Summer Blessing ~ Chapter III

by BabyKeiko & Daddy's Little Slut~Muffin

~ Chapter III ~

I had lucked out this year. My group was rather small. It seemed that most of the girls in the nine to eleven age range were riding English this year. I was told that I'd have just seven girls in my cabin. I'd been given a clipboard with a list of names and some small personal details about each of the girls. I had a nice range of students, all with at least a little experience at sitting a horse. I was excited. This could turn out to be a really fun summer.

As the girls arrived one by one, I met the parents, exchanged pleasantries, received specific little bits of information that they thought would be helpful, and so on. The girls were all exuberant, excited at being away from home and parents for the summer, at having some freedom. A few were even excited at the prospect of being able to ride every day.

Six of my group had arrived, but so far, there had been no sign of the seventh. I decided to herd the ones I had to the cabin, and start getting them all settled in. Some of the parents followed along, wanting to check out the living quarters. Most, though, simply gave their daughters a hug, a quick kiss, and were on their way. I figured that some of them were just as excited as the girls at the idea of a summer of freedom.

Once the parents had inspected the cabin, and then left their girls with me for the summer, I started the process of getting them settled. I'm not much for rigid structure in living arrangements, so I let them all work out among themselves who would take each bunk. They split up in pairs, most having made friends the summer before. Three sets of bunk beds filled up, leaving two completely empty bunks, a total of four beds. The last girl arriving would have her pick of bunks, and since she was a first year camper, she most likely wouldn't feel too left out by not having a bunkmate.

In the midst of the bedlam of unpacking, putting clothes in lockers, making up beds, and the like, the door to the cabin opened. Camper number seven had arrived. She stood in the door, a very beautiful, very petite Asian woman standing behind her, her hands on the little girl's shoulders. The little girl caught me by surprise. She's beautiful, I thought. I couldn't help staring at her.

I glanced at my clipboard for her name. Tiara, eleven years old. She was petite, no more than four feet, five inches tall, very slender, very beautiful. Her mother was obviously Asian, but Tiara was just as obviously biracial. Her skin was the color of dark, rich, golden honey. She was regarding me quite seriously with huge, dark brown eyes, eyes that were full of intelligence. Her facial features were typical of that Asian-African combination, strikingly beautiful. Her hair was simply amazing, surrounding her head like a big, curly black halo. There was a slight smile playing at the corners of her mouth as she regarded me.

She was wearing a simple outfit that somehow looked graceful on her. Blue jeans that didn't actually fit her tightly, yet still accented the shape of her slender legs. A pale yellow cami-style top that accented the puffiness of her budding little breasts; those breasts were just a whisper, barely there. Clean white athletic shoes completed the outfit. A typical little girl's outfit, yet somehow, she brought a sort of grace to the clothes that I'd never seen before.

The woman was smiling at me expectantly, so I grinned and went to them. I spoke to the little girl first.

"Hi, there! I'm Karen, I'll be your counselor and teacher this summer. And you're Tiara, right?"

Extending her hand for me to shake, she smiled disarmingly up at me. Her cheeks dimpled beautifully.

"My name is Tiara, but if you'd like, you may call me 'Yuki,' " she said softly, in that gentle tone of voice that is so often only heard from women and girls of Asian descent. Melodic, that was it. Her voice was melodic as she introduced herself to me.

"Yuki, I'm very pleased to meet you," I replied. "There are four beds left open; you can pick whichever you'd like."

Yuki stood regarding me, but made no move to pick a bunk yet. She didn't seem nervous, in fact she seemed quite relaxed and at ease. I smiled at the woman behind her.

"And you must be Yuki's Mom," I said, reaching for her hand. She took it in hers, cool, smooth skin and a firm grip, and gave me a brief handshake.

"I am, indeed," she replied. "Yuki has been quite excited at the thought of being able to ride every day."

There was a definite trace of an Asian accent in her words, but her English was flawless. It was obvious that Yuki had learned her manner of speech from her mother, who shared the same soft, melodic tone of voice that her daughter spoke with.

"Wonderful!" I said. "I see that you've had some experience, Yuki. I think you'll have a wonderful time this summer. We have some beautiful horses here, and they all love being ridden."

That brought a grin to her lovely face.

"Oh, please," she said, clasping her hands together tightly in front of her, "when I may I see them?" I grinned.

"You can meet them just as soon as everyone is settled into their bunks," I replied.

Her eyes dancing with excitement, Yuki turned to her mother. She wrapped her arms around the woman's waist, hugging her tightly. Her mother leaned down and kissed the top of her head, holding her in a soft embrace. These two were going to miss each other. This wasn't a case of breaking free from parental control, or a parent getting a summer off. You could see it in the love that shone from both pairs of eyes.

"You follow Ms. Karen's instructions, Yuki-chan," her mother said softly. "Before you know it, I will have returned from my business, you will have finished your time here, and we will be together again."

Yuki lifted her face and smiled at her mother, kissed her on one cheek, then the other, and finally placed a soft kiss on her mother's lips.

"I will, Mom," she said softly. "Please don't worry. I'll have fun, and I'll be careful. I'll see you when you return."

Yuki picked up her large duffel bag and her back pack, and chose the lower bunk on the end closest to the door to my tiny little room. As she began to unpack, I smiled at her mother.

"Please don't worry for her," I said. "She's in good hands here, and if she enjoys riding as much as it seems she does, then she and I will become very good friends."

Smiling, she took my hand again, holding it in her grip as she spoke.

"Thank you," she said simply. "Yuki is a very good child, I am sure you will have no difficulties with her. You will also find that she does love to ride, even though she does not have as much experience as she would like."

"Well, then," I said, "we'll make sure that she gets all the experience that she can while she's here."

"Thank you," she said, releasing my hand. She called out, "Good-bye, Yuki-chan! Have fun!"

" 'Bye, Mom! I will, I promise."

With one more brief smile, Yuki's mother turned and left the cabin, and I was left alone for the summer to deal with seven barely pubescent girls.

I turned and surveyed the scene. There was a lot of giggling, chattering, and general confusion, but I thought that now would be a good time to make my little announcement speech.

"Okay, girls, listen up, please! Keep doing what you're doing, but please listen while you're settling in."

It took a moment, but the noise subsided until I was sure they were listening to me.

"I don't have a lot of rules for my cabin," I began, "but the rules that I do have, I insist on being followed. Rule number one, and most important, do no leave here alone without telling me where you're going and when you'll be coming back. That's important. I'm responsible for you, and I need to know where you are so I can make sure that no one turns up missing."

"Rule number two, I expect all of you to treat each other with respect. That means a few things. Those of you with more experience, no making fun of the ones who aren't as good as you are yet. Remember, you were all brand new to riding once, and you all had to learn. It also means that even though you all live in one big room, you will respect each other's private space. No going into each other's lockers without permission, no using each other's things without permission. Think of your bunk and locker areas as your private rooms, and treat them that way, okay?"

"Rule number three, and the final rule, is that I expect you all to try to help each other. Like I said, some of you have more experience than others. If you think you might be able to help someone with riding, or with anything, then offer to help. This isn't a competition, it's meant to be fun and to help you all learn as much as you can."

"That's it for my rules," I said, surveying the large room. "I'm really easy to get along with, and I like to think I'm a pretty good rider, too. We're here to have fun and learn as much about horses as we can. Your job for the summer is to do just that: have fun and learn. Do we have a deal?"

Six little girls shrieked out their agreement. The seventh, little Yuki, stood staring at me with those huge dark eyes. When I looked at her, she smiled that perfect smile, nodding her head in agreement. Her beauty caught me by surprise again.

She was absolutely breathtaking.

I shook my head. What on earth was I thinking? Breathtaking? She was an eleven year old kid! Beautiful, cute, adorable, whatever. But "breathtaking?" That implied... I didn't really want to think about what that implied.

I shook my head, and went into my room. I wanted to stock up on sugar cubes and some carrots and apples for the horses. As soon as the girls were settled, we'd be going to the barn to meet them. As I was gathering the treats together, a soft voice spoke.

"Ms. Karen?" I turned to see Yuki standing in my doorway. I smiled.

"Hi, Yuki! Please, just call me Karen. No need to call me 'Ms.' " She rewarded me with that heart melting smile.

"Alright, Karen," she said. ""Everyone is almost finished. Are we going to meet the horses soon?"

I smiled. Even if she hadn't been so beautiful, she would have won my heart. She obviously loved horses almost as much as I do. See, a lot of the girls come to ride because they think it makes them cool, or because their parents want them to ride as some kind of a status symbol or something. Every once in a while, though, you meet someone who has that innate passion for them. I had a feeling that beautiful little Yuki was one of those would spend her life carrying on a love affair with the graceful animals.

"Yes, we are," I said. "Would you like some sugar cubes to bring with you?"

"Oh, yes please!" Yuki said. "Is there a place where I can buy treats for them? My mother gave me some spending money."

I gave her a small plastic bag filled with sugar cubes. She clutched it happily. I was going to like this little girl. The first thing she wanted to buy with the money her mother had given her was treats for the horses. Not candy, not soft drinks, not silly souvenirs. Something for the horses.

"Actually," I told her, "the camp doesn't sell things like that." Her face fell a little.

"But," I continued, "if you'd like, the next time I go into town, I can pick some things up for you. And you can keep apples and carrots in the little refrigerator in my room, if you'd like."

"Oh, thank you!" she replied, nodding her head. "That would be very nice." That mass of thick, dark hair surrounding her head moved, shimmering in the light.

I picked up my jacket, slipped it on, and smiled at her.

"Come on," I said, "let's get the other girls, and go meet your summer friends."

She stepped back from my doorway, waiting for me to pass. When I did, she followed in my wake, staying close to me.

"Okay, girls!" I shouted over the noise. "Time for a meet and greet with the horses. Get to know them a little bit, because in a few days, you'll be assigned to the horse that best works with you. After that, the two of you will be friends for the summer."

The girls started piling towards the door. Yuki hung back for a moment.

"Karen, do you mean it?" she asked. "We get to have our own horse assigned to us for the whole summer?" Her eyes were dancing with excitement.

"Yes, you do," I replied. "You'll ride several of them for a few days, until we find which horse seems to be the one you form a bond with."

"My own horse for the whole summer," she said softly. "This is going to be even better than I thought!"

I grinned, following the girls out the door. Yuki was a little shadow, following close behind me.

Several of the girls had been here the year before, so they already knew which horses they wanted. Yuki and two others were new. They walked with me slowly, stopping at each stall, talking to the horses, stroking velvety noses, offering little treats of sugar, apples, or carrots. The horses love this day; they get an enormous amount of those special treats that they love so much. The girls love it, too, especially the new ones, because they get to walk around and mingle with these magnificent animals.

Every once in a while, you see something wonderful happen between a horse and a human being. I was keeping an eye on the girls, handing them pieces of apple and carrot, watching them move from horse to horse. Then I saw that Yuki had stopped, and seemed to have lost interest in greeting any other horses. My heart thumped, my breath caught in my throat at the beauty of it.

She had stopped at the stall of a three year old, red dun colored filly. My breath caught because of the symbolism. The filly's name is Mizuki. I have no idea who named her, but I'd looked up the name last summer. It means "beautiful moon" in Japanese. Mizuki, as I remembered, is a very docile, even-tempered filly. As I watched, Yuki stood talking to the filly, whispering quietly to her as she stroked the soft cheek and nose, feeding her cubes of sugar from an outstretched hand. Mizuki repeatedly nuzzled her nose into Yuki's neck.

I walked over to the two of them. Yuki continued to murmur softly to the filly as she smiled up at me.

"Do you like her?" I asked.

She nodded, never breaking the rhythmic cadence of her vocal caresses as she became acquainted with the horse.

She's going to be good one day, I thought. Actually, she was already good. Someday, if she held on to her passion for them, she was going to be an amazing talent with horses.

I lowered my voice.

"If you'd like, you can ride her first this afternoon when we go out," I said.

Yuki's eyes widened and she grinned. Still, she never stopped murmuring to the horse. Horses are reassured by a calm, steady voice speaking quietly to them. Yuki seemed to have a natural talent for this, because even though she's even-tempered and calm, Mizuki is still a very young horse, prone to be nervous if there's a lot of excitement. I watched her ears. She cocked one back, then switched and cocked the other back. Mizuki was listening to the soft, calm, quiet little voice. She also cocked one rear leg up, a definite sign that she was relaxed and at ease with this little girl, even in the midst of all this confusion. I decided to leave them alone to keep making friends.

Before I left, though, I slipped two carrots into Yuki's hand. Her grin widened and her eyes sparkled at me.

"Her name is Mizuki," I said quietly.

Stepping back, I watched the two of them, horse and girl. Yuki stood, completely at ease, quietly murmuring to Mizuki. The horse continued to nuzzle her neck, except when Yuki was offering her sugar or carrot pieces. That mass of gorgeous hair, the color of her skin, the way that she calmed and relaxed the filly, all of it combined into something extraordinarily beautiful. I felt a sharp, sudden pang in my lower belly, that faded slowly into a creeping warmth. I was dismayed to find myself aroused by the sight of Yuki and the filly.

As if figuring out that I'm a lesbian wasn't bad enough. Now this? I'm getting turned on at the site of an eleven year old girl? What the hell was wrong with me? It didn't matter that she was breathtakingly beautiful, she was only eleven years old! I felt my face flush with embarrassment, as if everyone there could read my thoughts. This just would not do, not at all. Angrily, I spun on my heel and went to follow some of the other girls as they talked to the horses.

No matter where I looked, though, she was always there at the corner of my eye. Even if I put my back towards her, I was aware of her. I felt like crying. How could this be? It's not enough that I'm gay, now I'm turning into a pedophile, too? These girls had been entrusted to me. I was responsible for them. How could I possibly be trusted with them, when I was having feelings like this for one of them? God, what's next? I thought. An all-girl orgy in the shower after lights out?

No, no orgy fantasies. Just one little girl who seemed to have struck some chord within me. How on earth was I going to cope with this?

Suddenly, I was struck with the thought that it was going to be a very long summer for me.

~ To Be Continued ~