Hector the Horse : a story for children

Hector The Horse Goes To Market

ector was a very large horse. His coat was brown and shiny with a white star on his forehead, and he had huge, hairy hooves. He was big and strong and he had a VERY wide back.

One fine sunny Friday morning, Hector set off for the market in the town. He hadn't gone very far along the road when he met a cat.

"Good morning, Miss Cat," said Hector. "Are you going to market?"
"Oh yes," purred the cat, "and my little legs are getting tired already. May I ride on your big, broad back?"
"Jump up, there's lots of room," said Hector, so the little cat jumped onto Hector's back and together they went on along the road to market.

A little further along the way they met a dog.
"Good morning, Master Dog," said Hector, "are you going to market?"
"Oh yes," barked the dog, "and my paws are already feeling sore. May I ride on your big, broad back?"
"Of course," said Hector, "jump up, there's plenty of room."
Hector meets the dog - right-click to open

So the dog jumped up onto Hector's back and sat down behind the cat, and they went on along the road to market.

They hadn't gone very far when they met a little hen. "Good morning, Mrs. Hen," said Hector, "are you going to market?"

a little hen - right-click to open
"Oh yes," clucked the little hen, "and my little feet are beginning to hurt on this stony road. May I ride on your big, broad back?"
"Of course," said Hector, "there's plenty of room." So the little hen flew up onto Hector's back and perched behind the cat and the dog, and off they went along the road to market.

After a little while they met a hare. "Good morning, Mr. Hare," said Hector. "Are you going to market too?"
"Oh yes," said the hare, "and I am getting very tired of running along this road. May I ride on your big, broad back?"
"Of course," said Hector, "there's plenty of room," and the hare hopped up and sat up on Hector's arched neck and hung on tightly to his mane.

Hector and the cat, the dog, the hen and the hare travelled on together along the road to market. It was a long journey and Hector trotted all morning and on into the afternoon. They had almost reached the town when they met a tiny mouse.

Hector and friends - right-click to open

"Good afternoon, Little Mouse," said Hector. "Are you going to market too?"
"Yes," said the little mouse, "and I have walked so far this morning that I can hardly go any further."
"Would you like to ride on my big, broad back?" asked Hector.
"Oh yes please!" squeaked the little mouse, but just as she was about to climb up, the cat, the dog, the hen and the hare began to shout. "No room! No room!"
"What, no room for this tiny mouse?" said Hector, but the animals shouted even louder and began to jump up and down.

"No room! No room! NO ROOM!!" when suddenly they slipped and all fell to the gound with a BUMP!
"Now there's plenty of room. Climb up onto my big, broad back, little mouse," said Hector, and off they went to market together.
Hector and the mouse - right-click to open

Story and pictures © 1979 D. G. Davies

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		ector was a very large horse. His coat was brown and shiny with a white star on his forehead, and he had huge, hairy hooves. He was big and strong and he had a VERY wide back.
	One fine sunny Friday morning, Hector set off for the market in the town. He hadn't gone very far along the road when he met a cat. "Good morning, Miss Cat," said Hector. "Are you going to market?" "Oh yes," purred the cat, "and my little legs are getting tired already. May I ride on your big, broad back?" "Jump up, there's lots of room," said Hector, so the little cat jumped onto Hector's back and together they went on along the road to market.
	A little further along the way they met a dog. "Good morning, Master Dog," said Hector, "are you going to market?" "Oh yes," barked the dog, "and my paws are already feeling sore. May I ride on your big, broad back?" "Of course," said Hector, "jump up, there's plenty of room."
	So the dog jumped up onto Hector's back and sat down behind the cat, and they went on along the road to market. They hadn't gone very far when they met a little hen. "Good morning, Mrs. Hen," said Hector, "are you going to market?"

			"Oh yes," clucked the little hen, "and my little feet are beginning to hurt on this stony road. May I ride on your big, broad back?" "Of course," said Hector, "there's plenty of room." So the little hen flew up onto Hector's back and perched behind the cat and the dog, and off they went along the road to market.
	After a little while they met a hare. "Good morning, Mr. Hare," said Hector. "Are you going to market too?" "Oh yes," said the hare, "and I am getting very tired of running along this road. May I ride on your big, broad back?" "Of course," said Hector, "there's plenty of room," and the hare hopped up and sat up on Hector's arched neck and hung on tightly to his mane. Hector and the cat, the dog, the hen and the hare travelled on together along the road to market. It was a long journey and Hector trotted all morning and on into the afternoon. They had almost reached the town when they met a tiny mouse.

	"Good afternoon, Little Mouse," said Hector. "Are you going to market too?" "Yes," said the little mouse, "and I have walked so far this morning that I can hardly go any further." "Would you like to ride on my big, broad back?" asked Hector. "Oh yes please!" squeaked the little mouse, but just as she was about to climb up, the cat, the dog, the hen and the hare began to shout. "No room! No room!" "What, no room for this tiny mouse?" said Hector, but the animals shouted even louder and began to jump up and down.
	"No room! No room! NO ROOM!!" when suddenly they slipped and all fell to the gound with a BUMP! "Now there's plenty of room. Climb up onto my big, broad back, little mouse," said Hector, and off they went to market together.
	Story and pictures © 1979 D. G. Davies

	HOME - BACK - NEXT - E-MAIL - LINKS