“Come on, Gorse!” Lainey called. “Not you too?”
Sophie gave the little Exmoor a determined nudge, trying to get him trotting again, but Gorse was backing away from the blue barrel and the bottom corner of the field. It felt as though he might sink back on his haunches and spin around at any second. It was a bit unnerving, Sophie thought, gritting her teeth. Giving Gorse a scratch on his withers, she nudged him again. Uttering an exaggerated snort, Gorse high-stepped past the scary blue barrel, practically curving his body round as he stared at it.
“I don’t know what’s got into you ponies today!” Lainey threw up her hands. “Well done, Sophie – well ridden.”
Now they were past the corner, Sophie felt Gorse relax and they jumped easily through the grid, Sophie’s arms out wide again. But there had been something there. Sophie was sure of it!
Lainey had another explanation, though.
“It’s classic herd behaviour,” she said, repeating what she’d told Sophie, as everyone warmed down at the end of the lesson, all avoiding the bottom corner. “Like Sox and Bertie this morning. I expect after Nutmeg spooked, the others all decided to have a silly moment too.”
But Sophie knew something was up. She’d felt it in Gorse. He hadn’t been silly – he really had seen or sensed something. When he was being mischievous, untying himself and throwing his water buckets around, he had a real glint in his eye. But this time, as he’d curved his neck round to stare at the barrel, Sophie had noticed his eyes were different. He had been scared.
The others might be convinced, but she wasn’t. First the prints, and now the ponies acting strangely. And it hadn’t been the dog scaring the ponies up in the field, she just knew it. She couldn’t stop thinking about Lainey’s comment about how horses could see things that humans couldn’t. Just what could her gorgeous little Exmoor see, she wondered, giving him a hug. What was going on?
CHAPTER 7
Everyone was talking about the camp cookout as they untacked their ponies. Willow had heard from Jack that Lainey had bought large bags of marshmallows for toasting, and Zoe, Lainey’s head groom, had already been up to the big field to set up the campfire.
Emily, Lainey’s daughter, strolled by. She tended to ignore the camp members, unlike Jack, who was always hanging around and helping with a cheerful smile. Poppy had told Sophie earlier in the week that Emily didn’t like other people grooming or riding the school ponies, even though it was the reason the stables were doing so well. She only really spoke to the girls to point out things that were wrong. So far today, according to Emily, Henry had the wrong boots on to protect his legs when jumping and Nutmeg didn’t have the right hay net.
Crossing over to the tap, Sophie watched as Emily gave Fable a big hug. But even the elderly Welsh pony seemed different. She wasn’t munching on the grass as usual. Instead her head was held high, her pink nostrils quivering as she gave a shrill whinny. The sheep lifted their heads too, and Mini, the tamest one, gave a long baa. There was definitely something in the air.
Sophie opened her mouth to say something, perhaps ask Emily a bit more about Fable’s history and whether the ponies regularly got spooked around the full moon, but Emily got in first.
“Gorse’s bridle is dirty,” she said with a grimace. “It needs a good clean.”
Sophie shrugged. Sure, she’d only quickly wiped it over, but it wasn’t that bad. Emily was just nitpicking.
“Hey, do you—” she began, Emily’s criticism washing straight over her.
But Emily wasn’t quite finished. “And his bed is so messy! Why can’t you sweep it up properly?”
That, Sophie reflected, was true. Jack hadn’t had time to help her and she’d spent longer chatting to Gorse, and her friends, than she had tidying up.
But before she could say a word, Emily stomped off, her nose stuck in the air. Sophie frowned. How rude Emily was! Especially as Lainey and Jack were so nice in comparison. She had been hoping to find out a bit more about Fable and whether this sort of thing had happened before. Still, she thought, if Emily was no help, she would have to work it out for herself!
It was a wonderfully warm evening. The traffic from the main road into town hummed in the far distance and, to Sophie, the yard felt like the most peaceful place ever. Chuckling, she watched as Gorse licked up the last of his feed from his bucket, closing his eyes as if enjoying every last morsel. He seemed relaxed again now, but there was definitely still an odd atmosphere in the stables. More whinnying than usual, and some restless shuffling.
“Come on!” Amina appeared beside Sophie and gave her elbow a gentle tug. “Let’s go up to the big field.”
Sophie smiled. “Defo,” she said enthusiastically. She couldn’t wait to share her stories. “But let me grab my hoodie.”
Running back to the barn and then across to the yard, Sophie paused by Gorse’s stable. She had definitely secured the kick bolt in place but, just to make sure, she touched it with her hand. She didn’t fancy another boring chore like this afternoon, even if she had found out all about Rosie and Fable.
“It’s shut,” she said, looking upwards at Gorse, who gave her curls a nuzzle, his nose still covered in chaff. “You’re my witness.”
Gorse blew out of his nostrils as if in agreement. Laughing, Sophie planted a kiss on his wide forehead and ran back across the yard and up to the big field, sniffing the air as she caught the delicious waft of a barbecue. This was going to be such a fun night!
“And that,” Willow said a little while later, with an elaborate flourish of her hands, “is how we know there is a track ghost!”
Everyone giggled, but huddled together a bit tighter. Willow had just finished her ghost story, about the haunted running track at the local athletics centre where she trained after school. Sophie reached forward and speared yet another marshmallow with her stick. She’d lost count of how many she’d eaten so far and wasn’t even that hungry any more, but the melted, gooey marshmallows with their slightly burnt outsides were the most delicious things she’d ever tasted.
“My turn.” She grinned and looked around at her friends. “You know I wasn’t having you on about those prints, right?”
“Hmmm,” Jess said, but she was smiling. “Go on?”
“So,” Sophie said, lowering her marshmallow on to the flame and narrowing her eyes. “Earlier today, I was up here. Lainey gave me a job, to clear the field. But while I was up at the hedge, I saw something. Something big. Something dangerous.”
Poppy, next to her, gave a little gasp and put her hands over her mouth. Even Willow looked a bit doubtful, glancing up behind her as if scanning the hedgerow herself, and the friends huddled even closer together. The ponies in the next field were grazing peacefully now.
“The ponies weren’t quiet earlier,” Sophie said in a hushed tone. “They were galloping around, trying to get away. They could sense the danger.”
Now she had everyone’s attention, Sophie couldn’t resist embellishing her story, adding a few extra bits that hadn’t actually happened. But they could have, she told herself with an inner giggle.
“So I crept forward and grabbed the fork, for protection,” she continued in a whisper. “I gave the branches a whack, and this horrible creature ran out and up on to the heath before I could stop it. It had huuuge teeth. And big red eyes, glowing like the fire.”
There was silence, as though everyone was holding their breath. Dusk was falling and Sophie could just make out the mournful hoot of an owl. She’d really scared them now, she thought triumphantly. They believed her!
But then Amina burst into peals of laughter, and so did everyone else. Even Poppy was chuckling.
“Good one, Sophie,” she said with a grin. “You nearly had us there!”
Sophie realised she’d gone too far with her story.
“OK, perhaps not red eyes,” she said hurriedly. “But there was something,” she protested. “Something really big and scary in the hedge, just up there!”
“Well, th
ere’s a footpath,” Jess said in a sensible voice. “I expect it was a dog!”
Sophie glared at her. She didn’t want to say there really had been a dog.
“But I’ve got another story!” she said. “Even spookier, and it’s totally true…”
“About a cat?” Amina said in a good-natured voice, and after that there was no chance to tell Fable’s story. With the spooky atmosphere broken by all the laughter that followed, the moment was gone. Sophie joined in with the chatter but felt a bit annoyed inside. Why had she exaggerated? No one would believe her now. And Fable’s story was too special to be treated as a joke.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur of pony gossip and giggles. But, try as she might, Sophie couldn’t find the right time to tell her second story. And as the inky dark finally enveloped the pink evening sky, Sophie looked up at the bright and low full moon. Was Rosie up there? Galloping around the fields?
“Come on,” Lainey called out cheerfully a short while later. “Bed for you all. You need to have a good night’s sleep ready for our cross-country jumping lesson tomorrow.”
Sophie gave a little shiver of excitement at the thought of jumping the logs and tyres and water in the cross-country field. Standing up, she stretched and yawned. Her friends did the same. The campfire was reduced to just a few glowing embers now.
“Don’t wait for me,” Sophie said to Jess as they opened the gate into the yard. “I’m just going to say goodnight to Gorse.”
The little Exmoor blinked sleepily as Sophie crossed over to see him, burying his soft nose into the crook of her elbow. Sighing, Sophie placed her forehead against his.
“You believe me, don’t you?” she whispered. “You always believe me.” Gorse wibbled his lip as if in response. Sophie thought about her brothers, and the way they ignored her, and now her friends didn’t believe her stories. She supposed it was because they were used to her messing around. But if she couldn’t joke around and play pranks, how would she get noticed? Only Gorse stopped her from feeling totally alone.
Patting him one last time, Sophie looked down at the kick bolt, still securely in place. Heading back to the camp barn, she found her steps quickening. The moon had risen higher now, bathing everything in its spooky silvery light. Sophie tumbled into her camp bed, shutting her eyes tightly. Now she’d even frightened herself!
CHAPTER 8
There it was again…
Sitting bolt upright, Sophie held her breath, straining her ears to listen out for what she thought she’d just heard.
Hooves on concrete… She hadn’t been dreaming! Something was going on in the yard. The other girls were still asleep. Creeping down between the beds, Sophie opened the barn door just a crack. A whicker sounded through the dark, a whicker she knew so well. It was Gorse! Sophie knew immediately he was asking for her help. She didn’t know what for, but she heard it in his whinny. Her heart hammering, Sophie nudged Amina awake.
“Mmmm … what?” Amina didn’t even open her eyes.
“Amina,” Sophie whispered urgently. “It’s Rosie, out in the yard. Fable’s mum. She comes every time there’s a full moon. I think that’s why all the ponies are so spooked!”
Sophie could see that, even half asleep, Amina didn’t believe her.
Rolling over, Amina pulled the pillow over her head. “Ha ha,” she mumbled. “Go back to sleep, Sophie. You can’t fool me again.”
And Amina was fast asleep again before Sophie could even blink. She knew the others would say the same too. No one would believe her – she wouldn’t have believed her if she’d been them. But something was out there. She had to go and investigate on her own. Gorse needed her help!
Taking a deep breath, Sophie crept out into the yard. The night was still warm, but she was grateful for the hoodie she’d grabbed from the floor beside her camp bed. Sophie’s eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the dark. Then she saw it – the outline of a pony, a pony coming closer and closer and…
Gorse!
Sophie felt a mixture of relief and fear. Gorse was real and right in front of her, but he’d got out of his stable somehow, and Sophie knew why – Rosie!
By now it was clear that the other ponies in the yard were agitated and spooked. There were lots of startled whinnies and the sound of hooves rushing to their doors and back again. Sophie knew she needed to be brave and put Gorse back in his stable. It wouldn’t do him any good to be wandering around at night, especially in this frightened state!
Thinking fast, Sophie pulled off her hooded top and wrapped the sleeves round Gorse’s neck. Clucking her tongue, she gently encouraged the little Exmoor to head back across the yard to the safety of his stable. Then she’d have to wake Lainey and explain what had happened so they could make sure Gorse’s door was completely secure.
“Come on, boy,” she said. “I know how you got out! Rosie let you out!”
But then Gorse stopped dead and snorted, and the hairs on the back of Sophie’s neck stood up. It was as though every other pony in the yard was looking in the same direction, and Sophie felt a shiver of fear. Holding on to Gorse’s thick mane as though for protection, she peered into the darkness. Then she gasped as the reason for Gorse’s nerves became clear.
Dragging one leg and slinking low to the ground, the creature got nearer, eyeing Sophie warily. Its fur was a rich reddish brown and its tail was long and bushy. It was a beautiful fox, obviously injured and in trouble!
For a few seconds Sophie just stood and stared. Then she sprang into action. She knew she had to get the fox to a secure area, both to calm the ponies and to make sure it was OK. Looking around her wildly, she gave a triumphant “Aha!” as her eyes fell on the solution – the hay store, straight ahead of her, where she had played so many pranks on her friends. The doors were open – all she needed to do was herd the fox inside and quickly close them.
“Gorse,” she said in what she hoped was a calming voice, “I need to get that fox from there –” she gestured at the little animal – “to there.” She pointed at the hay barn. Then she gave Gorse a pat. “I know you’re frightened, so you can stay here.”
Walking towards the fox, Sophie tried to keep her movements slow and deliberate. The creature seemed too exhausted to run.
“Come on,” Sophie said quietly as she approached, thinking about all the animal stories on her bookshelves at home. The fox was somehow smaller than she’d imagined them to be. Her plan was working. The fox was backing up now, just a few steps away from the open doors. As soon as it ran in, Sophie would be able to rush forward and close the doors behind it. Then she gave a cry of dismay as the fox suddenly whirled round as fast as it could with its injured leg and started to scuttle back along the length of the stables, heading towards the gate out to the fields. If it got out of the yard, Sophie had lost it, and she knew it wouldn’t survive like that much longer.
But just then, there was the scrabble of hooves on cobbles and Gorse trotted a wide circle round, heading the fox back towards Sophie, keeping himself between the creature and the gate. Sophie was too amazed to react at first, then realised Gorse was helping her, as if he understood what she was trying to do. With Gorse blocking its escape into the fields, and with Sophie closing in, the little fox made a dash for the darkness of the hay store.
“Gotcha!” Sophie cried triumphantly, closing the big wooden doors as quickly as she could. Then she turned to Gorse, who had come back to her, and gave him a hug. He had understood her, Sophie was sure of it! They’d worked as the perfect team.
“You’re so clever!” she said admiringly, burying her face into his thick mane. “And I’m so glad you’re OK too.”
It was scary to think about Gorse out of his stable in the middle of the night. There were all sorts of places he could have hurt himself. But he’d been so brave! It was obviously the fox that had been spooking him and the other ponies. That explained the prints, and the rustling in the hedge, and perhaps it had been hiding in the old barrel down by the arena, worrying all t
he ponies during the gridwork lesson.
Before Sophie could lead Gorse back to his stable, there was a shout and, looking up, she saw Lainey striding out of her house, wax jacket and wellies over her pyjamas, and a worried look on her face.
“Sophie?” she said, getting closer. “What’s going on?”
CHAPTER 9
Sophie gestured towards the hay barn.
“It was a fox,” she said. “Gorse and I got it in there, but it’s really hurt.”
Lainey blinked.
“A fox?” she said in a confused voice. “I thought… Oh, it doesn’t matter.”
Lainey looked a bit wistful. Sophie wondered if she was thinking of Rosie.
“It’s injured its leg,” Sophie explained. “Quite badly I think.”
Lainey nodded, pulling out her mobile phone.
“I have a friend who works in the wildlife centre out towards the dual carriageway,” she said. “They’re open twenty-four hours a day so I’ll call her now. That was some fast thinking from you. Well done!”
“Thanks,” Sophie said, feeling a tiny bit wobbly. The excitement of the fox rescue was just starting to wear off. She leant against Gorse as Lainey made the call.
Eventually, Lainey hung up the phone and smiled at Sophie. “She’s on her way,” she said. “She was most impressed with the way you’d trapped the fox, and with Gorse’s help! But Gorse?” She then frowned. “Was he loose?”
Sophie knew it looked bad.
Sophie and the Spooky Pony Page 3
