During the Autumn of the early 1940's, a fifty acre farm near Corpus Christi, Texas could hardly contain the antics and adventure of an impetuous twelve year old boy named Ted Crockett. Country life included Ted's obsession with owning a horse, a special horse.Ted's obsession, suppressed only slightly by assigned farm chores, runs the gamut from personal ventures to narrowly escaping death near the large clearing in the woods known as "Big Swale" at the hands of his inconsiderate, dangerous, and hateful neighbors, the Brotchells.But Ted has a dream! He thinks he has seen a wild horse at the lake where he spends considerable time, and he pesters his brother, Roland, constantly about seeing the horse and about wanting to capture it.He is so absorbed by it that not even flirting glances from a friend named Wanda takes his mind off "his horse."After many dangerous and painful encounters with the Brotchells the adventure finally ends on Christmas Eve with a visit to the Crockett homestead by a tall and beautiful girl name Melony Brotchell.Along with his Ma and Pa, Ted was totally surprised by her visit and what she brought.Ted's Secret Dream is an exciting story of love acquired, lost, and won again and a horse is the love. Henry Petru was born into a farming family west of Corpus Christi, Texas, one of nine children. He participated in both farm work and farm play. One place of play was the area around the stock tank which supplied water for the livestock and fowl - including a horse. This tank area became the center of a story, this fictionalized narrative of events as Henry lived and dreamed them. In his teen years, he attended a religious seminary in San Antonio for over four years, returned to the farm and entered military service where he served for twenty-two years. During military service, he married a Japanese lady in Japan. Together, they raised two boys. Henry is now retired and lives in Austin, Texas.
