Cally stared at the floor. “Someone stole them, or that’s what he said anyway.” She looked up, her eyes full of tears. “One day he brought me out here, and Wings – I mean Breeze – was in the shed. At first I thought it was great, but then the black one showed up too. What was her name again?”
“Bonnie.”
“Bonnie. And he kept talking about Dancer, how soon he’d bring him home too. I started wondering if he was stealing them, but didn’t know what to do, how to stop him.”
“Why didn’t you tell someone?” Joanna asked.
“Tell who?” Cally looked up at her with desperate eyes. “I don’t know any of Grandpa’s friends, and I can’t tell the police. They’d just put him in jail. The only thing I could think to do was wait for Mom and Dad to get home from their vacation. They’ll know how to fix everything, and they’ll do it without hurting Grandpa.”
“But what about the horses? Don’t you care if they get hurt?”
Cally covered her face again. Obviously, she did care.
“We understand that you were undecided,” Angelica said. She moved to sit beside Cally on the hay bale. “But now we can help you. You are not alone in this.” She put her arm around the girl’s shoulders.
Cally jumped up as if stung. “You can’t tell anyone.” All her misery had changed back to palpable fear. “Please, for Grandpa. I know my mom and dad can make everything right. They’ll be back from their vacation tomorrow morning. The horses will be okay until tomorrow, won’t they? It’s almost over. I’ll take good care of them, I promise.”
Joanna looked around. “I don’t know. The shed’s pretty small. What if one of the horses kicks another one? Tango seems really stressed, and he’s bigger than the other two. He could hurt them.”
Angelica nodded. “Tango longs to be home. He does not like it here. And Bonnie is finding it difficult living in this shed. She is in foal and her legs hurt if she stands too long in one place.”
“She’s pregnant?”
Angelica nodded. “And not very happy. Only Breeze is happy in this place.”
“He is?” Cally’s voice was soft as she looked up at the muscular Quarter Horse.
“Yes. He loves the attention you lavish on him.” Angelica smiled. “He does not get much at home.”
Cally didn’t smile back. “See? It may not be so bad for them. Please, please, don’t tell anyone.” Her lip quivered. “They’ll put Grandpa in jail if you tell anyone. And if you sneak them back to their real homes, he’ll just go out to steal them again tonight. That’s too dangerous for him and them.”
“But–”
“I think Cally is right,” Angelica interrupted. “The horses can stay, as long as they agree.” She stood to gaze into Tango’s soulful eyes. The horse bobbed his head and snorted, then backed into his corner, and stood calmly.
Angelica moved on to Bonnie. Her fingertips roved over the jet-black face. Bonnie sighed. Lowered her head.
“What’s she doing?” Cally whispered to Joanna.
Angelica moved on to Breeze.
Joanna didn’t know what to answer. She’d never seen anything so bizarre, but it looked as if Angelica was not only asking the horses’ permission to leave them here for one more night, but they were answering her!
The teenager finally turned toward them. “They will stay until tomorrow, as long as you promise they will be safe.”
Cally didn’t hesitate. “I promise. But how did you–”
“There’s something else,” Joanna said, interrupting her. “We need something in return.”
“Anything, since you’re not telling on Grandpa,” said Cally. “Just tell me what I can do.”
“My friend, David, is missing,” Angelica said. “He was here last night, outside the shed, and I just found a car behind one of the fallen buildings. I wonder if it is his. Does your grandfather have a green car?” When Cally shook her head, Angelica continued. “Then I think your grandfather has imprisoned David, possibly in an attempt to keep the stolen horses a secret.”
Cally’s face turned white. “But he wouldn’t.”
“I heard him yelling at a guy last night,” said Joanna.
“But there’s no place to hold anyone here, other than this shed and the house. I would have noticed something.”
“Unless he’s hiding David from you. Maybe he locked him away in a closet or something,” said Joanna.
“I am very worried about him, and afraid he might be hurt,” Angelica added. “We need to find him.”
Cally looked first at Angelica, then at Joanna, then back to the older girl. She nodded. “You helped me, so I’ll help you. Stay here while I look for him. I’ll be right back.”
Cally was gone for what seemed hours. Joanna and Angelica waited behind the shed where they could look around the corner to the house, talk to the horses through cracks in the back wall, and yet still be protected from Mr. Thomas’s view if he decided to come outside.
From behind the shed, they were also in the perfect spot to get away from him unseen. They were a two-minute run from the fence that separated the two properties, and as long as they kept the shed between themselves and Mr. Thomas, he wouldn’t see them.
However, the back of the shed was unprotected from the sun and the sky was clear. As the morning advanced, the air sweltered hotter and hotter. Joanna wiped sweat from her forehead and closed her eyes against the brightness. How delightfully cool Raven would be waiting in the shady forest. How envious she was of him. Even the horses in the shed were protected from the sun. If only they could wait inside… but it was too risky.
She leaned back against the wooden wall and listened to the drone of a bee come closer, closer, then fly farther away. “Where are you from, Angelica?” she asked to help pass the time. “Do you live around here?”
“No.”
The answer was so short that Joanna opened her eyes and looked at the older girl. “What about David?”
“He does not live here either.”
“So why are you here?”
“David called me.”
Joanna almost rolled her eyes. That wasn’t what she meant. Angelica was so odd in that she took everything so literally. Obviously, she’d have to word her questions more clearly if she wanted an answer. “There must be a reason for you and David to be here, or you’d be somewhere else, right? And if the reason isn’t because either of you are from around here, then how did you end up in Mr. Thomas’s yard?”
“I came here because David was here.”
“So why was he here?” Joanna tried once more, trying hard to keep her tone even and unfrustrated.
A crease appeared on Angelica’s forehead. “That I do not know, and it bothers me. There is more I do not understand in this situation as well.”
Joanna shook her head. Angelica really wasn’t very good at answering questions. “Like what?”
“Like why Cally’s grandfather stole the horses.”
“Because he’s going senile.”
“Yes, that is true. But there must be a deeper reason, a reason that explains why he believes the horses are his to take back in the first place. I do not feel he is a bad man, therefore he would need a valid reason to justify his actions.”
Joanna looked out across the field. Angelica was right. She hadn’t thought of it that way before, but Mr. Thomas flashing back to the past wasn’t enough of a reason for him to steal horses. He had to have reason to believe that somehow the horses still belonged to him.
“Also, I worry about David,” the teenager continued. “It seems Mr. Thomas’s reaction to him, from what you have said, was fuelled by anger instead of fear. If he were trying to keep the stolen horses a secret, would he not have sounded more afraid of discovery than angry?”
“Yes,” said Joanna, amazed. Mr. Thomas hadn’t sounded a bit afraid, only furious at David. “And he called him by another name, remember? He was mad at some other guy and mistook David for him. That’s probably important.”
; “It is possible that the person he mistook David for did something to him in the past, and if so, in kidnapping David, did he feel he was achieving revenge?”
“Sure, it’s possible.”
“But why? What was he avenging?”
“I don’t know. I just hope Cally finds him quick.” Joanna heard a door slam and leaned to look around the corner. The red highlights in Cally’s hair caught the sunlight as she ran toward them, her eyes on the shed.
“I can’t find him,” she blurted, opening the door. Joanna knocked on the back wall, and a moment later Cally was around the corner. “I looked everywhere.” She sounded panicky. “And Grandpa’s awake now. He’s coming outside in just a minute. You have to go.”
“We will go to Raven,” said Angelica. She put her hand on Cally’s arm. “You come too.”
“Who’s Raven?”
“My pony,” Joanna said. “Come on.”
The girl nodded, and the three of them raced toward the fence. On the other side of the barrier, the forest welcomed them, a pine-scented haven. Already the sweat on Joanna’s face was cooling.
Raven whinnied to them as they drew near and pawed the ground. Obviously, he felt he’d been waiting far too long.
“Oh,” said Cally, and breathed deep. “He’s adorable.”
“Yes, he is,” Angelica agreed, and smiled.
“Come meet him,” said Joanna.
Cally stepped to Raven’s side and the pony nuzzled her arm. “He’s so sweet,” she said, touching his face. “And he’s just the right size. Not too big and scary.”
“He’s getting too small for me, actually,” Joanna said, then squeezed her lips together, surprised she’d confided in Cally so quickly.
“What will happen to him when you get bigger?”
Joanna shook her head. “I don’t know. Mom and Dad might sell him, or lease him out to a smaller rider.”
“I wish I was smaller.”
Joanna just sighed.
“You were able to check the entire house?” Angelica asked, bringing them back to their problem.
“No. When I went into Grandpa’s room, he woke up. He hadn’t taken off his hearing aids and he heard me.” She stroked Raven’s sleek neck.
“If he takes his hearing aids off tonight, we can come inside the house to help you look for David,” Angelica offered.
Joanna didn’t say anything. The idea of sneaking about Mr. Thomas’s house while he was asleep seemed creepy. And scary. What if he woke up and discovered them? She’d get in such massive trouble. And Robbie would never let her or their parents forget it.
“Okay,” said Cally. “You wait at the shed after dark and I’ll come out to get you as soon as he’s asleep.”
“But…”
Both girls looked at Joanna.
“You do not have to do this, Joanna,” said Angelica.
What was she supposed to do now? Wimp out? Say she was too scared? “No, I was just going to say, I might be a little late. My parents don’t go to bed until after the 11 o’clock news. But you can count on me.”
Angelica nodded her head in approval.
“I have to go home now though,” Joanna continued. “My big brother and his wife are coming over for lunch, and Mom said I had to be there.”
Cally patted Raven on the shoulder in farewell. “Bye, Ravie Roo,” she murmured, then threw her arms around his neck to give him a quick hug. “I’ll see you tonight,” she said to Joanna.
Joanna leapt to her pony’s back. “I’ll be here,” she said, then added, “Try not to worry, Angelica. We’ll find him.”
“Yeah, we’ll find him,” echoed Cally, then added, “If he’s there.”
Raven snorted, and then he and Joanna were off.
It has been ages since I have had to wait. No horse is calling me. None of my humans. There is nothing I can do now to find David. Cally has returned to her grandfather. Tango, Bonnie, and Breeze have promised to wait.
This is a rare moment, one that has not happened since my run with Rhythm and Crystal. Have I forgotten what it is to have free time? Apparently.
What do I do now?
Maybe a stroll in these woods? The wildflowers are wonderful, so tiny and perfect. The breeze is refreshing. The boughs sigh and trees creak – wild music. I hear a brook nearby.
Xu? Yes, I hear you. You want me to come to you?
Thank goodness!
Joanna rode into the yard just as a red truck pulled into their driveway. Jason and Capri had arrived. She waved to them, then trotted Raven toward the barn. Mom would have lunch ready soon, and she wanted to give her pony a good grooming before she turned him out with Trusty to graze.
Robbie and her dad were in the barn, standing outside Silver Belle’s stall.
“Jason and Capri are here,” said Joanna.
Joanna’s dad turned toward her, his face lined with concern.
“What’s wrong?”
“Belle. She’s worse.”
“Oh no!” Joanna hurried to the stall, Raven clattering behind her, and peered over the half door. Belle was stretched out in the straw, with her foal, Silver Chime, standing over her and the vet kneeling at her side. Raven whinnied and the mare startled. She struggled to rise but her back legs didn’t seem to be working properly.
“Help me, Robbie,” said Joanna’s dad. He pushed past Raven and entered the stall.
Tears erupted from Joanna’s eyes. Was their beautiful Belle going to die too, just like Silver Surprise?
“Move,” said Robbie, sharply. “Raven’s upsetting her.”
Speechless, Joanna pulled her pony away from the stall. She ran to clip him in the crossties, then hurried back. Robbie was holding Chime in the corner, keeping her safe from her dam’s flailing hooves. Dad and the vet were attempting to hold the mare still so she wouldn’t harm herself in her struggles, but they weren’t having much success. Belle seemed to be having a seizure.
Then Dad saw her. “Jo, go take care of Raven!”
“But–”
“Go!”
Joanna ran. Not toward Raven, but toward the barn door. Across the stable yard and over the gate, toward the fillies’ pasture. But no matter how hard she ran, she couldn’t get the horrible image of Belle, trembling and jerking on the floor of her stall, out of her mind.
Pain stabbed at her side, but she didn’t stop. Suddenly, the second gate was in front of her. Moments later, she was over it and racing onward. She was almost to the fillies’ pasture now. There in the center of the field, she could see the white spot that was Crystal, Belle’s foal from two years ago. Joanna stopped short and squeezed her eyes shut. “Please make Belle be okay,” she muttered. “Please, please, please.”
She opened her eyes to see the fillies canter toward her, obviously delighted to get an early afternoon visit.
“Joanna.”
Joanna spun around. “Angelica?”
“Raven told me you needed me.”
“Belle’s dying.” Fresh tears gushed from Joanna’s eyes. “And she can’t, she just can’t. She has a baby who needs her. I need her. She can’t die.”
“I will see what we can do. Please, stay here.”
Surprised, Joanna looked up. Angelica was already moving toward the fillies. She climbed the fence, and moments later, was in the center of the small herd, her head bowed. The fillies crowded closer to her, pressing their heads against the teenager’s slight body.
Joanna’s mouth opened in amazement. Light was sparkling over Angelica’s hair and the fillies, especially Silver Crystal, Belle’s foal.
And then the sparks were gone. It had to be her imagination. There was no logical explanation for what she’d seen – and her eyes had been full of tears.
The ponies broke formation and Angelica walked back to the fence. She sighed, her eyes sad. “Belle is fine now, Joanna. Go back to the barn. You will see.”
“What? How can you know?” Then her voice filled with hope. Somehow she felt Angelica was telling the truth. “Real
ly? She’s okay?”
Angelica frowned. “Yes, she accepted our help, because of Chime. But please, Joanna, you must prepare yourself. When Chime is weaned and living in this pasture with her sister, Belle will move on.”
“What do you mean? You can’t mean she’ll die. No!”
“It is her time, Joanna, and the nature of life for us all.” She put her hand on Joanna’s shoulder. “We must accept it, especially since Belle has. We must honour her life, not fear her death.” Slowly, she released the girl. “Now, my dear one, go see Belle for yourself. Enjoy your lunch with your family. I will see you tonight.” Then the strange girl turned and walked back to the fillies with slumped shoulders.
Joanna looked back at the distant barn. Could Angelica and the fillies really have saved Belle? It was impossible. But she knew the answer was yes. She knew it in her heart.
And just as surely, she knew Angelica’s warning was true. Soon Belle would be gone – and then Raven too, to a new owner. How was she to bear it?
Xu, I am back. Thank you for your invitation! It is not often that I get to visit for enjoyable reasons, my dear.
I cannot wait for our adventure – a gallop across the Tibetan Plateau! As we run, I will send images to Belle. She has never seen anything so exotic! It will cheer her at this difficult time.
Look! A herd of antelope – Chiru, I believe they are called – are coming up behind us. And now we are among them, their soft bodies next to ours as we gallop over the plains.
Glorious! There is no greater place to be at this time. Thank you, Xu, with all of my heart!
The entire family, even Jason and Capri, were standing outside Belle and Chime’s stall when she got back. Amazed smiles were plastered to their faces.
“Come here, love,” Mom called when she saw Joanna. “Come see our miracle.” She moved so there was room for her daughter to stand beside her.
Joanna crowded near the stall door and peered over. Belle was stoically munching her hay as Chime cavorted about her, bucking and kicking.
Silver Dream Page 5
