A Horse for the Summer

by Michelle Bates

  Tom could hardly contain himself as the voice from the speaker announced that he had taken the lead with a time of three minutes and four seconds. Tom clapped his hand to Feather’s neck in excitement and neatly jumped to the floor.

  “You were brilliant, Tom,” called Jess, who had hardly been able to watch. “I bet you’ve won.”

  “No, someone’s sure to beat me,” he said. “There are still four competitors to go.”

  “I’m not so sure,” said Nick, coming up behind them. “That will be a hard act to follow. Well done.”

  Tom walked Feather towards the trees to cool down for the result. He could hardly believe it, he had jumped clear. He didn’t want to watch everyone else, it seemed unsportsmanlike to hope they wouldn’t do well.

  It seemed to take forever as the speaker called out the times and repeatedly announced that Tom held the lead. There were only two more riders to go. Tom held his breath at the gasps from the crowd as the competitors thundered around the course. But no one matched his time.

  Tom couldn’t quite believe it when his name was called as the winner. Somehow, he found himself trotting forward.

  The next thing Tom knew, he was flying around the ring again, this time with a red rosette pinned to Feather’s bridle and a huge silver cup in his hands. Beams of light sprang off it as it glinted in the sunlight and they galloped their lap of honour. This had to be the greatest moment of his life.

  As he came out of the ring, all of his friends from Sandy Lane gathered around him. He couldn’t believe it...he, Tom Buchanan, was the winner of the open jumping at Benbridge. And then his heart sank as he remembered who he should have been riding.

  “But it wasn’t with Chancey,” he said sadly to himself.

  13

  TO THE RESCUE

  “I can’t believe that Georgina’s parents were actually pleased with her performance at Benbridge. She might as well have been wearing spurs. Chancey would have won the open jumping if Tom had been riding him.” It didn’t sound mean coming from Alex who never had a bad word to say about anyone.

  “And she’s a show-off if you ask me,” said Jess, wrinkling up her nose.

  “Worse than that. She’s going to be keeping Chancey on at Sandy Lane too. It’s really rubbing Tom’s face in it.” Alex brushed the last traces of sawdust from Hector’s tail.

  “Well, at least he gets to see Chancey,” said Jess. “It would have been awful if she had taken him away. Tom’s completely devoted to that horse. He’s done so much with him. Do you remember what he was like when he first arrived at Sandy Lane?”

  Jess and Alex were still chatting away when Tom passed behind them. Oblivious to the fact that he had heard every word, they continued with their tasks.

  They were right of course, but even so, Tom was finding it difficult. He couldn’t stop thinking about Chancey at Benbridge. The horse had been driven into a complete frenzy and Tom wasn’t even in a position where he could say anything. He shouldn’t have let himself get so attached to the horse. He hadn’t meant to. It had just happened that way and he hadn’t realized how hard it would be to give him up.

  As Tom untacked Feather, he glanced around the yard. Everything was in order, everything was in its correct place. Except Chancey’s stable door was wide open and swinging in the wind!

  Bang! Ominously, it slammed shut.

  No doubt that wretched Georgina had forgotten to bolt it. Tom hurried over and stuck his head around the door. The stable was empty – neither Chancey nor his tack were there.

  Tom was puzzled. Georgina couldn’t be riding in the woods – he had just been there on his hack. She hated practising, so she wouldn’t be in the outdoor school. Still, it was worth a try. Tom ran down the drive to the outdoor school. But there was no one there.

  Then, as he turned back to the yard, it suddenly struck him. Georgina must have taken Chancey to the beach. Tom’s heart sank as he remembered her impatience with the last coastal ride. She would love an opportunity to ride Chancey far out on the beach with no one to stop her. He looked at his watch and cringed. A quarter past four. He had a horrible feeling that it was high tide at five today. The beach would be almost covered by now.

  Quickly, he ran to the tack room and looked at the tide sheet, breathlessly hoping that he was wrong. He felt the blood rushing to his head as he stared at the times before his eyes. Stupid girl.

  “Nick, Nick,” he cried, running to the cottage, desperately searching for help. But there was no one around. Where had Alex and Jess gone? There wasn’t a moment to lose. Impulsively, he grabbed a bridle and ran to Feather’s stable. He had no choice. He would have to go himself. Pulling the horse’s head up out of her feed bowl, he put the bridle back on and led her out of the stable. There was no time for a saddle. He opened the gate and vaulted onto her back. Feather’s neck was arched and her tail held high as she whinnied excitedly.

  Tom turned her through the gate and pushed her on...faster and faster until they were galloping. Soon they were approaching the other side of the field. There wasn’t time to stop and open the gate. He took a deep breath and prayed. Gritting his teeth as they went forward, he drove Feather towards the hedgerow. He grimaced as he heard the sharp twigs scratch her belly. He felt himself slipping and gripped harder with his knees. Feather took it as a command to go faster and started to gallop over the stubble at a cracking pace. Tom clung on for dear life as they raced through the woods, on and on to the open stretches beyond.

  It was only when they were on the cliff tops that Tom drew Feather to a halt and looked down at the beach below. It was almost covered, except for a few remaining islands of sand left amidst the surging, swirling sea. The silver, shimmering expanse of water stretched out in front of him.

  Tom listened carefully. All he could feel was his heart beating faster, all he could hear was the ominous cry of the gulls overhead. He squinted into the distance. Perhaps they weren’t here after all, he thought hopefully.

  And then he heard a pitiful cry coming from a sand bar some way beyond Gull Rock. Straining his eyes, he could just make out a person and a horse, the water seeping in around them. The horse was sweating up and frantically swishing his tail. It had to be Georgina and Chancey.

  “Georgina, Georgina!” Tom cried. Why didn’t she guide Chancey towards the shore? It was probably still within their depth. In any case, horses were good swimmers. They could still make it if they were quick. Tom felt completely hopeless. What could he do? If he and Feather swam out to them, the tide would be higher still. They would never make it back. And he knew that he wasn’t strong enough to swim it alone.

  Then it came to him. If he rode round towards the headland, he could climb down the blowhole into the caves that he and Alex had explored last summer, and then wade across the rocks to the sand bar. Without hesitating, he gathered up Feather’s reins and pushed her forward. Deftly she raced along the cliff tops to the far side of the bay, picking her way through the loose stones as she went. Tom dismounted. There was nowhere to tie her. He took a deep breath and knotted her reins. Then he slapped her rump and sent her on her way, hoping that she would find her way back to Sandy Lane and raise the alarm.

  Soon he had found what he was looking for. Tom shuddered as he looked down into the inky black abyss below him.

  “Here goes,” he said to himself. He knew that he could get down. He’d done it loads of times with Alex. But this was different – he had to be quick. One slip and he would go crashing to the bottom of the hole.

  Tom looked down at his hands as he clutched at the stumps of grass. His knuckles were white, and his breath was coming faster now. Trembling, he climbed into the hole. He knew there were foot holds cut out of the rock. He would have to feel for them. Think of it as a ladder, he said to himself and carefully he struggled down and down.

  When his foot finally touched water, he couldn’t believe he had made it. Stepping down from the hole, he looked around him. He would have to pick his way out of the cave very caut
iously. Holding onto weed and rocks to steady himself, he waded out against the waves until he was up to his hips.

  “Georgina, Georgina,” he called again. And this time she heard him. Her face was contorted with fear.

  “Hang on. I’m coming for you,” he said, calmly. One moment, the water was up to his waist, the next a wave rolled in and he was up to his neck. But he was nearly there. He would just have to swim the last bit. It wasn’t far. And then he reached the sand bar.

  “Quickly, Georgina. There’s not a moment to lose. The tide’s still coming in. The sand bar will be covered before long.”

  “What do I do?” she wailed, the panic rising in her throat, her eyes white with fear. “Where did you come from?”

  “Keep calm,” said Tom. “I came from a cave over there at the side of the cliff,” he pointed. “If we can get back, then there’s a hole you can climb up.”

  “No, no,” she wailed. “I’m not going in the water. I’ll drown. You should have got them to send a boat for me.”

  “Who? Get real, Georgina,” said Tom. “There wasn’t time for a boat. No one even knows you’re here for starters.”

  The sand bar had halved in size since he had first spotted them and they were fast running out of time.

  “Look, I’ll swim to the cave and you hold onto my shoulders,” Tom said, desperately trying to remember all he had learnt in his life-saving classes. Georgina seemed to calm down at this suggestion.

  “OK, I’ll hold onto you and you drag me,” she said.

  “Right,” said Tom, getting more impatient by the minute. “Let’s go.”

  “Chancey,” he called. “Chancey, I’m coming back for you. Don’t do anything silly.” The horse was sidestepping around the sand bar, his eyes rolling uncontrollably.

  Tom strode into the waves and plunged forward as Georgina held onto him. She was clinging on so tightly, that for a moment he panicked that she would drag him under. Once they had started, she calmed down though, and her grip slackened. Doggedly, Tom swam forward and forward until eventually they could stand.

  “Stand Georgina, stand. Your feet can touch the bottom here. Walk forward.” Quickly, he led her into the cave.

  “Right, now this is the hole,” he said pointing upwards. “Up you go.”

  “I’m not going up there.”

  “Yes you are,” Tom said firmly. “Or you’ll drown.”

  “I need you to show me how to do it,” Georgina cried hysterically.

  “I’ve got to go back for Chancey, Georgina.”

  “Never mind the horse,” she screamed. “What about me?” Tom looked at her in disbelief.

  “I’ll drown,” she said. “He’s only a horse, he can be replaced.”

  Tom looked out to sea at the familiar figure still struggling on the sand bar, now a silhouette against the bleak horizon. He felt a lump rising in his throat.

  “No,” he said firmly. “I’m going back. I’ve got to get him. If I guide him, we can swim to the path. I’ve got you this far. Once you’re on the top of the cliffs, you’ll be safe. You know the way back.”

  “It’s dangerous,” Georgina yelled.

  But Tom didn’t listen as he turned and headed back into the sea. It wasn’t long before he was up to his neck. He spluttered as he took in a gulp of water. Moving his arms was nearly impossible as the weight of his sweatshirt dragged him down. Out of breath, he scrambled onto the sand bar and quickly grabbed Chancey’s bridle.

  “Come on my boy. We’re going to get off here. We’re going to be all right. You’ve got to swim to the shore – straight ahead, towards the path. I know that it looks a long way, but you’re strong. You can do it.”

  Tom had a job keeping Chancey still as he scrambled on top of him. Chancey circled the sand bar and pawed at the ground.

  Tom patted his shoulder to settle him down. Then he urged him forward and they plunged into the waves. When Chancey realized that he could swim, he wasn’t so frightened. But in spite of his words of encouragement, Tom really didn’t know if they could make it. Chancey was a courageous horse, but two hundred yards was a long way to swim.

  They seemed to make good progress at first, but after the first five minutes, Chancey was beginning to struggle. The current was stronger than Tom had anticipated and he felt exhausted as he clung on, gripping until his legs were numb. Were they nearly halfway now? Tom didn’t know. Surely they must be. But the shore didn’t seem to be any closer. Bravely, they battled forward. Chancey snorted and spluttered as the water swirled, until slowly, the shore grew larger. They were getting closer. Tom started to feel more positive. Surely they could make it now. He thought he heard voices carried to him on the sea air. They were almost there.

  And suddenly they must have hit the sand. Chancey’s nostrils were a fiery red as he forced his way through the crashing waves. He seemed to be walking along the sea-bed. They were at the foot of the cliffs. Tom felt shivery as they reached the path. He slid to the ground, unable to hold on any longer and everything went black...

  14

  CHANCEY FOREVER!

  Nick was startled when Feather clattered into the yard, her reins dangling broken by her sides, her coat dank with sea water. His heart sank. She had come from the beach. Someone was in danger. He looked at his watch. He looked at the tide sheet. Someone was in serious danger.

  There wasn’t a moment to lose. Nick hurried over to where Whispering Silver was basking lazily in the sun and climbed into the saddle. Turning out of the yard, he called to Sarah to bring the Land Rover round the old coastal track to the top of the cliffs. There wasn’t time to answer any questions.

  Slipping through the back gate, he headed for the cliffs, taking the same route Tom had taken no more than half an hour ago...through the fields, through the woods, to the open stretches beyond.

  Nick reached the path at the top of the cliffs at a quarter to five just as Georgina was scrambling her way up the blowhole.

  Nick gazed anxiously out to sea, willing himself to see something...anything. But there wasn’t anyone around. Or was there? And then he saw it – the outline of a horse on a sand bar. He looked harder. It looked like Chancey, but where was his rider? Now he could see a tiny speck moving halfway between the cliffs and the sand bar. Nick craned his neck further forward. It seemed to be getting closer to the sand. It was a person. And then he saw someone else on the far side of the cliffs. It looked like Georgina.

  “What on earth is going on?” he bellowed. “Who’s that on the sand bar?”

  “Ch...Ch...Chancey,” Georgina stuttered.

  “I can see that,” he said. “But who’s that out there with him?”

  “Tom.”

  “Tom.” Nick was flabbergasted. “What’s he doing out there?”

  “It’s...it’s my fault,” Georgina spluttered, shivering now from both cold and fear. “I got caught and he wanted to go back for the horse. They will be able to make it won’t they? They will be all right?”

  “Well, we’ll soon see,” Nick said grimly, scrambling down the path to the beach where the waves were crashing fiercely against the rocks.

  It was a long way to swim. Nick had never felt so completely powerless. All he could do was watch. The pair seemed to be progressing slowly. And then he heard the noise of a car engine and Sarah appeared at the top of the cliffs. As she hurried down the path to join Nick, she needed no explanation. Training her eyes on the moving figures, she held her breath. The current was so strong but they were about halfway now. Could they make the shore?

  “Clever lad,” Sarah was saying. “He’s following an angled route to take account of the currents.”

  Nick’s mind was whirling. He couldn’t watch. He couldn’t stop watching. He couldn’t think straight. He didn’t know what to do. Turning from the sea, he listened to Sarah’s running commentary. And he couldn’t stop himself from looking back and remembering the day he had first met Tom. Had it come to this?

  “They’ve only got fifty yards or s
o to go,” said Sarah.

  Nick snapped out of his trance as he realized that he hadn’t been listening to a word Sarah had been saying. He rushed forward as Chancey clawed at the rocks and stumbled up the path. Tom collapsed at his feet.

  When Tom awoke, he was back in his bedroom at home. The curtains were drawn, but as his eyes became accustomed to the dark, he could just make out the shape of the large china horse on his book shelf. Perhaps it had all been a dream. He reached up to his forehead. There was something on it, something cold and damp. It felt like a flannel.

  Tom’s head felt fuzzy. His heart started to beat faster as slowly it all started to come back to him.

  “Mum, Mum, where are you?” He was panicking now. Mrs. Buchanan rushed into the room.

  “Why am I in bed?” he cried. “Where’s Chancey? Did it all really happen?”

  “Calm down Tom,” his mother said sensibly. “One question at a time. Everything’s OK. You’re just exhausted. Yes, it did all happen and you hit your head when you fell.”

  “But Georgina,” said Tom.

  “She’s fine,” said his mother. “In disgrace, but fine. She managed to climb up the blowhole. And Chancey’s all right too. Showing off, but still in one piece. You’ve slept through the night, so you haven’t missed out on anything.”

  “Oh,” said Tom, a wave of relief spreading right through him. “I shouldn’t have saved Georgina, should I?” he joked. “Then I would have had Chancey all to myself.”

  “You were extremely brave,” said his mother. “A lot has happened since then. You might find you have a few surprises,” she said, drawing back the curtains. “Look outside.”