My Friend Flicka

Several more days pass. To Ken’s disappointment, his father refuses to bring Flicka in again, instead finding other work to do on the farm.

On Sunday, the family goes to church. Ken listens as the adults, many of whom were in the Army like McLaughlin, talk about their horses. They argue over whether there is something inherently wrong with a horse like Rocket, something in the bloodline that makes her and her offspring “loco.” Others argue that it is natural for some horses, who have always been wild, to refuse to be tamed. Through it all, Ken thinks about Flicka.

That afternoon, several of the churchgoers return to the ranch. McLaughlin takes them out to see the brood mares. Banner immediately comes over and joins them, standing before the group. McLaughlin is overwhelmed with pride at how he behaves. Ken thinks of how there is hope for Flicka, as Banner is her sire.

The next morning, McLaughlin informs Gus that it is time to bring the colts back in so they can begin working with Flicka. He wants to do it before Buckley leaves, as they will likely need his help.

In the heavy fog of the morning, Ken and the others make their way out onto the range to find the yearlings. It takes them a long time, with Ken getting lost frequently in the thick fog. In the end, they find the colts and surround them. They manage to drive them back to the corral. However, McLaughlin realizes at the last minute that Flicka is not with them. He instructs the men to drive the colts back out, hoping that Flicka will join them at some point.

With the colts grazing again in the pasture, Ken makes his way around the edge, looking for Flicka. He finally finds her in a patch of clover on a ridge above the other horses. His father, Gus, and Buckley soon join him. Sitting at the top of the ridge, there is no way for Flicka to get out. On the other side is a sheer drop off that leads to the other colts grazing below.

Buckley tries several times to lasso Flicka. After the last failure, Flicka flees. She stumbles over the drop off, reminding Ken of the horse falling from Williams’s truck. However, at the bottom, Flicka seems unharmed, joining the other colts.

With all the young horses together now, McLaughlin drives them again to the corral. They separate Flicka from the other horses, then manage to get her into a high-walled stable. They leave her there and return to the farmhouse.

Later that day, Ken returns with his father. However, Flicka is gone. She managed to climb on a box and into the manger, then broke a window and fled through it. When they go around the stables, they find her grazing on hay.

Buckley and McLaughlin try to bring Flicka back in. Instead, she flees, running along the perimeter of the high fence. McLaughlin points out that it is too high for her to jump. To their surprise, with no other choice, Flicka decides to try anyway. She tangles herself in the wire at the top, bringing down the fence with her on the other side. Ken watches in despair as she struggles against the wire, cutting herself badly. In the end, she passes out. As Gus cuts her free, McLaughlin comments that Flicka will likely not survive.

Throughout the next day, Ken stays with Flicka. With Gus’s help, he puts grease on some of her wounds to help her heal. Howard tries to get Ken to help him with the four new colts, something their father instructed them to do, but Ken refuses. Feeling sympathy, Howard offers to do it alone, allowing Ken to stay with Flicka.

Eventually, Ken falls asleep. He wakes up to a storm that has gathered around them. It thunders, then rain begins to fall. It turns to large pieces of hail. Through it all, Ken stays by Flicka, trying to shield her body from the falling hail. In the evening, Nell comes and makes Ken return to the farmhouse.

In the middle of the night, with the stars out above her, Flicka begins to move. She hears coyotes in the distance, her memories of their scent arousing her. She drinks from the water left nearby and eats the oats.

When Ken returns in the morning, with the sun just coming above the horizon, Flicka is standing. She seems to absorb the sun “for the healing and recreation her battered body needed” (201).

McLaughlin moves Flicka to the Calf Pasture. It allows her to access the stream and shade. However, she is still too injured to move much. Ken stays by her side all day, getting her water and oats. When she struggles to eat the oats, he requests hay from his father. McLaughlin initially refuses, insisting that it costs too much money when grass is available, but he eventually gives in.

That afternoon, McLaughlin and Gus take four horses to the rodeo. Tim and Buckley come to check on Flicka. When Buckley refers to Flicka as “loco,” Ken remembers repeatedly hearing the word. Buckley explains that it means there is something wrong with their bloodline, making them incapable of being tamed. Ken thinks of the horse jumping from Williams’s truck, Rocket hitting her head on the sign, and Flicka trying to jump the fence. At the same time, however, he thinks of Banner, hoping that Flicka will have enough of his blood in her.

Ken asks if it is possible to train a horse that is “loco.” Buckley tells a story about trying to break one once, but failing. He is adamant that, even if it is possible, it is never worth it, as it ruins the horse because of how they have to destroy their spirit.

Ken thinks of Flicka as he first saw her, running free on the range. He knows that, if he could “undo” everything, he would let her stay there.

In the afternoon, Nell looks out at her flowers and her garden which have been largely destroyed by the hailstorm. She tends to it, thinking how difficult it is to deal with the weather.

After, Nell starts baking cookies. Ken comes into the kitchen and sits down. He asks his mother what he will do if Flicka is actually “loco.” He insists that he deeply wants her to be okay. His mother tells him that she “wants” things, too, which surprises Ken. However, no matter how much he desires something, it is never enough to change reality. Ken’s sadness at the idea breaks her heart, but she knows that he may have to face it.

After supper that evening, Ken returns to the pasture with Flicka. She still does not move much, but she also allows Ken to come near her without the normal “fear” in her eyes.

That night, Nell tries to talk to her husband. She urges him to support Ken as he struggles with Flicka’s injury. However, McLaughlin is adamant that Ken is wasting his time. He is neglecting his work and hurting himself by staying with Flicka so much. Nell insists that he is still learning, as Flicka is helping him “face facts” about life.

The next morning, Nell and McLaughlin prepare to go to Sargent’s ranch to arrange for the four horses they are giving to him. Ken asks his father to check on Flicka before he leaves, but McLaughlin refuses. Howard points out that Flicka still refuses to interact with the other horses. When Ken calls her a “Lone Wolf,” McLaughlin realizes that Ken may be beginning to understand things better than he thought. He thinks of his wife’s words from the night before. He relents, telling Ken that he will bring Flicka some salt before he goes into town.

In the pasture, Ken asks his father if Flicka is really “loco.” McLaughlin points out that they have not gotten to see Flicka much. Each time they have interacted with her, she has been overwhelmed with fear. It’s possible that she can get over that fear and learn. He instructs Ken to continue to help and comfort Flicka. Her injury has made it so she cannot care for herself, forcing her to rely on Ken. If she recovers, it’s possible that she will trust Ken enough to allow herself to be tamed. He emphasizes the importance of communication.

After McLaughlin is gone, Ken talks to Flicka. For the first time, she neighs in response, looking out at the hills. Ken realizes that he is beginning to understand her, specifically her “longing” for the range.

Ken spends the next several days tending to Flicka while also working on the ranch. He and his brother halter-break four of the three-year-old horses, earning praise from their father. They also ride the perimeter each day, checking and mending the fences. Ken finds a new spot for Flicka, calling it Flicka’s Nursery. It has the shade of several trees, a stream nearby, and fresh grass.

On the last day of Frontier Days, Ken stays behind while his parents and brother go into town. Since Gus and Tim have the day off, Ken is left alone on the ranch.

Ken spends the afternoon with Flicka. He reads to her from The Jungle Book. He sits as close as he can to Flicka, as she still refuses to let him touch her. He leaves her to return to the farmhouse for lunch.

When Ken comes back, Flicka is not standing and watching like she usually does. Instead, he finds her lying on her side. She tries several times to get up, falling each time. She allows Ken to touch her, as he rubs her side, kisses her face, and tries to figure out what is wrong with her. He wonders if she is going to die. Eventually, he falls asleep beside her.

Ken wakes up to the sound of a cow in distress. He realizes that it is one of the neighbors’ cows. He moves along their fence and finds the cow with its udder caught in the barbed wire fence. Panicked, he isn’t sure what to do. He knows Gus will be coming soon to milk the cows, but it is likely not soon enough. He decides to go to the barn and get a pair of wire cutters. He cuts the cow loose, then she turns back and makes her way to the barn. Ken can see that she is bleeding badly but decides he will wait for Gus.

Ken returns to the front of the ranch. He watches down the road for Gus until he finally appears.

Although Ken urges Gus to look at Flicka, Gus first changes his clothes, milks the cows, and checks on the neighbor’s calf. He tells Ken that he will have to butcher it, as the wire damaged its udder. Finally, he goes down to see Flicka. Since she still eats and drinks, Gus tells Ken that it is best to wait until McLaughlin returns.

Ken’s family comes home late that night. Ken tries to tell his father about Flicka, but McLaughlin first tells him how proud he is of Ken for taking care of the neighbor’s cow. Ken explains that, seeing the cow in distress, he thought of Flicka, which made him act.

The next morning, McLaughlin goes to Flicka. Watching her, he realizes that she cannot stand because of her bad leg. When he flips her over, allowing her to use her other leg, she gets up successfully. The leg that was underneath her before is swollen from her cuts, meaning that it is infected. McLaughlin tells Ken that all he can do is care for her. To their surprise, Flicka willingly lets Ken touch her.

With Nell’s help, Ken gets bandages and a poultice. Flicka allows him to bandage her leg.

Over the next several days, Ken continues to tend to Flicka. He changes her bandages each day until Nell says that she no longer needs them. She starts to run around the pasture, waiting for Ken at the gate each day. She allows Ken to touch her whenever he wants and even grows used to other people being around her. With his new friendship, Ken changes, a new “determination” forming in him.

One evening, Ken asks his father if it is time to train Flicka. He is still worried about her being “loco”; however, McLaughlin insists that she will do fine. He offers to help Ken halter-break her the next day.

The next day, Ken goes with his family, Tim, and Gus to Flicka’s Nursery. His father tells him to call Flicka to them. He then has Ken use a handkerchief and a belt as a makeshift halter. Ken is able to easily lead Flicka around the pasture. His father then produces a halter. Ken is overwhelmed with nerves. However, Flicka lets him put the halter on with ease, then Ken leads her around the pasture again.

When they return, McLaughlin insists that they are already done. He laughs at Ken’s confusion, insisting that it was easy because Flicka cares for Ken. He comments that “[t]hat’s the way we break horses on the Goose Bar Ranch” (260).

Since Flicka still struggles with an infection, McLaughlin goes into town for an antibiotic. He returns and gives it to Flicka, telling Ken that he is hopeful it will take care of it. Ken is shocked that his father spent money on it, but McLaughlin insists that Ken earned it. He also jokes about how Ken already cost him $300 this summer, so the $10 for the medicine was nothing.

Ken tells his mother about McLaughlin’s comment, expressing his confusion. Nell points out that his year of boarding school cost $200, plus the cost of books and supplies. Ken is appalled at the revelation. He asks his mother if there is anything he can do. She suggests that he write his English assignment. They can then send it to his teacher and hope that he will change his mind about failing Ken.