The carabao grunted to a halt unceremoniously. I felt Maria wake up.
Steadying her, I jumped off the broad back and tugged the carabao’s
horns.

“We have to get Maria home. C’mon, lazybones…”

The carabao shook its head.

“Please, Ambo?” I waved some grass in front of it enticingly.

The carabao snorted and closed its eyes.

“Oh, man, don’t go to sleep now!” I scratched my head and sheepishly
grinned at Maria. “I can walk you home, if you want. I’ll just come
back for Ambo.”

“It’s… it’s okay. My home is still far from here, and there’s plenty
of time. Maybe he just needs to take a short nap.”

“Yeah. I’ll try waking him up in a while. For now…”

“Shhh. The afternoon sun is beautiful.”

I smiled and sidled closer to her, throwing a wink at the carabao.
Who says old carabaos can’t learn new tricks?

(in response to flashxer prompt: Stalled)