"Mom, there it is again," said George with curiosity.

"Where, George? I don't see it!" replied Mrs. Hood.

George pointed across the lake towards the mist that was rising from the cool waters on the crisp autumn morning. Mrs. Hood wrinkled up her nose as she strained to see the ghostly form of a horse almost floating through the mist.

"You're right. I see it now,” she said in a frightened whisper.

George had noticed the form of what he termed the "Ghost Horse" for many years. Whenever he took the herd of horses to the lake for the winter, the ghost horse would appear. When he first saw the ghost horse he had secretly hoped it was his very own lost camargue filly that had been stolen from the Hood Ranch seven years ago.

George had all but given up that dream. George, now sixteen, with green eyes, and brown hair missed his little pony. He had named her Misty, and she was a camargue horse. She had a beautiful black coat. When he last saw her she was three years old and had learn to follow a lead and had even learned to tolerate a blanket. She was eight hands high the night the rustlers took her.

George remembered that terrible night. He was sleeping when he heard a scared whinny and a loud backfire of a livestock truck as it sped out of the driveway. George jumped from his bed and hurried to the corral. There he found the gate of the corral unlocked, and swinging back and forth. Then he ran back home worried and with tears in his eyes. He rushed into the house and relayed what he had seen to his parents. They immediately contacted the Newton County Sheriff's Department and Officer Ed James responded. George could not remember much the conversation between his parents, Allen and Marie Hood, and Officer James, but he did remember the serious tone of their voices. The next morning, the four rustlers were caught ninety miles away from the Hoods' ranch. On the radio George over heard the rustlers, and this is what they said, “We let this young colt go because it was kicking the side of our trailer.” All of the horses were recovered except for George's special horse Misty. Although he was thankful for the return of his family's horses, George's heart longed for his filly.

Because of this, George wished that the form he had first seen several years ago in the woods near the lake was his long lost horse. He even remembered calling her name that first time. However, this ghostly horse was not black, but pale gray. The horse was also was sixteen hands high and even with the passage of time, he didn't feel his filly would be that tall or move that gracefully.

"George ... George," his mother called him back from his daydreaming. "We need to get the herd back to the pasture before the end of the day."

She was right. A storm was approaching and the herd would be skittish with the lightning and thunder. George and his family were able to round up the horses before the storm hit. They were herding them to the corral, when a bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree. The horses scattered. George started after them, but his mother called him back because it wasn't safe.

"We'll go after them after the storm clears," said Mr. Hood. "Rats, and after we just got them together," complained George.

George and his parents went back to the ranch house. They had just started eating lunch when, they saw the herd moving toward the corral. There, at the front of the herd was the “ghost horse”. Something caught George’s eye on the horse. He could make out some sort of brand. It was their brand!

“Mom, look at that horse at the front of the herd, it has our brand,” George said with excitement,” And that means it’s Misty!” By that time all the horses were in the corral except Misty. Then at that moment the horse and George met once again.

Back to Magical Mystery Tour Home Page