The Horse Knows the Way

[0:00–0:20] – [Solo acoustic guitar, fingerpicked low strings only. Dark, roomy reverb. Felt, not rushed.]
[0:20–0:50] – [A single floor tom enters, striking on beat 1 of each measure. Like a single hoof landing in mud.]
[0:50–1:30] – [Music box melody (or high, brittle celesta) plays a simple 4-note phrase.] [The phrase repeats but each time loses one note—like a memory crumbling.]
   [Notes suggestion: D – A – F – E (descending, mournful)]
[1:30–2:15] – [Second guitar enters, playing slow harmonic slides.] [A low cello or bowed banjo drone underneath. Percussion adds a brush on snare, barely audible.]
[2:15–2:50] – [Everything drops except guitar and hoof-beat drum.] [Then a creaking gate sound (field recording or bowed cymbal). Music box returns but sounds warped/off-key.]
[2:50–3:20] – [Full group swell for 4 measures, then cut abruptly to silence.] [Hold silence for 3 seconds.]
[3:20–3:35] – [Single distant horse snort (or exhale). Fade out.]

Gothic Country, Dark Folk, Tempo / time signature:
Slow 6/8 (like a lurching waltz or a horse's gait), around 70–80 BPM