It was an ordinary summer day. The heat wrapped around the street, and the air shimmered over the scorching asphalt. The owner of a small household goods store stood behind the counter, counting the day’s earnings. Suddenly, the silence was broken by a strange crash.
— What the hell?.. — he muttered, turning toward the sound.
With a dull thud, a horse appeared on the sidewalk in front of the store. It seemed to come out of nowhere. Its mane flew in the air, eyes wide with wild fear. Without hesitation, the horse reared up and, with a desperate whinny, began striking its front hooves against the glass storefront.
BANG!
A huge crack spread across the glass.
BANG!
The glass shattered, falling into thousands of shards that scattered across the floor, glinting in the sunlight. The horse neighed louder and louder, its nostrils flaring, its eyes wild and frantic.
— What are you doing?! — the store owner shouted, rushing toward the door.
But as if realizing the barrier was gone, the horse suddenly turned and bolted, leaving behind only hoofprints on the pavement and chaos inside the store.
The owner didn’t hesitate — he ran after her, boiling with anger.
— Stop! Stop, you crazy beast! — he shouted, darting between cars and pedestrians. — I’ll find your owner — they’ll pay for everything!
The horse weaved down the street, letting out long, worried neighs. And then, suddenly, she stopped.
The store owner, out of breath, caught up — and froze at what he saw.
On the roadside, under the shade of a tree, lay a small foal. Its tiny body barely moved, its breathing shallow, and its eyes full of pain and fear.
There were scrapes and blood on its sides. Everything pointed to one thing: the foal had been hit by a car, which had fled the scene, leaving the poor creature to die.
The man felt his heart tighten. The horse — the mother — turned to him and snorted softly, almost as if begging.
— I’m sorry… — he whispered, a lump rising in his throat. — You… you were just crying for help…
Without thinking for another moment, he ran over, gently lifted the foal into his arms — like a child — and hurried to his car. The horse ran beside him, breathing heavily, afraid to leave her baby’s side.
At the veterinary clinic, everything blurred together — flashes of light, the smell of medicine, tense doctors’ faces.
Hours passed before the vet finally emerged from the operating room.
— He’s lucky, — the vet said. — A little later, and we would’ve lost him. But he’s going to live.
The store owner sighed with relief and looked out the window. The horse, exhausted and trembling, had finally lain down in the grass near the clinic, her eyes never leaving the door.
The shop owner replaced the broken glass — and next to it, he hung a photograph of the foal and his mother. Everyone who walked into the shop read the words beneath it:
“Sometimes, even the most desperate actions are done in the name of love.”
