We had a horse named Hank. I have a brother-in-law named Hank. There is no relation (as far as we know).
Hank was a big brown horse that was relatively gentle, but he had a big-sized stubborn streak to match. He liked to be in charge. If he was chastised, he sometimes tried to take a nibble out of his rider. When prodded to go, he often would stand still and stomp his foot on the ground. It was in character for him to get a little too close to bushes or trees in an attempt to dislodge his rider. Hank needed to be ridden fairly regular in order to keep him compliant. Otherwise, he really got set in his ways and was as stubborn as a mule. He loved to be petted and brushed.
My daughter loved that horse and he liked her. The two spent countless hours together galloping through the pasture as fast as the wind and following trails into the woods. They brought smiles and memories of youth to the lady that watched them from her window.
In the mornings, we looked out the window and saw Hank grazing peacefully, not a care in the world. But there was something different about that horse. Among Hank’s other qualities, he was a magician. We weren’t aware of his magic powers until it was brought to our attention by one of our neighbors.
This is not Hank
One day, a neighbor said, “I’m afraid one night your horse is going to get hit on the road.” We were puzzled and my husband said, “He stays in the fence.” The neighbor proceeded to tell us Hank walked the neighborhood every night. That magic horse managed to escape at night but was sure to be back in the fence by the time we got up in the morning. How did he do that? He looked completely innocent, but he wasn’t.
A few days ago, my husband called upstairs and said, “Look in the garden.” I looked out the window and there was a big brown horse nibbling at the clover. Where did he come from? I said, “I wonder if his name is Hank.” We didn’t find out his name, but later in the day, someone came looking for him.
Apparently, he wasn’t around when Hank was performing his magic tricks, or he would have learned to be in his fence before morning came.
