Dare To Believe

Elle knew she wasn't getting what she wanted out of life, she just didn’t know how, and she was doubtful about whether or not she ever would. The frustration was unbearable. Most of Elle's days were spent by herself wondering, “why me?”

“Why do I have to live in this horse shed?” She pondered as she swept the walkway clean of loose hay and manure.” Why did my father have to die? Why couldn’t my mother pick a better man to take his place?” She often pondered these questions, but she knew she would never find never find answers. Life just isn’t fair...

“You don’t have to accept it!” Elle heard, shouted by an unfamiliar voice. An elderly woman was entering the stable, accompanied by a gentlemen Elle had also never met. “That horse is barely worth five 5,000 dollars!” She said, “I wouldn’t pay more than 15 grand...”

These must be the potential buyers Elle’s stepfather had informed her would be coming by to view Seraph, the best race horse he had personally ever raised. Needless to say, Seraph was not impressive, but it wasn’t the horse's fault. Elle had come from a family of horse racers, her father was one of the best Jockey's of his time. He is the reason Elle fell in love with the sport. Her father understood these brilliant creatures in a way that Richard, her mother’s current husband, never could.

Elle made her way over to introduce herself, but before she could she realized she’d made a terrible mistake. The door of the horse corral she lived in was open, revealing her bed and personal belongings to her stepfather’s guests. This would come with grave consequences if he found out. She lunged forward to close the door, but the damage was already done. “Is this where you’re living, my dear? In this horse corral?” The woman asked. Elle did not know how to respond. The woman moved closer, gently touching her arm. “I know who your father is, you are meant for so much more...”

Easy for her to say, Elle thought. Elle was forced to live in the shed when her stepfather began renting her room to help pay mortgage. After her father had died, Elle’s mother quickly remarried, not knowing that the man who promised her the world was in a world of debt. Five years later, Elle's stepfather Richard had auctioned off nearly everything in her father’s estate, while her mother, who was shattered by the loss, turned to troublesome vices to help numb the pain.

“I have a gift for you.” The woman said, pulling a little black book from her coat. “What I’m about to give you will change your life, if you allow it to.” She handed Elle the scuffed up leather bound after ripping out some pages that had already been used. “I grew up poor and uncared for, as many do. But when I was around your age I met a man who gave me this little black book. He told me I could have the life of my dreams, all I had to do was describe it in fine detail on these pages, then shut the cover and thank the universe for making it mine. It's been many years since that day and I truly have lived the life of my dreams. So now, it is time I pass on this special gift...”

“Is it magical or something?” Elle asked, looking quite confused.

“Of course!” The woman proudly exclaimed. “Everything is magical. Especially you...”

The couple told Elle they would have to consider before making an offer on the horse, then left the property. Elle fed Seraph and the other horses before checking herself into her neighboring corral. Elle was hesitant to believe what the woman said about this book, but she'd insisted with such confidence. “Dare to believe!” She had said, “what do you possibly have to lose?”

Elle didn't have anything to lose. So she decided to give it a shot. She sat in silence under a lantern's light. “What do I want?” She asked herself. Something immediately came to mind and Elle quickly jotted it down. “I want to--” she scratched out these words, restarting her sentence the way the woman had advised, with the words “I am...”

“I am continuing my fathers legacy by becoming a champion of the track.”

The words sent chills down her spine. Elle had never truly realized how much she longed to race herself. Time and time again, she watched Richard's Jockeys lose in utter dismay. In practice, she performed better than them every time. But female jockeys are uncommon, and her stepfather would never let her enter a race on one of his horses. Her chances were slim.

Elle dropped down to the next line, now taking a moment to consider her more immediate needs. She needed money, at least enough to move into a place of her own. She figured 20,000 dollars would be a fair amount to get her on her feet. So she wrote it down.

“I am receiving $20,000 which I am using to invest in a fresh new start...”

Elle almost laughed as she dotted the period at the end of this sentence. She had never possessed that much money in her life. How could it just magically appear?

“It will not make sense to you,” she remembered the woman explain, “but that's because you didn't make the rules. Your desires will come effortlessly. All you have to do is believe.”

Elle closed the cover, then whipped a cloud of dust and hay into the air as she shook her blanket before turning off the lantern and tucking herself in. Despite Elle's doubts, her stomach fluttered with excitement that maybe, just maybe, this would actually work.

The next morning Elle awakened to her stepfather standing over her bed. “I need a favor,” He said. “The family that came by to view Seraph informed me this morning that they have decided to pass on the purchase.” Richard explained, while pulling a checkbook from the pocket of his coat. So we're going to have you do something we've never done before...” He wrote out a check, then tore it and handed it to Elle. She almost got dizzy at the sight. It was addressed to her, and the amount? 20,000 dollars. “I need you to go to the track today and bet on the best horse in the race, in your name...

What he was really asking her to do was help him bet against his own horse, which would defy the rules if placed in his name. Elle knew her stepfather was simply trying to cut his losses. He didn't anticipate Seraph would be winning anymore races, and if he couldn't sell the horse, he would try to make up for the loss by betting in a race he knew he was bound to lose. And if his bet paid off, Seraph would likely be euthanized within the following week. Elle had seen him put down better horses than Seraph, all the while failing to realize that what he really needed were better Jockeys. The jockey's he employed were terrible, they had no connection to the animal itself. Hal, the man who would be racing with Seraph today, seemed to believe a horse's performance was defined by how deep you could dig your heels into its side. Seraph was still young and strong, Elle knew he had the potential to be a winning horse.

A tear fell from Elle's cheek as she cashed the check. She knew this had to be somehow related to her experience involving the little black book. What was she supposed to do, steal the money and run? She would never get away with it. But betting against Seraph would be as good as signing his death certificate herself. She loved that horse...

“Which horse would you like to bet on, miss?” The book keeper asked.

“Seraph," she said...

Hal was a nervous wreck. He peered down the track with cold sweats pouring from his face and chest. If he loses another race, his career was likely over. And he knew he was going to lose the race.

“How much is my stepfather paying you?” Elle asked, approaching from behind.

“I beg your pardon? He replied.

“Listen, we just placed a bet of 20,000 dollars on Seraph winning this race.”

Now feeling lightheaded, Hal's asked “Why the hell would you do that?

“Seraph is going to win because I'm taking your place.”

“What do you mean? I didn't hear anything about this.”

“I know,” Elle replied. “And you're not going to mention anything either. You can tell my stepfather whatever you want, after the fact-- tell him I put a gun to your head if you want-- but I'm changing into my silks and I'll be riding that horse.”

“You don't think Richard will try to kill us both?”

“No, because we're going to win. And that will mean he wins bigger than he ever expected he would. No one is betting on Seraph today, so we're going to clean house.”

“I don't know about this, Elle...”

“We both know you're not planning on winning yourself, so what do you have to lose?”

“The better question is, what do I have to gain?”

“If you let me race and I win, half of my bag is yours.” Hal looked at the board, noticing that today's grand price was a near 50 grand. Much higher than the base fee he was currently looking at making, and there was no doubt that Elle would better perform.

“Okay, psycho. I'm in...”

Elle will never forget the day her father died. During a race, the horse he was riding clipped a hurtle and lost its balance, causing the two thousand pound creature to tumble, crushing her father under its weight. The doctors say he didn’t suffer, but Elle wasn’t so sure. Was he killed instantly? Or was he still alive when he was trampled by another horse after being thrust into its lane? Elle didn't like to think about that day, but she couldn't help but be reminded as she boarded Seraph, preparing for her very first competitive lap around the track. She was shaking with fear. Soon her stepfather would know he had been deceived. Her only hope was that the gun would go off before he was able to foil her plan. Courage was not one of Elle's strong suits, but she kept reminding herself of the old woman's words, “dare to believe...”

Moments later, the gates dropped at the sound of gunfire and the race had begun. Before Elle even knew knew it she was half way around the track, and seemed to be falling into a distant 5th, 6th, then 7th place...

“I made a mistake,” she thought, but she knew she could not turn back. She had to commit. She had to believe...

“I believe that Seraph will win this race.” She kept repeating to herself. And before she knew it, Seraph was pulling forward. She couldn't tell what place they were in, but she knew they must be in the top 3. Then, while passing the finish line, the tip of Seraph's nose crossed just before the neighboring horse, causing him to land first place.

Elle could not believe it. Her first race ever, and she had won the grand prize. The bag she would be awarded was greater than the 20,000 she was hoping to somehow receive. It reminded her of one of the final statements the elderly woman had offered. “If you have the courage to believe with all your heart, you'll get much more than you ever asked for. That's how magic works...”

As Elle unsaddled herself from Seraph's back, her stepfather stormed the track in a fit of rage. “Who do you think you are?” He demanded.

“A champion.” She proclaimed, “And I would like to buy this horse...”