Contents

MEGAN

GOES RIDING

OWEN JONES

DEDICATION

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

1 MEGAN GETS A CALL

2 ORCHARD FARM

3 A WORTHWHILE HOBBY OR NOT?

4 THE SECOND LESSON

5 WACINHINSHA

GLOSSARY

THE DISALLOWED

MEGAN

GOES RIDING

A Spirit Guide, A Ghost Tiger, and One Scary Mother!

by

OWEN JONES

Copyright © 2023 Owen Jones

Megan Goes Riding

by Owen Jones

Published by

Megan Publishing Services

https://meganthemisconception.com

Volume 19 of 24

The right of Owen Jones to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. The moral right of the author has been asserted.

In this work of fiction, the characters, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or they are used entirely fictitiously.

∞ ∞ ∞

All rights reserved.

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Other novelettes in the same series:

The Psychic Megan Series

A Spirit Guide, A Ghost Tiger and One Scary Mother!

The Misconception

Megan’s Thirteenth

Megan’s School Trip

Megan’s School Exams

Megan’s Followers

Megan and the Lost Cat

Megan and the Mayoress

Megan Faces Derision

Megan’s Grandparents Visit

Megan’s Father Falls Ill

Megan Goes on Holiday

Megan and the Burglar

Megan and the Cyclist

Megan and the Old Lady

Megan’s Garden

Megan Goes To the Zoo

Megan Goes Hiking

Megan and the W. I. Cookery Competition

Megan Goes Riding

Megan and the Radio 1 Beach Party

Megan Goes Yachting

Megan at Carnival

Megan at Christmas

Megan Catches Covid-19

DEDICATION

This edition is dedicated to my wife, Pranom Jones, for making my life as easy as she can. She does a great job of it.

Karma will repay everyone in just kind.

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES

Believe not in anything simply because you have heard it,

Believe not in anything simply because it was spoken and rumoured by many,

Believe not in anything simply because it was found written in your religious texts,

Believe not in anything merely on the authority of teachers and elders,

Believe not in traditions because they have been handed down for generations,

But after observation and analysis, if anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, accept it and live up to it.

Gautama Buddha

∞ ∞ ∞

Great Spirit, whose voice is on the wind, hear me.

Let me grow in strength and knowledge.

Make me ever behold the red and purple sunset.

May my hands respect the things you have given me.

Teach me the secrets hidden under every leaf and stone, as you have taught people for ages past.

Let me use my strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy – myself.

Let me always come before you with clean hands and an open heart, that as my Earthly span fades like the sunset, my Spirit shall return to you without shame.

(Based on a traditional Sioux prayer)

CONTENTS

1 Megan Gets A Call

2 Orchard Farm

3 A Worthwhile Hobby or Not?

4 The Second Lesson

5 Wacinhinsha

Glossary

The Disallowed

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

My thanks to the artist who did the cover for me,
Jacqueline Chavarria.

1 MEGAN GETS A CALL

One afternoon while Megan was sunbathing in the garden reading a book on Welsh mythology, Jane, her best friend, called.

“Megan, do you remember Will, the cyclist we rescued?”

“Yes, of course I do, I’m not senile yet, it wasn’t that long ago. Why?”

“I just had a phone call from him. He said that his ankle was perfectly healed now and that he needed to exercise it more.

“His physiotherapist suggested some gentle horse riding, when she heard that his father had horses and he remembered his promise to us. What do you think?”

“What do you mean, think about what?”

“You can be dense sometimes, can’t you? Do you think that that means he fancies me?”

“Will’s father promised us some horse riding for helping his son, and now that he is well, he is offering to fulfil that promise. That’s all I know.”

“So why didn’t he phone you instead of me? Answer me that.”

“I don’t know, perhaps he does fancy you, or perhaps he couldn’t remember my name, or perhaps he was looking through his phone directory and found your name first. ‘J’ does come before ‘M’ after all.”

“You can be such a wet blanket too! I think he fancies me rotten. Anyway, I’m working on that assumption, so will you be going as well?”

“Was I invited and do you want me to go with you?”

“Yes, of course you were invited as well, and I would prefer that you went too… at least the first time. We’ll see how it works out after that. Maybe you could get sick after the first time and I’ll have to go alone.”

“I would like to go riding, Jane, but just for the experience, I have no intentions on Will, or anyone else for that matter.”

“No, neither have I, but it is interesting to know if someone likes you, isn’t it?”

“Yes, OK, I’ll give you that. It can be interesting. Do you have any more details?”

“Like what?”

“Well, like, when for a start, but also what sort of gear, er, clothing will we need?”

“No, I forgot to ask about those things. They’re just details anyway. The important fact is that he didn’t forget us. Don’t worry about things like that now. If we’re going, I’ll ring and ask him. So, are we on?”

“Sure, whenever you like. If you arrange it, I’ll be there too.”

“Thanks, pal. I knew you wouldn’t let me down.”

“Mmm, just now I was a ‘dense, wet blanket’, but I’ll always be there for you, if possible.”

“And I’ll always be there for you too. I’ll phone him now and get back to you very soon. See you, Megs.”

“Bye.”

Twenty minutes later, she received a text, I’ll see you in your garden in three, open the lane door’.

Megan got up and unbolted it before returning to her blanket on the grass. Two minutes later, Jane was standing over her stripping to her bikini.

“Move over. Hot, isn’t it? What’s that you’re reading?”

Megan showed her the cover.

“The what? Mabinogi?”

“Mabinogi - it’s an old collection of even older Welsh fairy stories. Haven’t you ever heard of it? It’s a big part of Wales’ cultural history.”

“No, I’m sorry, but, I’m not into history. I don’t mind fairy tales though. Can I borrow it after you? What’s the big interest anyway?”

“Oh, it’s a long story. Mrs. Temchenko told me she had read Celtic mythology when she first came here, and I was setting up this garden at the time and wanted to see the fairies that were working here.”

“Have you ever seen any yet?”

“It’s not that simple. Fairies are just ghosts, or what most people would call ghosts, anyway… but no. I’ve never seen anyone tending my garden that isn’t ‘alive’. What’s the news anyway?”

“Oh, yes, right… Well, we’re all set for two tomorrow afternoon. Will said ‘wear boots if you have them, otherwise strong shoes and a cycling helmet’, so, we’re all right there. He said we didn’t need jodhpurs, jeans would be fine. I’m really looking forward to it, aren’t you?”

“Yes, it’ll be fun. Do you know anything about horses, Jane?”

“They’ve got four legs and cowboys rode them.”

“Ride them. That’s about all I know too, but there are still cowboys. They haven’t become extinct… and did you know that there were probably Welsh cowboys before America was even discovered? They were called drovers over here though. Driving the herd to market, and I don’t mean by truck, was the only way of getting them there. They had to walk, until the railways were invented 150 years ago.”

“I’d never thought about it, but I guess so. I wonder why they don’t teach things like that at school?”

“They probably do, if you stay there long enough.”

“I suppose you’ll swot up on horses and riding before tomorrow, knowing you.”

“Probably… I like to learn… there’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”

“No, I guess not, but it is weird though… unusual, more than weird, I suppose. Most people wouldn’t be bothered, they’d wait to be taught… and, and, I don’t know, just enjoy themselves in the meantime, whereas you can’t wait to get in there and get a head start. It’s a good thing really, I suppose, but it’s still unusual. Don’t you ever just want to say ‘Stuff it! I’m going to have some fun’?”

“Yes, but I do have fun learning about things first, then I enjoy doing them more. I don’t like not knowing anything about something that I’m trying to do.”

“Yes, but you’re happy to learn it from a computer, whereas I’m looking forward to Will teaching me. I don’t want to spend time reading about it, when I can be doing this - soaking up the rays - and have Will teach me tomorrow. I like the ‘hands on’ approach.”

“You do try to be shocking, don’t you?”

“What’s wrong with liking boys? We wouldn’t be here if our mothers hadn’t liked boys.”

“You’re doing it again!”

“Doing what?”

“Trying to be shocking.”

“I am shocking you as well, aren’t I? Go on, admit it.”

“Yes, you are, much as I don’t like to admit it… and you’re right about our mothers, but please, don’t ever let mine hear you say it.”

“Sorry, Megs, but your mother is weird, not just unusual. She’d have you believe that babies are found under gooseberry bushes and that sex is a dirty word. Procreation is not dirty. It couldn’t be, nothing would exist without it.”

“I know you’re right, but… I don’t know, my parents don’t want to know…”

“They did at one time, you can trust me on that one.”

Megan smiled but had to look away after a second or two.

“You’ve never, er, done anything with a boy, have you, Jane?”

“No, I’m still too scared for that, but it doesn’t stop me thinking though… and looking on the Internet too… sometimes. I think my mother knows I do it, she caught me once, but she never mentioned it. I think she’d rather I found out for myself than tell me. She and I are probably a lot alike… we like to behave provocatively, but we’re pretty shy inside. It’s just a mask, but I do like to see people’s reactions as well. Especially your mother’s! She a source of no end of fun.”

“She’s still my mother though, Jane.”

“Yes, I know, sorry, Megs, but she is… well… weird, isn’t she?”

“Not, to me, no… she’s the only mother I’ve ever known. She has her problems like everyone else… she scared.”

“About what?”

“Just about everything… she’s scared about me seeing ghosts, she’s scared about me and boys… She’s scared of the responsibility of being my mother, I think. It’s all too much for her. But she does try really hard to do the right thing, she just worries too much, that’s all. She’s still a good person. Even when she has been the most horrible to me, I know that she thinks she’s doing the right thing. She’s not doing it out of spite… It’s difficult for her… and those who know her. She used to lock me in the coal cellar even up until last year. I’ve never told anyone that except you and you can’t tell anyone either. Promise me that, please, Jane.”

“I promise. You did mention it once before, when we went cycling, I think, but I wasn’t sure what you meant and didn’t like to ask. She actually locked you in the cellar because of what you believe? Wow! Your own mother.”

“She thought she was doing God’s work, helping me… showing me the error of my ways. She did bad things, but for good reasons. It makes it hard to criticise her…”

“Yes, for you, but not for me. There is no excuse for locking someone in a dark cellar, especially a child. You were only twelve.”

“I know what you’re saying, but she is my mother, and I can see why she does things. When you have that knowledge, it changes the rules of the game. Before, I didn’t know that not everyone could ‘see’… I thought everyone was like me. Mam taught me that that is not so. I can be grateful for that, even though her methods were extreme. I still gained from the experience, didn’t I? I didn’t enjoy it at the time, but I still profited from it.”

“It was a high price to pay, in my opinion.”

“Yes, I understand what you’re saying… it took me a while to be able to see it like this as well… but, in the long run, how else can you look at it. I don’t want to hate my mother… and I know why she did it… Most people wouldn’t know, would they?”

“No, but it is still very generous of you, Megan.”

“Thank you, but it’s not how I see it.”

“No, but you are too soft sometimes, Megs.”

“Perhaps, but being able to see what people are experiencing changes things… I don’t know how to put it any better than that, sorry. It’s like stealing sweets from a baby, as they say… but it’s not an unfair advantage, because everyone can do it if they try. I don’t know how long it takes, but I gather that everyone starts from scratch and that it takes lifetimes of practice. You have to work at it, but it’s not a race… you can take as long as you like. Literally, because there is no time, time is a concept invented to regulate society… Spirit doesn’t need time. Everyone is somewhere on the same path… I seem to want to get wherever we’re going quickly, others seem to prefer to admire the scenery along the way. I don’t know, I don’t remember making that decision, as I’m sure most people don’t… that’s it, I’m afraid. No black and white answers, everyone on Earth is here to learn. None of us here knows it all yet.

“Do you still want to find out more, Jane?”

“I think so. I did get the impression that it was more fun than that though. I thought it would be a laugh to see what people really thought about me, you know, if they fancied me… and I want to see Grrr.”

“Yes, there are fun aspects to it, but it goes deeper than that… with me anyway. Perhaps there are others who can see and use the knowledge solely for their own advantage… I don’t know… in fact, I don’t know anyone who talks about what I can do. I know that there must me millions like me, but I just don’t know any of them… I went to a Spiritualist Church once, the one on Butrill’s Road, and there seemed to be some very knowledgeable people there, especially a Mr. Colin Thomas, but I haven’t been back in case I upset Mam.”

“It’s a lot deeper than I thought it was, for sure, but I still want to see Grrr and I’ll think about the rest… but, if you do go to that church again, let me know, I might come with you.”

“It would be really nice to have someone, my best friend, to go with. I’ll definitely sort something out there. Thanks, Jane, you don’t know how much that helps me.”

“My pleasure, I’m sure.”

2 ORCHARD FARM

The girls ate an early lunch at midday and set off for Orchard Farm, the James’ home at twelve thirty, which gave them plenty of time to cycle the four or five miles out there. They had been there before, so knew the way down the Five Mile Lane and into the village of Shepton

The weather was glorious, so both girls enjoyed the cycle ride a great deal. They arrived punctually at two, as arranged. Will was doing a bit of tidying up in the front yard while he waited for them.

“Come on in,” he said holding the large wooden swing gate open for them. “You can put your bikes over there against the wall. Did you have a pleasant journey? You didn’t have to rescue any poor souls today, did you?”

“Not today,” replied Jane, hurrying over to shake his hand. Megan felt that it was only polite to follow her friend’s lead.

“How’s your ankle today, Will? I’m glad to hear that it’s almost better.”

“Thank you, Megan. Yes, it’s almost as good as new… It’s just a bit stiff, that’s all, which is why my physio recommended some exercise. Follow me, both of you. We’ll have some lemonade and a chat around the back first.”

They walked past the stables, saw the four horses with their heads in their stall doorways as they passed and sat at the table they had used before.

“OK, first something to drink. I’m sure you could do with a cold drink after your journey. Excuse me a minute, I’ll have to phone my Mum. I don’t like doing this to her, but I don’t know where she is and this is a big place. She could be anywhere… Hello, Mum! Yes, Jane and Megan have arrived, we’re out the back… Do you want me to get the drinks? OK… OK. Yes.

“She said to wait, she’ll be about ten minutes. So, what have you been up to since we last met, Megan? I speak to Jane now and again, but how about you?”

“Oh, I don’t do much without Jane, I lead a pretty quiet life. I go to swimming club on Saturday mornings and I also help out Mrs. Williams of the S.O.S. Green Party with articles on the problems faced by the local youth, but it’s all pretty low-key stuff really.”

“I think you’re being too modest. I’ve seen some of your pieces in the local paper from time to time and last week you were in there again for winning the W.I. Cookery Competition. My Mum’s in that and she pointed you out to me. Well done.”

“Thanks, but it was only the junior section and only six others entered that category. My Mam and Nain helped a lot as well.

“It was far more interesting when Jane and I went hiking in West Wales a few weeks or so before that. Haven’t you told Will about that yet, Jane?” she asked in an attempt to bring her friend into the conversation as she was looking quite forlorn and dejected.

“I don’t remember, I don’t think so,” she replied sulkily.

Luckily, Will’s mother saved the situation by arriving right on time.

“Hello, girls, nice to see you again. Has Will been looking after you? Congratulations on winning your category in our cookery competition, Megan.”

“Thank you, Mrs. James. Will was just telling us you were involved with the W.I. I’m sorry I didn’t see you there.”

“Oh, I was there earlier on, but I got called away to take care of a lamb that had got itself into a spot of trouble.”

“I do hope it’s all right now.”

“Yes, she’s fine. She had eaten a plastic bag and well, it had almost passed through her but not quite. It was stuck right at the end of its journey, so to speak, but you don’t want to hear about that now.

“Will, you pour the iced lemonade and I’ll fetch some fairy cakes.”

She returned moments later with a plate of small, individual, iced cakes with hundreds and thousands sprinkled on the top.

“Have fun, won’t you? I have to get on, I’m afraid. Bye for now.”

“Thanks, Mum,” called out Will as she walked away. “Now, back to business. How much riding have you done, Megan?”

“Oh, that’s easy, absolutely no horseback riding at all.”

“And you, Jane?”

Looking for a way to hog the limelight for a while and to outdo her friend, she racked her brains. “Er, I’ve done a little more than that, but not a lot. I’ve ridden donkeys on the beach both in Feyton and in Blackpool and I rode a horse in West Wales for an introductory lesson for an hour, er, three years ago”

“I see, well, since you’re friends and for the sake of your safety, I think it would be best if we treated you both like beginners, don’t you?”

Megan left the answer to that question up to Jane, who nodded somewhat sheepishly.

“Good, thanks, Jane, that’ll make it easier for me as well… it’s better that the three of us stick together, rather than that I have to call my sister to take you separately, Jane.”

That was the last thing she wanted too. She breathed and inward sigh of relief for having avoided that close shave by good luck and the skin of her teeth.

“Oh, definitely, I want us to stick together, because I’ve probably forgotten everything I ever learned anyway. It was a while ago, as I said, I was only a baby then.”

“Right, OK. First a few basic safety tips. Horses are very gentle, docile creatures in general and our animals are very well behaved… most of the time.

“Horses are intelligent and they all have their own characters and moods, just like people do. Having said that they are less erratic than most people, but it is still something to bear in mind. So, don’t assume anything… just because an animal was good natured the last time you saw her, she might not be this time.

“It’s nothing to worry about, but it is as well to bear it in mind.

“Next,