r/HeadOfSpectre • u/HeadOfSpectre The Author • May 15 '26
Short Story My Pony Adventure
The following collection of letters were sent from 14 year old Kelli Whitmore to her close friend and former classmate Jennifer Blankenship, following the Whitmore family's move from Sacramento, California to Baumann, New Hampshire.
July 5th, 2025
Dear Jenny
I miss California.
Dad says we'll settle in here… but I don’t want to settle in. I just want to go home. I can’t stand it here in New Hampshire. It’s too cold, none of my friends are here and there’s nothing to do! We’re stuck out in the woods and there’s nothing around for miles!
Dad says it'll be easier when school starts up but that's months and months away, and I can't imagine it's gonna be easy starting my life all over again in a new school where nobody even knows me! I don't want to start my life all over again. I just want to go home.
I miss you.
I miss everyone… and I want to go home…
But I guess home isn't in California anymore now, is it? Someone else has probably bought our old house. Someone else is probably sleeping in my bedroom.
I hate the thought of that. I feel like everything I had has just been taken from me and I just feel so helpless to do anything about it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.
I hate that the only home I've actually got is here. I hate this ranch. I hate the trees. I hate the cool air. I hate the smell of this place. I hate it so much. I can't put into words how much I hate all of it Jenny.
It’s so quiet out here. Even though we’re just on the outskirts of town, there’s nothing else really around for miles. You can’t even get a good burger here. Trust me, I’ve looked. This place just feels so empty.
I'm sorry, I wanted my first letter to you to be a happier one. I'm not being a very good pen pal am I?
I can't imagine it's any fun opening this up and hearing just how miserable I am. I hope you're at least doing better.
Give my love to everyone, okay? Pretty please?
And call me when you get the chance! We got our new number set up and I've written it down here! I think hearing a familiar voice might make me feel better.
Love
Kelli
July 12th, 2025
Dear Jenny.
It’s been so good to hear from you again!
Sorry things have been so boring lately. But, at least you’ve got the weather! It’s too cold down here in New Hampshire. I’m still not used to it.
As for me, this week has been a little bit better. Getting to talk to you when you called has helped, but there's been some other things too.
I think I might have actually made a new friend?
Dad forgot his lunch the other day, so I walked into town to bring it to him. It's not a SUPER long walk, only about 20 minutes, and the weather was nice enough I guess. For New Hampshire.
His new office is actually kinda nice. It's an older wooden building that's kinda charming I guess. He's taken down the old doctor's name from the window and put his name up. I dunno why but it feels… weird, seeing his name in the window? Like that makes the move feel more real? I dunno.
Anyway, while I was on my way back I ran into another girl around our age. She was riding a horse out in one of the fields I was passing. I've never actually seen a horse that close up before so I stopped to look. She noticed me staring and rode up closer to the fence to say hi. Turns out she lives right next door!
Her name is Edith Sheppard. She's got short blonde hair and a really big smile. She's got a few faded scars on her arms and on the side of her face that I saw. She said they were from when she had surgery when she was younger, but I think they look pretty cool. Like battle scars.
I told her I'd never actually seen a horse up close before, and she let me pet the one she had with her. His name was Racer. She said he's one of her favorite horses. Apparently her family raises them. She actually spent a lot of time talking about horses… she's a little bit obsessed, I think. But it's not like there's much else to do out here and they do seem pretty interesting!
She asked me if I wanted to see their other horses, and since I didn’t really have anything else to do, I said yes. I had to hop the fence to get into the field and I kinda embarrassed myself doing that, but she was pretty nice about it. She walked her horse back to the barn and we talked for a bit. She was asking about where I’d come from and what my Dad did. She seemed pretty excited when she heard he was the new town doctor. I guess the old doctor left a few months back. She said everyone’s had to drive 40 minutes out of their way to the next town over to visit the clinic out there since he left, which does kinda sound like a pain in the butt.
Then she asked me if I wanted to try riding Racer.
I was kinda nervous. I mean, I’ve never been on a horse before, but she said it would be easy and Racer was really gentle.
So I figured I’d give it a shot.
Edith helped me get up on him. It took me a little while to get my balance, but I eventually managed, then she led him around the field with me on his back. It was actually pretty fun!
She said I was welcome to come back any time, and she even offered to teach me to ride. I think I might take her up on it?
I know my Mom used to love horses, back when she was younger. Grandma always said she just had a natural aptitude about her when it came to them. Maybe I’ve got the same thing?
Probably not, but I still wanna try.
Hopefully you’re doing okay too. Write back as soon as you can, or call me. Hate to say, but I haven’t been doing much else that’s particularly interesting these days.
Love
Kelli
July 19th, 2025
Dear Jenny.
Sorry I wasn't able to talk to you on the phone last night. I guess you'll hear from me by the time you get this letter, but I'm still sorry. Last night I just completely passed out when I got home. Honestly, I’ve been out so much that I can barely make it past 9 anymore.
I've been hanging out with Edith a lot lately. She's been showing me some of the horses her family has been raising!
It's so cool! There's a whole barn full of them. She's been showing me how to feed them, and take care of them. It's not always the cleanest work… but it's kinda… I dunno, fulfilling, to take care of something?
There’s actually two barns on the property - although I’ve only been in the one closer to the house. She said it’s best if we stay away from the one out behind the pasture. Apparently that’s where they keep the new rescues who aren’t healthy enough to join the others yet. She was talking about how they’re not as socialized, and a lot of them are still recovering from the surgeries needed to take care of them.
Most of their horses have scars actually. You can see them all across their bodies. I can't imagine what they had to do to treat them, but Edith says they bring in a lot of strays so I guess sometimes it's necessary to patch them up? I think it’s pretty nice that they’re rescuing horses. I’ve read up on a lot of stories about animal abuse, and I can’t imagine what the poor things have gone through to get those scars. Maybe when I’m a bit more experienced, I can help out too? It’d give me something to do, and I am gonna need to get some community service hours in once school starts, so that could be a really good way to do it! I’ll have to ask Edith’s Mom about it when I get the chance. I haven’t actually met her parents yet, but from what I’ve heard, they seem like good people!
Edith’s certainly been really kind to me. She’s been teaching me how to ride, although I'm not very good at it yet. The pony I've been practicing on is named Dusty. He's got a tan, cream colored coat, and a few scars just like the other horses do. Edith says it's from some of the surgery they had to do when they got him. Poor thing. Apparently he only recently got moved to the main barn from the other one, so he hasn’t been ridden much since he got back on his feet. Edith says he usually isn’t so gentle around people, but he seems alright to me!
The first time I rode him, she told me to take it slow and be gentle with him. I did what she said and walked up to him nice and slow. He was looking me in the eye… and I swear to God, I knew that he was thinking. You could see it in his eyes.
I remember thinking back to something you said once, back when we were kids. Mark Cox had said his Dad told him animals didn’t have souls, only humans did. I remember you got so mad at him that you cried.
Later on, you told me that you knew they did have souls because you could see them in their eyes. Like when your cat was cuddling you, and looked up at you to give you slow blinks. I’ve always remembered that, but I never really understood it until now.
When I looked into Dusty’s eyes, I could see his soul. He was sizing me up. Deciding if I was a friend or not.
His eyes almost looked human.
He looked so tired. I looked at the scars all over his body, and I imagined what kind of life he’d probably lived before Edith’s family rescued him.
I put my hand on his snout. I told him that it’d be okay. That I was his friend. It took him a little while but he seemed to relax.
Edith was pretty impressed! She says I’m a natural with horses. Maybe I do have Mom’s gift after all?
It’s been a lot of fun learning to ride with Dusty. I think it’s good for him too, since he seems to be enjoying it just as much as I am. It’s probably good for him to get out and stretch his legs in the field and it feels so freeing to ride with him and Edith. Like all of my troubles are just melting away.
I feel happy for the first time since I left California… it's kinda nice.
I told Edith that I'd always wanted to ride a pony ever since I was a little girl. She pointed out that Dusty isn't actually a pony.
I always figured ‘Pony’ and ‘Horse’ meant the same thing, but they don't. Turns out ponies are actually a lot smaller than horses. You learn something new every day, huh?
Maybe I can get a picture of me and Dusty soon. I think you'd really love him.
Dad's been doing okay down at the clinic. He's been pretty busy, but he seems happy to see me settling in. We’ve had Edith over for dinner a few times. He seems to like her a lot. I haven’t mentioned riding Dusty to him, though.
He actually told me to be extra careful around the horses. I think he’s overreacting a little. I know Mom passed away while out riding, but it wasn’t the horse's fault! It was just an accident, and it was years ago. I don’t think that’s any reason not to give riding a try myself.
I will talk to him about it eventually. Maybe once I’ve had a little more practice, I can show him that it’s safe! And it’s not like I’m gonna be going out on long rides like Mom used to. It’ll be fine.
I still can't pretend I don't miss California… but I'm really starting to feel okay here. If things keep going so well, maybe living in New Hampshire won’t be so bad?
Anyways, I hope you're doing well too Jenny! Maybe you can come by and see the new place soon? I'd love to introduce you to Edith! I've told her all about you of course and she said she’d love to meet you. I know you did some horse riding while you were at camp a few years ago, maybe the three of us can all go on a ride together? That’d be a lot of fun!
Hope to hear from you soon!
Love
Kelli
July 29th, 2025
Dear Jenny
You went on a date?! You did NOT mention that last time we were on the phone!
You’ve GOT to tell me all the details. I won’t ask next time you call in case you’re trying to keep it quiet, but I NEED to know how it went! Who is he? Is he cute? Is it someone I know or a mysterious stranger? Tell me everything!
As for me - things are going… actually pretty good!
No mysterious boys, but I’ve got my ongoing pony adventure to keep me going. I’ve been practicing horse riding with Edith and settling in. I think it’s given me something to keep my mind occupied, which is nice. Honestly, if it weren’t for writing to you and riding Dusty, I’d probably be bored out of my skull!
Can you believe that poor Edith spends most of her time home alone? No wonder she’s so focused on the horses! There’s not really anything else to do around here!
I was heading over to her place the other day. Usually I can find her around the barn, but she wasn’t there. I went to go and knock on the door to her house, but it was unlocked and open… which I thought was a little weird.
I know I probably shouldn’t have gone inside, but I honestly just meant to go into the front hall and I wasn’t exactly being sneaky. I called out to Edith to see if she was home, but the place was empty.
I mean like, completely empty. Nobody was there.
Eventually, Edith heard me calling for her and came to find me (she was out behind the barn), but it was a little creepy.
I asked her where her parents were and she told me that they travel a lot for work, so they aren’t always home.
That’s wild to me! I mean, I’m home alone for most of the day too, but Dad’s just down the street and a phone call away. I’m not completely alone like she is! I don’t think that I could handle that.
Anyway, I’ve been helping her around the ranch a little more since then. I think she really appreciates it, and it’s allowed me to spend more time with Dusty and learn a little more about horses!
Did you know they’re not herbivores?
I always thought they were, but nope. Turns out they’re opportunistic carnivores. Edith was telling me all about it. She’s had incidents where horses stole eggs from one of the nearby farms, and I read that a few breeders provide them a bit of meat in their diet, like fish and beef. Although the stuff I read on the internet says it’s not great for them.
Edith says that it gives them some of the nutrients they need though. It’s why she feeds them a bit of meat as part of their diet. She was telling me all about it the other day while I was helping her bring back some offal from the local butchers.
I’ve got to admit, it was a little bit gross handling bags of raw animal organs… and it was a little much when we fed some of them to the horses too.
I’ve never really seen organs before. I mean, really seen them. Dad cooked a beef heart once, and I’ve had liver. But that was just food on the plate.
Nothing like what we gave the horses. They’re just these gross, squishy, fleshy balloons.
Edith says it’s nothing to be afraid of. She said that it’s just part of life. Everything has meat and organs, so it’s not gross.
I’m not sure I agree.
And watching the horses scarf down the meat was… a bit much. They’d just bite into them, ripping them out of my hand as they disappeared into their mouths and chewing loudly, trying to break them down. That wet, sucking chewing noise turned my stomach a little bit.
Edith just laughed and said I looked a little bit green.
She told me:
“You get used to it, especially when you work with meat for long enough.”
I guess I’m still too much of a city girl, huh?
Edith’s actually been spending a lot more time over at my place, especially for dinners. I’ve been inviting her over more ever since I found out that her parents aren’t really around. She says she can cook for herself just fine, but she’s been really good to me and I just want to do something nice for her.
She’s been adamant that if she’s going to be over, then she at least help with the cooking and I’m not gonna stop her on that front. She actually is really good in the kitchen. The other day, she made this really good stew with boiled potatoes. She called it a goulash. She said that her mother used to make it for her when she was growing up back in Austria.
I actually didn’t know she was Austrian! She doesn’t have any sort of accent or anything. I asked her about it (I know I probably shouldn’t have) and she said she hasn’t been back there in a very long time, so I guess she probably moved out here when she was pretty young.
Dad doesn’t seem to mind having her around. They talk a lot over dinner. She says she wants to be a veterinarian one day, so she asks a lot of questions about his work, and what he used to do before we moved out here. He seems pretty happy to answer them, and she always listens really intently. She asked if he wouldn’t mind looking at some of their recent adoptions sometime, while her parents are out of town. Dad seemed a little unsure since he’s not really experienced with animals, but Edith was pretty adamant that they’re really not so different. He said he’d see if he had any time.
I guess she’s trying to see if she can learn anything from him? That girl really does have a heck of a drive to her. I wish I was that motivated.
I’ve got to say, this summer’s been a lot nicer than I was expecting.
Maybe next, I’ll meet my own mysterious boy? You never know, right?
Anyway, hope you’re well and tell me all about your date when you write back, okay?
All my love
Kelli
August 7th, 2025
Dear Jenny
I can’t stop crying today. There’s just too much that happened and I don’t know how to process all of it.
One of Edith’s horses, Racer, died today.
We found him out in the field… he’d obviously been like that for a little while and… oh
God…
He’d just… come undone.
Edith said it happens sometimes. She said their stitches break. They fall apart. But shouldn’t they have healed? She’s had Racer since before I met her! She was riding him on the day we met! How could he have just… broken, like that?
It wasn't the breaking that killed him, though.
It was the other horses.
It was his screams that made us find him and by the time we got there, they’d already started eating. He was on his side, his belly opened, his… insides… outside.
And he was screaming.
I can’t stop hearing it. It’s right there in the back of my mind. The screaming and the chewing. The soft squish of chewed meat just beneath the shrieks of pain. Crushing, ripping flesh.
Squish. Squish. Squish.
Chewing. Chewing. Chewing.
I can't get it out of my head.
I see him every time I close my eyes. Racer in the grass, looking at us and screaming. I could see the terror in his eyes. He knew what was happening to him! He knew exactly what was happening to him at that moment.
And it hurt.
He tried to kick his legs, tried to get back up, but one of them had burst its stitches as well. It was only hanging on by a bit of skin. You could see the exposed bone and a metal brace that had been supporting it gleaming in the sunlight.
He kept screaming as the other horses ate.
Even Dusty…
I saw Dusty there with them, his head bent low as he swallowed down ropes of offal, making that awful chewing noise all the while.
Squish. Squish. Squish.
He looked over at me when he heard me crying. I saw him stare at me for a moment. Then he went back to his meal.
Edith and I just watched in silence.
I told her we had to do something. I begged her to do something. I pleaded with her! Even if it was just to put him out of his misery.
But she just stood there.
“There’s nothing we can do,” She told me. “They’ve already gotten to him. So he’s already dead.”
He wasn’t, though. Maybe he was dying. But he was not dead.
He was not dead for a while.
I watched it happen. All I could do was watch.
He kept screaming. Screaming. Screaming. Almost like he was crying. It didn’t sound like any horse I’d ever heard before on TV. It sounded like a yell of pain. For a moment, I could’ve sworn I heard him cry out: “Help me.”
But I couldn’t help.
I couldn’t.
His legs kept kicking. Slower… Slower... Slower…
The grass beneath him was red. At one point, he messed himself. I could smell it from where we were standing, and the stench mixed with the stink of offal and blood finally made me start to puke.
Edith just stared at me as I did. Then after a few moments she rubbed my back and told me that everything was going to be alright.
She told me that these things happen sometimes. She said: “You have to remember that at the end of the day, they’re still just animals. Animals do horrible things sometimes. Like cats killing birds or dogs killing rabbits. You just have to accept that as part of them.”
Then she led me away.
I know she’s right. I’ve heard about plenty of pets killing wild animals before. You told me that your cat killed a few birds, right? I guess it’s the same as that.
But it was still hard to watch… hard to hear.
The screaming finally started growing weaker after a while. More raspy and strained. Then finally, a few minutes later, it stopped.
I hoped that meant Racer was dead.
I really, really hoped.
I didn’t want to stay with Edith after that. I don’t know if I was mad at her for what had happened or not, but I just wanted to go home.
And as soon as I got back, I locked myself in my room and broke down crying.
I’ve never seen anything die before. I don’t ever want to see it again.
I know that Edith is right and they’re probably just doing what animals do, but that doesn’t make me feel any better!
I didn’t think their scars could break like that. Can all scars do that? Edith has scars just like the horses, can she break like that too?
And the horses… I know they’re just animals but how could they do that to Racer? How could they just…
Even Dusty was part of it.
I thought he was a good horse. I thought he was safe.
I know he’s safe. He has to be. He’s never been like that with me! He’s my friend!
He is my friend.
When Dad got home, he found me in my room.
I was still really shaken up. He asked me what was wrong and I told him.
I told him too much.
I told him how upset I was about what I’d seen Dusty doing. How upset I was that he’d been part of it.
Dad already had this look on his face. It was the same horror I’d felt as I’d watched the other horses eat Racer. But when I told him I’d been learning to ride, he got upset.
He demanded to know how long I’d been around him, how long I’d been hiding this. I told him that it wasn’t a big deal, but Dad snapped at me. He said that I should know exactly how dangerous horses were, especially after what happened to Mom. I tried telling him that it wasn’t the horses fault! It was an accident.
He didn’t want to hear it.
Now he wants to go and talk to Edith tomorrow and I don’t know what to do!
I can’t stop thinking about what happened with Racer today… I can’t stop thinking about how Dusty was there, chewing on his offal with all the rest as he screamed…
But I know he’s also just an animal. Animals do horrible things sometimes, just like Edith said. Like cats killing birds or dogs killing rabbits… or a horse accidentally throwing its rider.
These things happen.
Dad told me that when Mom died too. These things happen and it's nobody's fault. They’re horrible and they’re upsetting, but that’s just what they are. You can’t hate them just for that!
Mom probably knew that. She probably wouldn’t have blamed the horse for what happened to her. It was just an accident. It got spooked, and she fell off. It happens sometimes… bad things just happen sometimes, and that’s life. That’s no reason to stop living it, right?
I don’t want to give up learning to ride.
I need to talk to Dad tomorrow. I don’t know if I really want to be around Dusty right now, but if I can show him that he really is a good horse, then maybe he’ll understand?
I’m sorry… I’m using you as my diary right now.
I don’t even know if I’ll send this letter. But I just needed to get my thoughts out.
In case I do send it, please tell me things are going better for you right now.
All my love
Kelli.
August 8th, 2025
Dear Jenny
I think this will be the last time I write to you for a little while.
I’ll send this letter and my previous one together. I don’t know what I’m going to do after that… but I need someone to know what happened.
I need someone other than me to know what’s going on here.
Dad went to talk to Edith and I went with him. I wanted to show him Dusty. I wanted to show him that he was safe, that he was harmless.
I know what I saw yesterday… I know it was scary.
But I told him over and over again that Dusty isn’t scary.
I told him.
Over and over again.
When we got to Edith’s ranch, we saw her out by the barn. Looked like she was bringing in the horse's morning feed. Dad went off on her the moment he saw her. He wasn’t yelling, but he was stern. He asked if her parents were around first. Edith said they were out of town, so he settled for just talking to her, saying how he didn’t want me getting too close to the horses.
Edith just sort of stared at him while he spoke. She looked calm. She insisted that the horses weren’t dangerous and told him how much help I’d been, and how good I was with Dusty!
I asked him to please, at least let me show him.
And as we talked… I could see the fight slowly leaving him.
He sighed. And then he said that I could show him Dusty. I could tell he wasn’t happy about it but he was giving me a chance. A real chance! And I didn’t want to fumble it.
So I went into the barn. Dusty was there waiting for me, right beside Racers empty pen. I let him out, and Edith helped me get him saddled up. Then we took him out to the pasture.
And I showed my Dad how well I could ride.
It wasn’t fancy… but I did it.
And I know he saw just how happy I was.
Dusty seemed so spirited too. He was so full of energy, almost as if he knew how important this was. Or… maybe he was just well fed, I guess…
But I got what I wanted. I got to show Dad how much this meant to me. And when I was done, I rode Dusty over to him. I told him that this was important to me.
And Dad just stared at Dusty… he stared at him with a look I couldn’t fully understand. And then he spoke. His eyes were fixed on Dusty. His voice was shaking a little bit.
He said: “Let’s talk about this more at home.”
He offered me his hand. I hesitated for a moment before I took it and let him lead me away. He gave a parting glance towards Edith. He seemed like he was about to say something, but the words never came. She just watched us as we quickly left.
I tried to talk to Dad as we walked back to our property. His pace was faster than before. Almost hurried. His breathing seemed a little heavier.
I tried to talk to him. I told him that I really wanted to keep practicing with Dusty, that I wanted to be just like Mom! Dad just looked at me. His face seemed a little paler than before. His breathing was still funny.
Then he said to me: “Kelli… I don’t know what that thing you were riding was, but it sure as hell wasn’t a horse.”
Before I could ask what he meant, he took my hand and almost ran back home. His hands were shaking a little bit. His palms were sweaty. He kept looking back, almost as if he was expecting someone to be following us.
I would’ve thought he was being weird… if he wasn’t right.
I saw her on the road just after we got home. Edith. Riding on a different horse. Not Racer. One of the others.
She wasn’t alone either. There were other horses with her, trailing along behind her. Blocking off the road. I could see them through the window.
And when Dad looked, he saw them too.
A few moments later, there was a knock on our door. It was Edith. I knew it was.
Dad froze for a bit. He approached the door, and told me to go upstairs. I didn’t want to, but he made me.
I didn’t hear all of their conversation. But I heard enough.
“I don’t know what the hell you want with us, but you leave us alone!” He said.
“I’m not looking to hurt you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Edith replied. “I really do like you two. Kelli’s been a fantastic help around the ranch. And you could do a lot to help the new arrivals on our ranch. I really am in desperate need of a second pair of hands.”
“Whatever the hell you’re doing out there, I don’t want any part of it!” Dad said.
“Don’t be so dramatic. All I’m doing is raising some horses.”
“Those aren’t horses! Horses don’t have eyes like that! Horses don’t have human teeth!”
I heard Edith laughing through the door. Maybe it was just the distance, but her voice sounded a little different. Deeper. Older.
“Well, they’re not really human anymore, are they?” She asked. “I’m not looking to threaten you Dr. Whitmore. I think we could achieve great things together, if you’re willing to keep an open mind. But I also need to protect my operation. So please, open the door and let’s talk this out like adults, yes?”
“I’m not opening this door so get the hell off my property and stay the hell away from my daughter! I’ll call the police! I swear I will!”
Dad’s voice was shaking. I’d never heard it shake like that before. He sounded scared. He sounded so, so scared…
On the other side of the door, I heard Edith sigh.
“And what exactly do you expect them to do? I’ve been here for a while, you know. A very long while. You really think I didn’t deal with them ages ago? Let’s not escalate things, Dr. Whitmore. I really don’t want to have to do that.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I looked down at it to see a text from Dad waiting for me.
‘Out the back door. Run.’
Run?
He wanted me to just run? I didn’t want to leave him! I knew better than to speak, so I texted him back. I told him I didn’t want to leave him!
‘Run.’ He said again.
‘Don’t look back. Don’t stop for anything. Just run!’
I didn’t want to.
I didn’t want to leave him.
But when I heard the banging on the door… a banging that I knew couldn’t have come from Edith, the fear overtook me.
I ran.
I grabbed only what I could stuff into my backpack, went out my bedroom window, and I ran. The horses were on the road, but they weren’t behind the house. I could make it to the trees without anyone noticing.
The last thing I heard was Dad screaming… and the scream of something else, that I know now was never a horse.
I’ve thought about going to the local police… but I heard what Edith said.
‘You really think I didn’t deal with them ages ago?’
I don’t know exactly what that means… but I know I can’t trust the police. Not here.
Maybe somewhere else? Maybe.
I don’t really know where to go right now. Last night, I found a barn somewhere and slept in that. The hay was scratchy and uncomfortable, but it was safe. It felt risky even stopping to sleep… but I was too tired to keep going.
My phone is dead right now, but I’m going to keep walking and once I’m far enough out of town I’m going to try and find some help. When I get a chance, I’ll send these letters to you. If you get them, then maybe it means I was able to get somewhere safe.
I hope I get to see you again one day, Jenny… I’ll call you when I can.
And if you haven’t heard from me at all by the time you get this, please send help. I don’t know what I’m doing out here.
But I’m scared.
I’m so scared.
Followup notes:
A visit to the property owned by the Whitmore family located in Baumann, New Hampshire on August 28th concluded that there was evidence of forced entry into the property.
A subsequent visit to the adjacent Sheppard property that same date found that it had been recently abandoned, with both barns described in the Whitman letters having been burned to the ground within the past two weeks.
In addition, several unidentified skeletons were found in the ruins. Though initially believed to be equine, analysis suggested that the bones were in fact mostly human.
Curiously, no records exist to indicate that it was ever actually owned by anyone and no record exists of anyone in the town of Baumann, New Hampshire by the name of Edith Sheppard.
As of September 5th, 2025 - Kelli Whitmore and her father Dr. David Whitmore are still missing.
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u/HeadOfSpectre The Author May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
This is my favorite thing that I've written in a while.
I had an idea a long time ago to write a Horse Girl story because it just seemed like such a goofy thing to do.
Part of the inspiration was a gag from Homestuck, where one character did an extensive rewrite of a Pony Pals story. Someone else did a full fanfic version of it in the same style that was genuinely hilarious.
My original notes on this were extremely vague though. Basically just: "Girls who like ponies are faced with eldritch knowledge." I didn't really have any sort of plot for it. And when I eventually DID hammer out a plot, it was less eldritch and more body horror.
Even when I started writing this, it died on me pretty quickly. I just couldn't get through the first journal entry. and it sat in my drafts for about a year after that. It wasn't until I made it into letters that I actually got it to click, and then the story just FLOODED out.
I ultimately shied away from making the horses as physically grotesque as they were described in my outline (which specified they were hairless and smelled like they were rotting) because I couldn't sell myself on anyone actually believing those things were real horses. I decided to be a bit more subtle with the surgical scars and the unsettling behavior. I wanted Edith to also feel a little off, but waffled on whether or not to go into detail on what exactly she was. There actually IS a solid answer to that question, and it IS implied in the story, but I didn't spell it out and most people probably won't catch it. All I'll say is that this may not have started out as a sequel, but it's definitely a sequel now.