Authors: Alyssa Brugman
Shelby didn't carry the saddle on her head for long.
Soon she had tucked it over her forearm, holding each
wrist by the other along the underside of the saddle.
The grip made her twist sideways, and by the time she
was passing the entrance to the storm water tunnel her
shoulders ached so much that it brought tears to her
eyes. She was hungry and tired. Her feet hurt, and
what made it worst of all was that it had all been a
complete waste of energy.
Ponies
, Shelby thought.
Who'd have one?
In books
and movies it was always about how majestic horses
were, and how there was a magic bond, but in reality
it was just about lifting heavy things, hay-fever, scrubbing,
cleaning, shovelling manure, being trodden on,
kicked, head-butted, cut, scraped and bruised, and
that was before you even fell off!
For the first time ever Shelby wondered whether
ping-pong mightn't be so bad.
Dropping the saddle for a moment, Shelby climbed
up the embankment to look across the road. Her bike
was still chained to the fence on the other side. She
couldn't get through the fence on her side of the road,
and she wouldn't be able to manage the saddle, bridle
and bike all at the same time even if she could. She
made a mental note to arrange with her parents to
pick it up later.
This was almost exactly the same spot where she
had seen Lindsey on the palomino that day in the rain.
Now Shelby knew what Lindsey was doing with that
roll of wire. She hadn't picked it up from the trail at
all! She'd brought it with her to cover the opening to
the tunnel. Shelby shook her head. She'd been so busy
trying to cover her own tracks that she hadn't taken
much time to consider what Lindsey might be up to.
Not much further now. Shelby slipped the saddle
round to the back and held on to the knee rolls. The
girth kept sliding down. The first few times she lifted
it up and tucked it into the stirrup, but after a while
she just let it drag in the dirt. She was beyond caring.
The sun was almost directly overhead, and Shelby
guessed it was somewhere between eleven and midday.
She was really close now. Just around the next
bend she would be able to see the back gate.
Soon she would be at Lindsey's place in the office.
On the way she could drink from the taps at the
corner of the stables. Everybody did that. Then she
would ring her mum. She was so looking forward to
sitting down. She would hang her legs off Lindsey's
veranda and look across the paddocks, resting, while
she waited for her mum to arrive. Sitting down would
be wonderful.
Maybe Lindsey's mum was angry? Shelby frowned.
She hadn't thought of that. Mrs Edel had been so
worried about Lindsey the previous night, and it was
possible that today her worry had turned into crossness
at Shelby for the being the cause of Lindsey's
injury. Besides that, Shelby had no idea what Lindsey
had said about why she was there. They hadn't had a
chance to discuss their story.
There it is.
Shelby reached the gate and she rested the saddle
across the top. She sat astride the top bar, thinking.
Mrs Edel wouldn't be grouchy forever, but Shelby
might want to avoid her just for the next few days.
Perhaps she should go straight home now? It would
mean carrying the stupid saddle for another hour, but
she thought it was probably less damaging in the long
run than a fight with Lindsey's mum.
The fifteen or so spelled horses that lived in the
back paddock were standing amongst a grove of trees
enjoying the shade. They were mostly thoroughbred
brood mares – long and plain, with low-hanging bellies.
There were also a few eventing and performance horses
spelled between seasons, or recovering from injury. The
horses in this paddock were nearly always bays, browns
and chestnuts, and so Shelby thought it was strange
when she saw a little paint rump poking out from
behind a massive warmblood gelding.
It wasn't just any paint rump, it was Blue!
Shelby cupped her hands to her mouth and called
to him. The pony peeked at her from under the belly
of the warmblood. He flicked his head from side-to-side,
shaking away a fly, and then he meandered
towards her. Some of the other horses opened their
eyes a fraction, a few shifted their weight from one leg
to another, and one gently butted Blue's shoulder on
the way past, but mostly they ignored him.
'Where have you been, you silly boy!' Shelby said.
'You've had me running all over the neighbourhood
and now you're back here again!'
Shelby had no idea how he had managed to get
inside the paddock, but it was a stroke of luck. Now
she could slip on his bridle and saddle and she'd be
home in twenty minutes at the latest. She wouldn't
have to talk to Lindsey's mum at all.
From across the paddock she could see the riding
school ponies marching along in single file. While she
was slipping the bridle over Blue's ears she tried to
make out who was leading them. It could have been
one of the older girls, Monica or Kim, who had the
stables across from the Crooks. She slipped the saddle
onto Blue's back, glad to be finally rid of it. The girth
was very dirty from where it had dragged along the
ground. She rubbed it against the thigh of her pants.
When she looked up again she could see the leader of
the trail ride had broken away from the others, and
was heading towards her at a fast canter. Whoever it
was sat deep in the stock saddle with her shoulders
back and her hands low. The woman glanced over her
shoulder at the trail riders, who were milling around
together where she left them. The woman rode easily
and naturally – like Lindsey.
She could see now that it was Mrs Edel. Shelby
kept her head down and pretended she hadn't seen.
She tried to do the girth up quickly. Blue turned his
head around and sniffed at her. Normally she fastened
his girth one hole at a time, because she thought it was
less of a shock that way.
'I'm sorry, matey, but we're in a hurry.'
She grabbed the reins, and led him through the
gate.
'Hey!'
Shelby closed the gate behind her. She was trying
too hard and the chain was slipping, not latching
properly. 'Come on, you stupid thing.'
'Shelby, wait!'
The latch finally caught and Shelby spun Blue
around, mounting quickly. She looked up. Lindsey's
mum was only thirty metres away now.
'Oh, hi, Mrs Edel,' she said, waving. She pushed
Blue on.
'Stop!'
Shelby halted Blue. She couldn't very well pretend
she hadn't heard that, and Lindsey's mum was a
grown-up after all. She couldn't just run away, even if
she really wanted to.
'Where are you going?'
'I'm going home.'
Lindsey's mother pulled up on the other side of the
gate. The horse that she was riding – a big, bald-faced,
chestnut quarter horse – stopped square. Shelby hadn't
realised that Mrs Edel could ride too.
'Blue lives here now,' she said, staring Shelby in the
eye.
'That's OK,' said Shelby patting his neck. 'We'll
find somewhere soon.'
'You can bring him up to the stables and I'll show
you where you can keep his tack, but you can't take
him anywhere. He's had a busy enough day.'
Shelby bit her lip. 'Thanks, Mrs Edel, but I'm
going to take him home for tonight. I just need a few
days to get myself organised, that's all.'
'You're not taking him anywhere. Your parents
and I have made an arrangement. That horse has been
running loose on the streets for the past twenty-four
hours and I'm telling you he needs a little quiet time.
Now get inside this gate.' The quarter horse took a
step forward. 'Please,' she added.
Shelby could feel tears of anger swelling in her
eyes. Her throat felt full and dry all of a sudden. 'Blue
is
my
horse, not yours, and
I'll
decide what's good for
him.'
Lindsey's mother narrowed her eyes. 'What do you
know about what's good for him? You think tying him
to a peg on the front lawn is good for him? Would
your mother recognise colic before it was too late,
Shelby? A horse is a herd animal. Keeping him locked
up by himself the way you have all this time is just
plain cruel. You're just a selfish little girl, Shelby
Shaw. Now get inside this gate right this minute!'
Shelby tried to speak but she couldn't say
anything. She slid off Blue quickly, and her feet
thudded as they hit the ground, shaking the tears out
of her eyes.
There was a ringing in her ears as she opened the
gate and led Blue through. Her cheeks were red and
then she started to cry.
Shelby was angry, but, more than that, she was
ashamed.
The hospital was an old building of cream brick and
aluminium windows. Shelby thought it looked like her
high school, except it was taller and it didn't have a
sports field. When she went inside she could smell the
antiseptic. All the floors were vinyl and there were
corridors heading every which way and signs pointing
in all directions. The foyer area was full of people,
and yet Shelby felt as though she should be quiet, like
in a library.
At the front desk Shelby asked where to find
Lindsey and the man behind the counter gave her
directions. She stood back and waved through the
front door to where her father was waiting in the car
for her signal. He raised his hand in return and then
he drove away. They had arranged to meet out the
front again in an hour, after he had done the family's
grocery shopping.
As she walked along the corridors she peeked into
the doors of each ward. There were mostly old people
in the beds, some with clear plastic face masks on,
tubes in their noses and cords attached to their arms.
Shelby eyed them curiously, wondering what was
wrong with them, and then quickly turned away when
they looked in her direction.
At the end of the third corridor Shelby saw
Lindsey. She was propped up in a bed in the corner of
the ward, looking out of the window. The bed next to
her, closest to the door, was empty. The one across
was occupied, but Shelby couldn't see the fourth bed
from where she was standing.
Lindsey was wearing a pale blue gown and had a
sling over her shoulder. She had one leg out of the
blankets. There was a table next to her on wheels to
roll over the bed. She looked very calm and Shelby
paused, wondering if she should go back to the kiosk
she had seen in the entry foyer and buy her something.
She was about to head back when Lindsey turned
towards her, smiling as she recognised her friend.
'I was just going to get you something,' Shelby said.
'Do you want a Mars Bar or a drink?'
'No, I'm fine, thanks. Mum just went down to the
shop. She'll be back in a minute.'
Shelby glanced around, as though she expected
Mrs Edel to be standing behind her with her hands on
her hips. 'She yelled at me yesterday, you know.'
'Yeah, she told me. She said you had an attitude
like a Welsh filly. She told me if you hadn't done what
you were told when you did, she was going to give
you the strap.' Lindsey grinned.
Shelby's eyes widened. 'Would she do that?'
Lindsey laughed. 'I don't know. I don't answer
back, so I've never had to find out!'
Shelby sat down in the chair next to Lindsey's bed.
In the bed opposite, an old woman was sleeping. She
knew they had to talk quickly before Lindsey's mum
came back.
'Did they find Frank?' asked Lindsey. 'Did you tell?'
'No, the trucks all left straight after you did,'
Shelby explained. 'How long has Frank been down
there?'
'He doesn't live here all year around – only for a
month or so over the summer.'
'Where does he live for the rest of the time?'
Lindsey tilted her head to the side and then she
winced, lifting the hand of her good arm towards her
sore shoulder. 'I'm not sure. He has a normal house
somewhere. He told me that he lived in one house and
he hated his neighbours, so he moved to another
house and he hated those neighbours too, so he kept
moving and everywhere he went he had terrible neighbours
until one day he realised that it wasn't the
neighbours, it was him.'
'It's a bit weird, though, isn't it? He doesn't have
electricity. He doesn't even have television.'
Lindsey shrugged. 'Sometimes I think it would be
nice.'
Shelby thought about those times at home when
her brothers were yelling and her dad was tired and
cross, and her mum made something yucky for dinner.
Every room in the house had people in it and her own
room was such a mess. Maybe sometimes she would
like to get away too. Camping was fun. Then there
was the damper!
'I think he's careless. He didn't help either of us
when he should have,' Shelby commented.
Lindsey considered it for a moment. 'Grown-ups
make mistakes too. Look at Mrs Crook; she does silly
things all the time. I think they're just like us except
older.'
'So, what should we say?' Shelby asked.
'I don't think we should say anything unless they
ask,' Lindsey replied, looking over Shelby's shoulder.
'She's coming now.'
Shelby turned around and saw Lindsey's mum
walking up the corridor with a basket of fruit. Shelby
spoke quietly so they wouldn't be overheard, and
avoided Lindsey's eyes, because she was embarrassed.
'I just wanted to say I'm sorry for running away on
the trail. I should have told you that I knew.'
'That's OK. I should have trusted you too,'
Lindsey murmured.
Mrs Edel was nearly at the door.
'It was also kind of fun, don't you reckon?'
Lindsey added. 'We should have a game of hide and
seek on horses. That would be ace.'
Lindsey's mum set the fruit down on the roller
table. Shelby smiled hello, and then cast her eyes
down to her hands in her lap.
'What do you think of this, Shelby? The doctor
says my best worker is out of action for six weeks at
least, and no heavy lifting for another month after
that. I don't know what I'm going to do.'
'Shelby can do it,' Lindsey said. 'After all, she was
the one who broke me.'
Shelby blushed.
Lindsey nudged Shelby's knee with her foot. 'I'm
just kidding.'
'How old are you, Shelby?' Lindsey's mother
asked.
'I'm thirteen . . . nearly.'
'You're too young to have a proper paid job, but it
would be really good if you could help out for a while.
I need someone to lead the trail rides and to make up
feeds for me. And you are going to be up at our place
anyway. That should cover Blue's agistment. It will be
a trade. What do you think?'
Shelby grinned. 'So can I ride Blue on the trails?
You won't need him for beginners?'
'It's up to you,' Lindsey's mother replied. 'There
are plenty of horses to choose from. It would be good
for you to ride a different horse every now and then.
I could organise for you to have some lessons too if
you like.' She shook her head. 'I don't know why we
didn't think of this before. There's always been too
much work for Lindsey to do by herself.'
'That would be great!' Shelby had wanted to have
lessons with the instructor at Lindsey's place, but her
parents couldn't afford it. Now she could work for it,
and it would be work that she loved.
'I have to ask my mum if it's OK,' Shelby said.
'I think they'll be pleased that I've got the pair of
you occupied. You won't have time for any of your
little adventures!' Lindsey's mum arched an eyebrow
at her daughter.
The two girls exchanged a smile.
'No more adventures for us!' Shelby promised.