Loving Spirit

voice came over the loudspeaker.
    The people bidding were holding up their hands. Joe pushed through the crowd to find a space right by the bars of the pen, but Ellie hung back. ‘I’ll just be a moment,’ she told Joe. He nodded, absorbed now in the bidding.
    Ellie made her way back through the crowds and looked across at the pen where the grey horse was. His back was to her and his head was sagging down. She could almost feel the suffering in the air around him. Suddenly he looked round over his shoulder. It was as though he had sensed she was there.
    Almost before she knew it Ellie was hurrying through the crowds towards him, dodging round people, half tripping over dog leads, her eyes on the pen. By the time she reached it, the horse had come to the gate.
    She drew in her breath. Closer up, she could seethe full extent of his neglect. His coat was rough and covered with dirt and grass stains. His legs were clogged with mud. There were scars on his knees, shoulder and neck. His ribs stood out. But despite his age and his half-starved condition, there was something about his eyes that captivated her. They were deep and dark and seemed to see right down inside her. She reached out and touched his neck.
    A gruff voice spoke behind her. ‘That one’ll be going to the knackers then.’ Ellie glanced over her shoulder. Two men were walking nearby, commenting on the horses in the pens. The man who had spoken was pointing at the grey.
    ‘Not a doubt about it,’ said the second man. ‘Unwarranted and sold unsound. Look at the state of it.’
    ‘Meat man’ll be lucky to get his money’s worth with that,’ said the first man. He shook his head. ‘Poor old sod.’ And they walked on. The horse looked at Ellie. Suddenly she was filled with a burning conviction.
    ‘The meat man won’t get you,’ she said. ‘I promise.’ She knew she had to buy him. She stroked his neck once more. ‘I’ll be back in a moment!’ And she turned and fled through the crowd.
    ‘You want to do what ?’ Joe stared at her. She dragged him away from the ring.
    ‘I want to buy a horse. How do I do it?’
    ‘But you can’t,’ Joe protested. ‘You haven’t got any money.’
    ‘I have. I’ve got three hundred pounds. It might be enough. He’s old and the people I heard talking said no one would want him apart from the meat man.’ She stumbled over the horrible words. ‘Oh, Joe, I’ve got to buy him. I can’t let that happen.’
    ‘Well, three hundred pounds might be enough,’ said Joe, considering it. ‘They’re not going for much to the meat man these days.’ He frowned in concern. ‘But you can’t just buy a horse, Ellie. Where are you going to keep it? You couldn’t take one home, particularly not from a sale. Dad thinks anyone who buys from a sale is a complete halfwit. He’d flip.’
    ‘I don’t care!’ Ellie declared. ‘I’ll find somewhere else to keep him. All he needs is a field and a shelter. I’ve got money I inherited. I bet I’d be allowed to have some of it to keep a horse. In fact, I know I would,’ she lied. ‘I’m going to do it, Joe. Just tell me how.’
    Joe looked very worried. ‘Ellie, you can’t.’
    Ellie glared at him. ‘Why not?’ She hadn’t felt as strongly about anything since her mum and dad … No! She stopped herself. Don’t think about them. Not now .
    ‘You can’t just buy a horse,’ Joe protested. ‘It’s mental. It’s –’ He saw her expression and broke off helplessly. ‘I’m not going to change your mind, am I?’
    She shook her head. ‘Nope.’
    Joe took a deep breath. ‘OK. So which horse is it?’
    Ellie set off through the crowd. ‘There!’ She pointed at the horse’s pen. The horse pricked his ears and looked at her with recognition. ‘I told you I’d come back,’ Ellie murmured, going over and stroking his cheek. She looked round at Joe to see what he thought.
    His jaw had dropped open. ‘Ellie! You can’t buy that. He’s a wreck!’
    The horse put his ears back.
    Ellie glared at Joe. ‘He’s not! Well, maybe a bit,’ she admitted. ‘But that’s why he needs my help. I’ll make him better.’
    ‘But he’s being sold unsound and unwarranted,’ Joe said, checking the card. ‘That means he’s lame and there’s probably all sorts of stuff wrong with him, which will mean even if you cure his lameness you won’t be able to ride him.’
    ‘I don’t care,’ Ellie said. This horse was alone in the world, like she was. If she