After Twinkle, my beloved horse, passed away, life carried me back to the small city we had once called home. And this time, something unexpected happened—I fell completely in love again. With Copper.
I rode him through the streets like a king in a world too small to contain him. Children gathered wherever we went, calling his name—“Copper!”—their hands full of apples, bananas, even strawberries. I was the envy of the neighbourhood.
And I adored every moment of it.
Until the day something else found me.
I had taken a shortcut through the old diamond mine heaps—now carved into a BMX trail of ramps and dusty ridges. As I rode forward, she appeared.
She stopped her bicycle abruptly, as though she had just ridden into something unreal—a boy on horseback where no horse should be.
She wore tennis whites, her racket slung casually across her back, her tanned legs catching the afternoon light.
A goddess. No exaggeration.
“Hello,” she said, her voice as soft as honey.
Copper stopped too.
He lowered his head.
I knew what that meant.
“H… h… he…” I stammered.
“My name is Soekie,” she said, dismounting her bike and stepping closer.
“I… I…” I tried again, my voice refusing me.
Copper neighed.
Shut up, my mind pleaded. You’re going to ruin this.
He neighed again.
Soekie blinked up at me, her eyes searching, amused.
“What’s his name?” she asked, running her fingers through Copper’s mane.
“Copper,” I finally blurted.
He shook his head proudly.
“He’s beautiful,” she whispered.
My eyes shimmered too—but not for the same reason.
“Thank you,” I said, as if the compliment had been meant for me.
Then, without warning, Copper lifted his tail and dropped his offering onto the red soil.
He flattened his ears. Guilty.
Soekie covered her mouth, but her laughter escaped anyway—soft, musical, unforgettable.
And strangely… I envied her.
Anyone else would have been kicked or nipped for less.
Copper scraped his hoof against the ground.
A signal.
I knew it.
And so did she.
“Would you mind if I rode with you?” she asked. “I’m a bit scared…”
“Not at all,” I said quickly.
She climbed back onto her bicycle, and together we moved forward—a boy and his horse, with a goddess riding beside them.
A sight to behold.
We reached my house. Copper slowed, recognising the stop. But something in her eyes—and in mine—said not yet.
“Go on,” I whispered.
Copper obeyed.
We rode further.
Her gaze never left him.
“This is it,” she said at last, stopping in front of a beautiful home, its garden still glistening with dew.
Her parents rushed out.
“Wat die donner gaan hier aan?” her father demanded.
(“What on earth is this?”)
I swallowed hard.
Copper turned, presenting his rear to them.
I braced myself.
Dismounting, I stepped behind him—shielding them, just in case.
“Hi, I’m Iwan,” I said, extending my hand. “And this is Copper… my magnificent horse.”
“Daddy, Mommy,” Soekie said gently, “meet my new friends.”
They circled Copper in awe. Her younger brother looked as though he might faint from wonder.
I lifted him onto the saddle.
“Hold on tight,” I said, guiding Copper slowly down the street.
Doors opened. Neighbours emerged. Applause followed us like a parade.
When we returned, I helped him down.
Copper, entirely unbothered, wandered onto their lawn and began eating as if he owned it.
No one stopped him.
They invited me inside.
Fresh lemonade. Laughter. Questions.
And somewhere in that moment, I learned something impossible—
Soekie was ready to trade tennis for horses.
And I… was ready to teach her.
Or at least, I believed I was.
Because her dream was about to begin.
And I was about to…
—
That, my friends, is where this story ends.
But I would be lying if I didn’t add one more thing.
That day mattered.
Because behind Copper’s towering frame, hidden from the world—
I received my very first kiss.
Just a peck.
But one I have never forgotten.
To be continued.
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