pillow.
‘You fell off your motorbike and are on the way to the hospital’ he said holding her hand.
Judy tried to lift her legs, but they were numb and lifeless, a large bandage covered her left eye. She gazed through the window as the trees sped by, the ambulance bouncing on the ruts on the road.

At the hospital she was rushed into Accident and Emergency. They put eight stitches in the gash under her eye and covered her chin and cheeks with antiseptic cream. An X ray on her legs exposed bruises, but no broken bones.

Judy was taken onto the ward, and slept until the early hours of the next morning. She opened her right eye, but could not see with her left eye. Panic swept through her body, as a chubby nurse bustled around the bed.
‘How do you feel love’ she said setting a tray with cotton wool pads and saline solution on the table.

‘I cannot open my eye, what happened to me’ cried Judy clutching the sheet between her clammy hands.

The nurse put her arm around Judy’s shoulder and laid her back down on the bed. With the cotton wool pad she gently bathed the left eye which was closed and badly bruised. Judy flinched as she felt the warm solution on her face. Judy listened as the nurse explained how she was found out on the country road that night. A man had rescued her from the ditch before the ambulance arrived to transport her to the hospital.

Elle rang the hospital at midnight and was relieved to hear that Judy had been brought in and was being treated for her injuries. She could not visit until the next day as Judy was suffering from concussion, and had been settled on the ward. The night was endless, with endless cups of tea and Badger for company.

Judy took the paracetamol tablets from the nurse and swallowed them with the hot cup of tea. Lying down she pulled the covers over her shoulders and drifted off to sleep again.
Mick drove to the hospital near lunchtime the next day to see Judy.

He could not get her out of his mind. He saw her lying in the bed at the end of the ward, her dark hair fanning the pillow. A line of ugly black stitches under her left eye, were joined by dark bruises like a jigsaw of colours on her swollen face.

He laid a small bunch of flowers on the table and sat down on the chair by the bed. Judy stirred and sat up with a puzzled look on her face, as she pulled the hospital gown around her skinny shoulders.

Mick explained that he had rescued her from the ditch in the early hours of the night before, and hoped she was going to recover?
Judy twitched her feet nervously under the covers, she was talking to a stranger, who had apparently saved her life. After a few minutes, Mick realised she was still in shock. Patting her gently on the shoulder he turned and walked out of the ward, his mind in a whirl, she was an attractive girl, even with stitches in her face.

Judy watched as the tall blonde haired man disappeared down the ward. She would certainly have some news to relate to Elle later in the day. ‘Damn she cursed to herself, I did not get his name and telephone number.

That afternoon Elle drove her battered Morris Minor to the hospital, a couple of magazines and a book tucked in her shopping bag. She felt tense and worried about her granddaughter but relieved that she was recovering in hospital. The traffic jam inched along the road, she could see the hospital in the distance.

Judy burst into tears as she saw Elle walking down the ward, and winced as she felt the stitches pull the skin on her face. Elle handed her a hanky and gripped her hand, as Judy explained her ordeal between gulps and tears.
‘How long have you to stay in here? Asked Elle wiping her nose on a hanky.
Judy sniffed and smoothed the blanket on the bed with shaking hands.
‘I need to have an x ray on my cheek bone, to make sure it is not fractured’ she sighed looking affectionately at Elle, who was pale and tired.

Visiting time was soon over, Elle hugged Judy and promised to visit again the next afternoon. Judy did not mention the blonde stranger to her grandmother, she would tell her another day.
Turning over in the narrow bed, she pulled the blanket over her shoulder and began to mull over the events of the last few hours in her mind. A piece of paper on the floor by the bed caught her eye. It was a business card, Mick Ross, Oakridge Farm and a telephone number. She tucked it in the drawer by the bedside with her mobile phone.

Two weeks later Judy was glad to be home at the cottage. Badger licked her hand and gazed up at her, his fluffy grey ears pricked, as she sipped the hot tea. She could not go back to work for at least a fortnight. Alice sent over some horse magazines for her to read and wished her well.

As Elle worked in the kitchen, Judy lay on the sofa reading as rain hammered on the windowsill. She hated lazing about, but had no choice. The stitches were making her face itch, in another week she would have them removed. Her legs were very bruised and walking was still quite painful.

Gazing at the page of the book, an image of the blond stranger kept interrupting her train of thought. Was he married with children, where did he live, she wondered. Elle flicked a duster around the cosy lounge, Badger looked up from the rug by the fire and she patted his head.
‘You will soon be back to work love ‘said Elle looking down at Judy curled up on the sofa. The pair did not always see eye to eye, and Elle had learned to be patient with her granddaughter.

Judy decided it was time to tell Elle about the man who had found her in the ditch. They sat chatting over a cup of tea, Elle’s eyes widened as she listened to the intriguing tale.
‘Do you know where he lives or his phone number? She said pulling her fleecy sweater over her shabby trousers.

Judy blushed and took the business card out of her pocket. They agreed it might be best to wait awhile before contacting Mick. Elle went back in the kitchen, a frown across her brow. Elle worried about Judy, as she fallen off horses in the past, and now with this accident, she could not imagine life without her.

A month later, Judy returned to work, the scar under her eye, caused consternation and curious looks from clients at the stables. Alice was concerned about her, but Judy soon eased back into the routine, but was glad to go home early that afternoon. She walked up the garden path to the cottage, dragging her feet. Badger barked a welcome from the back garden as she walked up the path. Summer was around the corner and the nights stayed light until after eight o’clock.

After a rest and hot meal Judy decided to go for a stroll with Badger, she took his lead down from the peg, as he pranced, his spindly tail waving in the air. Elle shut the chickens in the coop for the night and went in to put her feet up.

The pair set off down the lane, as birds fluttered in the hedgerow, a ginger cat dashed out of the ditch, a small mouse dangling from its jaws. Badger tugged on the lead, wanting to give chase, and Judy smiled at his antics.
Opening the gate to the field, she closed the latch with a bang, unclipping his lead, Badger trotted off to sniff in the hedgerow. A warm glow touched her sore face, from the sun as it began to sink below the hills like a huge orange sphere. Ten minutes later, she shook herself from the daydream and looked around for Badger, he had vanished.

Judy cursed to herself, where was the silly dog, he did not usually run off. She began to scan the hedgerows, as dusk began to fall. She heard a faint whimpering, and Badger limped into view. He held his back leg up and gazed at Judy with pain in his eyes. Kneeling down she examined his paw, a large thorn protruded from the delicate pad. Holding her breath, she swiftly pulled the thorn out of his paw, to be rewarded with a sharp nip on the fingers.
‘Ouch that hurt’ she yelled at the old dog.

Hugging his bony body to her, she comforted him for a moment. A dog barked in the distance she realised that Badger would not be able to walk home.
A tall figure of a man, with a white terrier at his heels, emerged from the gloom. Both Judy and Mick exclaimed as they recognised each other. Badger barked at the terrier, while holding up his injured paw.

‘Badger had a thorn in his paw, I pulled it out, but he’s lame now’ said Judy blushing in the evening light. Mick bent down and examined the dog, receiving a lick on his face.
‘We’ll have to carry him, do you live far’ said Mick taking over in the situation.
Judy nodded, it would take about fifteen minutes to get to the cottage. Mick patted Badger, lifted him up to carry him in his strong arms. It was almost dark as they walked slowly down the lane. Rocky the terrier pranced at their side, looking up at Badger and wondered what was happening.

The scent of honeysuckle drifted in the warm night air. They paused to rest on the lane, and laid Badger on the grass for a moment. Judy admired Mick’s curly blonde hair, and quietly thanked him for saving her life, her hand brushed his arm.
‘Let’s get Badger home before it gets to dark to see’ he said gruffly.

‘Seems we are fated to be together;’ he laughed offering a peppermint to Judy to calm her nerves. Their hands touched and he put his arm around her shoulders. She felt a ripple of pleasure run down her arm.
‘We must get Badger home, Elle will be worried about us’ she said trying not to blush.

The final half mile home was the hardest, Badger was quite a weight to carry, and he kept trying to escape from Mick’s arms. Rocky danced along at their sides enjoying the adventure. Elle saw the pair as they walked down the path with Badger, and ran out dusting her hands on her apron.

‘Badger, oh is he alright’ she said holding the old dog’s head in shaking hands.
Judy nodded as they took the dog into the kitchen. Elle put the kettle on and set three mugs on the dresser.

‘You must be the kind man who rescued Judy’ smiled Elle as she poured milk into the cups and put the tea cosy over the teapot to keep warm.

Mick shook her hand and sat down in the comfy armchair. Judy fetched some antiseptic and smeared it onto Badger’s sore place on his pad. The old dog lay in his basket and licked her hand gratefully, Judy felt tears pricking her eyelids.

Here she was with her beloved Elle, Badger and now Mick a new man in her life. Once they had drunk the steaming hot tea, Elle went out to the yard to fetch some more firewood for the fire, it was chilly in the evenings in the old cottage. Mick folded his strong arms around Judy’s shoulders and kissed her gently on the lips. Time seemed to stand still and she put her arms around his waist.

Clutching the business card to her chest, she waved to Mick and Rocky as they walked down the road to the village. With a smile on her face she went back into the cottage.
Judy and Mick saw each other several times a week in the evenings. The walked hand in hand down the country lane, Rocky trotting beside them, as they talked animatedly to each other. Summer brought hot days and sultry evenings, Judy rode on hacks at the stables day dreaming about Mick. She began to stay at Oakridge farm at the weekends, learning how to milk a cow, and watching Mick and Pan his collie round up the sheep. Meanwhile in the top field, Jack and Joe the farm workers loaded a wagon with bales of hay.

On Judy’s birthday she was led out into the farm yard. Mick pointed to the stable, a pretty black horse looked over the door.
‘Here she is Judy, a horse of your own’
Stroking the mare on the nose, Judy hugged Mick, she would call her Bella. She had always wanted a horse of her own.

A year later they married in the tiny church in the village, followed by a small reception in the pub. Mick’s brother Andy was best man and Judy’s workmates from the stables attended, and as did most of the workers on the farm.
Five years later, and the farm had expanded, Judy decided to breed a foal from Bella and continue this as a side line to the business on the farm.

The sun began to set in the distance casting golden rays across the paddock. Bella grazed side by side with Monty a small brown pony. Mick swept the farm yard with a stiff brush, Rocky and Toby a black Labrador puppy lay in the sunshine.

Judy opened the farmhouse door with a handful of carrots in one hand, and held onto Kerry her blonde haired three year old daughter.

‘Let’s go feed Bella with carrots’ said Judy gazing proudly at her daughter.
Life as a farmer’s wife suited her, she had put on weight having Kerry, and worked around the farmyard during the day. She loved collecting the warm brown eggs from the coop, Kerry standing at the gate watching with mischief in her eyes.

Mick was up at dawn to milk the cows and check the cattle and sheep, Rocky and Pan the collie at his heels. Oakridge farm had expanded over the last few years, and was prospering. Sadly Elle had not lived to see her great granddaughter Kerry. Judy had put a photograph of her with Badger on the dresser, she owed a lot to her grandmother.

The sun set like a golden orb in the West, a dog fox barked in the distance. Kerry slept like an angel in her little bedroom at the farm house. Mick and Judy stood at the back door, inhaling the sweet smell of the honeysuckle as it twined around the gutter. Closing and locking the door they made their way to bed, with another early start in the morning. The silence was broken as a flock of geese cast eerie shadows, as they flew in formation over the farm.