Or: “Why We Have a Dead Horse Taped To Our Window”

Here’s a quick little story:

Recently, we watched a show on PBS called “Animal Odd Couples,” about unusual animal friendships, which Myla loved.  She especially loved the story of Charlie the horse and Jack the goat.

Charlie was a 40-year-old farm horse who was blind in one eye, and very near to being put down when the family noticed that their 16-year old goat, Jack, had begun walking with Charlie around the farm, standing on his good side to lead him, making sure he got where he needed to go.  As the horse got older and blind in both eyes, the goat began leading him in front so he could follow his sound.

The show is very sweet, and you can watch the story of Charlie and Jack here:

Myla was so impressed by this that the next time we sat down to draw together, she drew Charlie and Jack, and asked me to help her spell out their words…

Later in the story, they talk about how Charlie passed away.  In tribute, Myla grabbed a paper plate and asked me if she could draw Charlie after he died (she has learned to ask about potentially inappropriate images after some “artistic mishaps” at school), and I said it would be okay.

I don’t think she meant it in a morbid way; to her mind, it was more of a tribute.  The “x” eyes and the tongue sticking out are merely a way of telling you visually that the sweet horse that was part of this amazing story died.  She wanted people to know about Charlie and Jack.  She asked me if I’d write the story around it, and I took dictation on the words she wanted me to write.  She asked if we could get a big stick and put it in the front yard so that everyone could see the story, but (thankfully) I convinced her that the weather might be an issue, and we compromised by taping it to the window in our kitchen nook.

So, we have a drawing of a dead horse on our window.  But it’s sort of…sweet, actually?

And that’s the story of Charlie and Jack, and how Myla loved them.