When the Horse Jumps Over the Moon

By Jeanette S. Walker

WHEN THE HORSE JUMPS OVER THE MOON is a compelling, lovable Americana story with a ‘green’ twist. This charming fantasy horse tale entwines Vaudeville humour and wit in its fun, whimsical tale through the Southwest’s Land of Enchantment. A hard-luck thoroughbred rancher, Silky Sullivan, rides on sheer hope to keep his ranch afloat, despite a looming foreclosure.
This intriguing short story hopes to inspire the youth to prepare for a greener future for all through this whimsical tale about Jan Spirit Walker Bluebird. Jan Spirit Walker is unable to afford not one horse of her own, but she seeks her love for the horse as a ‘strapper’ or horsehand at Silky Sullivan’s Wild Creek Ranch. Miss Bluebird struggles against all odds after being seriously kicked and injured by one of the ranch’s thoroughbreds.
WHEN THE HORSE JUMPS OVER THE MOON invites the young reader to discover earth-friendly ways through Jan Spirit Walker’s Middle Earth ventures into the Dream World during her personal recovery while hospitalized in the 1990s. Hold on to your hats! It is like taking a wild, zany Southwest ride along the Land of Enchantment’s old Route 66. This is an enchanting and inspiring whimsical tale for all ages to read during these earth-shattering times. WHEN THE HORSE JUMPS OVER THE MOON is for any young dreamer at heart!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Mar 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9781398478183

Jeanette S. Walker

Jeanette S. Walker lives in Southern Arizona and works as a vintage book dealer. She loves the Southwest Kachinas and the Native American stories that they carry to each generation. Storytelling has been a key-interest of Jeanette’s, as well as Vaudevillian theatre and old movies; she still loves participating in storytelling with family and friends. Born in Northern California, she has always had a “Green Heart.” Jeanette hopes to journey back home to Northern California one day. Still rescuing wild injured birds, Jeanette always tries to practice earth-friendly ways. Early in life, this author’s sustainability beliefs were reinforced while serving as a workforce counsellor for Native American tribes and low-income communities in Northern California. Through her 30 years of dedication in human services, Jeanette wisely knows that the world will never be a perfect global community, but she always has strong hope that others like her will support earth-friendly ways for future generations to come!

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

The Birth of a Horse Whisperer

JAN Spirit Walker Bluebird knows she isn’t much good at tap dancing since she cannot even get the basic tap routine of Shim Sham Shimmy down. Perhaps her real talents lie in her interest in JAZZ band trumpet playing, but the young teen’s inconsistent ways of not showing up regularly for high school practice sessions at Esparto High School seem to be a LARGE obstacle toward any form of dedication in further developing her LOVE OF MUSIC. Noting her inconsistent style toward commitment of ALMOST ANYTHING she does and trying to deal with his own personal frustration of being Jan’s guardian relative after both of her parents died of substance abuse overdoses a few years ago, the shrewd tall, single, middle-aged man with a University of California, Davis Ph.D. in World Indigenous Studies SINKS DEEPER into the small trailer’s only lounge chair. He tries his best to intently LISTEN to her teenage issues again and AGAIN.

Ptah always seems to be STARING at his young relative, mystified as to what to say to Jan Spirit Walker when she ENDLESSLY CHATTERS about all her early teen concerns and identity crisis issues beyond his reasoning mind. Having KNOWLEDGE of twelve Native American languages and fifteen foreign languages, Ptah often admits to his only cousin, Jan Spirit Walker Bluebird, that he is unable to deal with her female TEENAGE GROWING PAINS. He often likes to resort to his rural neighbors’ advice in assisting him with Jan Spirit Walker’s early teenage development because their limited discussions usually end flat with no resolution at all!

Ptah FLINGS his arms high into the air when she sharply stops today’s endless teenage chattering. He responds with a heavy sigh and says TERRIBLY frustrated, I IMAGINE if it is now up to the Universe to intervene on how you should resolve your over-concern about the increased freckles on your face. Laughing lightly, he adds, HOWEVER, in your case, I am sure that more than one Universe can provide you with a far better solution than WHATEVER I could dream of sharing with you to somehow help your DILEMMA of today.

The young teen of sixteen GLARES at her only remaining relative fiercely with terror while standing up from the tiny trailer diner chair. Before heading out of the Guinda single-wide trailer, she STOPS directly in front of him and says in disgust, "You never REALLY listen to me, Ptah! Harshly she says to him, WELL, I guess I always have to let Nature teach me!"

Wait a minute, young lady! DEMANDS Ptah now standing and studying her left cheek. He chuckles oddly and remarks while pointing at that peculiar cheek formation, ALL your freckles come together and form the Big Dipper and that bigger one is the North Star.

OH, my God! exclaims Jan Spirit Walker. "Are you saying I’m a FREAK?"

RUSHING out of the small, canary-yellow vintage mobile home, the raging youth JUMPS angrily on her old red 1950s Schwinn bicycle. She usually takes out her teenage frustrations by RIDING her bike alone to the CACHE CREEK WILDS. There, she enjoys NUMEROUS nature timeouts to ease her GROWING PAINS of life without the guidance of her parents, let alone any human interaction except Nature. Today she sorely stares at the calm creek water near the bank and certainly sees her unusual cosmic Big Dipper-like pattern plainly displayed on her left cheek.

MEANWHILE, Ptah decides it is time to take his 1947 black Buick coupe out for a Sunday spin without his cousin on this trip. Driving the vintage auto out carefully from the small Guinda trailer’s carport, he swings the old automobile onto Highway 16; eventually, he takes a dirt road near the small community of Ramsey. HONKING VIGOROUSLY while zooming the old Buick to a small nearly hidden woodsy cottage, an elderly man in his eighties waves his cane in the air to the approaching FRUSTRATED Yolo County tutor just outside the farmhouse. Ptah ENJOYS plucking the wisdom from this mix-blooded Wintun, African American neighbor most; he and Jan’s parents have been friends with the Bakers for years. Jim Baker often advises his family and neighbors on their spiritual development through indigenous insights.

SCREECHING the Buick to a SUDDEN STOP, Ptah rolls down the auto’s window. He smiles politely, saying, "What a pleasure to see ya!"

I was just gearing myself up to tend to my bees, son. Glad to see you in your parents’ Buick instead of that old fix-upper Pinto that you have. I HOPE the almond tree blossoms won’t be hit by early rains this year, replies the old beekeeper of Yolo County. I’m looking forward to a fine crop of almonds hopefully.

Seeing the almost hidden disgust upon Ptah’s face, the elderly Wintun man boldly inquires, So how can I help you and Spirit Walker?

"AH—GEEZ, you certainly have a knack of reading my mind, Mr. Baker."

Well, Ptah, you never fail to come to see me when your teenage relative has something bothering you. The old beekeeper scratches his head lightly with his cane and then SNORTS, laughing, I suppose I owe SOMETHING to ya since you successfully tutored my irresponsible nephew through his GED studies. By God, that boy passed his GED test and got accepted at some fancy art college in New York City!

Ptah gets out of his car and leans carefully on the Buick’s hood. Laughing lightly, he responds, I guess I have a terrible habit of THROWING my relative’s problems into the community, but HEY, you’ve got some GREAT IDEAS of resolving my mixed-up teenager’s problems. Good to hear that Red Horse passed his final GED test.

The older gent GRINS in response and moves slowly like a tortoise toward his almond orchard. Waving his arm to follow him, he YELPS, "Join me to my beekeeping shop, would ya?"

"CERTAINLY! exclaims the Yolo County tutor following the elderly man carefully as Mr. Baker uses the support of his cane to walk. Ptah optimistically adds, CONGRATULATIONS, I am happy for you that Jason Red Iron Horse is gonna finally refine his talents, Jim."

Yeah, I suppose that is good. By the way, remarks Mr. Baker to Ptah, "You do RECALL how Jan got her nickname?"

Oh, sure, responses the STILL FRUSTRATED guardian. Her hippie parents nicknamed her ‘Spirit Walker’.

WRONG!!!

Ptah momentarily looks SURPRISED at Mr. Baker’s reaction.

I gave her that nickname years ago when her parents were alive because she loves being such a dreamer, RETORTS Mr. Baker PROUDLY. And I really think your cousin has the ability to ‘spirit-walk’ spiritually into DIFFERENT REALMS. I think one of her parents told me that she got a mix of Mongolian in her, besides a tad of lost Indian blood.

"How about that, she REALY IS a Child of the Universe, remarks Ptah gravely. Yes, she is a bit of almost EVERYTHING – Irish, Polish, Latino, French, Dutch, British, and God knows what else! Maybe she has some Cherokee or Sioux, to boot!!! Yep, she’s TRULY a multi-ethnic kid of TODAY!"

The two continue walking slowly side-by-side to Mr. Baker’s honey hives…

You know, Ptah, your relative is a wonderful, CREATIVE young lady who really loves horses, says the old beekeeper with an air of delight. Picking up his smoker on the ground, Mr. Baker lights it and lets a couple of puffs out. He then says with confidence, "My grandfather told me that EVERYONE has a DESTINY, a REAL GIFT to share!"

WOW, pipes up Ptah with enlightenment. "Excuse me, Jim, I just saw her destiny symbol on her left check a few moments ago."

WHAT? responds the beekeeper with some puzzlement upon his facial expression.

Now sitting comfortably in the weather-beaten wicker chair near the beehives, Ptah ponders a bit in silence as Mr. Baker suits himself into the beekeeper outfit. He further comments, Spirit Walker’s right check has freckles ALIGNED WITH THE UNIVERSE, Jim. Her freckles look like the Big Dipper and the reddish one, in particular, is her North Star.

Mr. Baker lets a couple more puffs of smoke out and insightfully speaks, INTERESTING! God gave your cousin a definite destiny, Ptah. He lets out another puff of smoke. "You see, your cousin may not own one horse. However, when she FOUND that Special River stone in Cache Creek a few summers ago, she thought that particular stone SOMEHOW gave her the STRENGTH TO BELIEVE that she will become a great horse trainer one day, ya know. ANYHOW, Jan truly has told me several times about that passion of hers of loving horses."

"Really, Jim? questions the tutor. She NEVER told me that! I guess that kid has QUITE the imagination to believe in a dream without owning one horse. I certainly worried that she had NOTHING to fall back on since she is typically a C student."

WELL, son, the elderly beekeeper begins to explain more thoroughly, that is why I may be the BEST yo-yo trickster in this here county according to our school kids. Yep, it is time you do SOMETHING for your relative’s future.

Taking out his yellow yo-yo from the small farm hutch’s drawer, Mr. Baker performs the "Walking Dog" trick for Ptah. At the end of the yo-yo trick, he says SMARTLY to Ptah IN THE NICK OF TIME,"I think that ya need to chat with one of our fine county’s horse ranch owners to get Spirit Walker a job with horses this coming summer. Yes, sir, the kids in this here county don’t call me Chief YoYo for NOTHING!"

"Hmmm. I guess I can help my relative after all," remarks Ptah, while getting up from the wicker chair and warmly pats the elder gent on his shoulder