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It seemed once Bourbon got started, he couldn’t stop. Once out of the equestrian center, he galloped home, a terrified Flora clinging to the reins. “Slow down, you beast!” She yelled. He whinnied, ignoring his rider. This race home would become routine over the following weeks, and would increase in speed as Flora and Bourbon climbed the ranks of the Hidden Springs equestrian scene.
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Whenever Flora rode him, Bourbon would go no faster than a mild trot. At the stables, though, he let loose. The stallion had a knack for racing. It seemed the only thinking holding him back was his rider. Flora knitted her brow as she watched him. She’d heard gossip at the stables about the money a good jockey could make. She didn’t know much about riding, but she was light, determined, and unemployed--a triple threat.
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Flora had gone horse riding before, back in Aurora Skies. For much of her freshman and sophomore years, she would spend her weekly allowance at the stables, where it cost §10 to ride one of the stable’s weary horses, and §2 for a bottle of water after. That experience left Flora with a highly inflated sense of horsewomanship prior to this day. In truth, she barely remembered how to mount a horse. As soon as she was settled in the seat, Bourbon began to trot. Flora’s stomach sank. Suddenly it occurred to her how much could go wrong: she could fall and hit her head. Bourbon could stumble on a slope and break a leg. She could default on her mortgage and be foreclosed upon. After all, she had no job, no high school diploma, and no plan beyond the next day.
Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Out with worry, in with focusing on not breaking her neck.
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“Are you ready?” Flora asked. Bourbon snorted in response. It was the night of the Hidden Springs Racing Cup. One of the trainers at the stable suggested it, as it was considered one of the easier cups in Simnation racing. With a deep breath, she steered Bourbon into the equestrian center. They came in fourth place. Not great, but enough for a couple hundred simoleons.
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Flora couldn’t believe her luck. She had expected--like most sims in her generation--to rent forever. So when the opportunity arose to buy a home on the cheap in the mountains of Hidden Springs, she jumped at it. It had wiped out the entirety of her savings, but she could proudly say she was a homeowner at the age of 18. The house was rickety, as was the dust-ridden barn. The fireplace didn’t seem to work properly, and there was--at the moment of purchase--no stove. But it did come with, of all things, a horse.
The owner had died shortly after purchasing the horse, an appaloosa named Bourbon. The realtor had promised Flora he’d be gone before move-in. Flora instead included the horse in her negotiations. She wasn’t used to living alone, after all, so a built in room mate--even one that didn’t pay rent--was welcome.
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