BE MY FRIEND, HOLD ME
WRAP ME UP, UNFOLD ME

Movement caught Priya’s eye, wide with desperation and wet with tears, and she lifted her head just a little, watching as the stranger stopped before her. She hadn’t heard the other mare approach, deafened and numb with her grief, and she didn’t recognise her as one of the familiar figures from the Dunes.

Who she was, however, mattered little to Priya at that moment in time. She only looked at her blankly, not trying to hide the tears or the pain on her face, and waited to see what the stranger would do. To Priya’s surprise, the woman began to come closer, moving slowly and cautiously, but closer all the same.

Priya could not say that she would have been brave enough to do such a thing, had she happened upon such a situation as this. She did not encourage the mare, but she did not try to shoo her away either – she merely stood there, looking back at her until she was close enough to touch. She had a kind, concerned face.

Priya looked to her child, still and motionless on the ground, and her heart tore at itself once again. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked back to the mare, her eyes big and pleading.

“Help her.” The words came out strained and broken, struggling to escape her throat. “Please.”

Help me. That was what she really wanted to say.

priya
marwari . blue roan . 13.2hh