I woke to Skyla's laugher;
she was still outside, with her little horse, playing already. I called her
inside.
"I want you to come in
for a bit."
"I don't want to."
She said, "I want to play with Cookies." She told me.
"You played with her
long enough. I even let you sleep out there, now come on." I told her
firmly reaching out to pick her up.
"No!" She said
pushing my hands away. Along with backing up.
"Skyla come on. Let
Cookies and Bella have sometime." Skyla folded her arms and told me no
again.
"If you don't come with
me you’re not going to be able to play with her until tomorrow." Skyla ran
over to the little filly taking hold.
"I'm staying out
here!" She told me. I just sighed and walked over quick enough I could
grab her. I took her in and made her sit in the corner for a bit before I went
and checked on Shanda. She seemed to be doing better, but was still sleeping.
The fever had found its way back. So I rubbed some more of that fever breaker
over her. Then left.
"Sky, you can go play
outside now, but you are to stay away from the horses. If you go near them I'll
put you back in that corner." That little girl didn't move she stood
there. I felt bad; I knew what she wanted; she wanted to play with her new
found friend. But lately she hadn't been listing to well, I knew it was the
typical thing for a child her age to be doing, Understood that she was just
testing me. As much as I wanted to I knew I couldn't back down.
I walked back into the
bedroom to sit with Shanda, for awhile. As I watched her sleep I wondered what
I was going to do with them through out the winter. I couldn't send them
outside, that’s when it hit me. I jumped out of my chair. And called Darlita
telling her to stay with the younger ones, I had something that I had to do. I
ran outside and saddled up one horse, and hitched two of my strongest to the
wood wagon, and headed out to the woods, where I searched for the thickest and
best logs. I would work on the project without their knowing. Somehow.
I started right away mixing
the mud, and stone to make a concrete, I would add another type to my list to
make sure I brought back. To make sure it would keep out the cold. I managed to
lay out a frame before dark started to settle, I thanked Darlita, for making
sure everyone and everything was feed. I looked on the step there sat Skyla her
temper showing. She didn't have much of one but when it showed you knew it.
"Come on, it’s getting
late, its almost time for bed." The little girl shook her head. She made
no sound, and kept looking away.
I went to pick her up and she
pushed me away again.
"Skyla, you don't want
me to pick you up, that’s fine, but you can tell me, instead of pushing." She
folded her arms and looked away nose wrinkled. Again I reached for her, and
this time she got up and ran.
I sighed and went for my
horse, knowing that I would be able to catch her better if I did that. When I
caught her I took her into the house and told her to get onto bed. I was
starting to regret giving her that little horse. Later, Darlita said that she
had refused to eat, so she put the dish up. I told her she did the right thing
and that she'll learn that it’s not good to skip a meal just because of her
wanting her way. It wasn't going to happen. I also told her if she came down for
something that she was to come and get me.
After checking on the baby, I
went into the room and too my surprise Shanda was up. She was walking around
the room.
"Sweetheart, you need to
stay in bed." I told her gently. She reached up at me. I went ahead and
picked her up. And sat with her. I noticed that
everything was starting to go away. Little by little.
"I'm going to have you
stay in here just a day or two more, so that we make sure that’s gone. You did
really well with this. I don't think that I could have done that well."
The little girl smiled. I let her lean back as I held her. Seeing it was
getting late, I laid back on the bed, with her in my arms still and fell
asleep. I knew that these days were going to have to stop. That soon, she would
be too big to stay in my bed. Even know I'd have my baby to hold. But still. I
wanted my other little ones to share this as well, I enjoyed this time. I love
just staring at the faces of all the sleeping children.
Just deciding to let myself be taken in by the moment I fell asleep with my little girl.