Dark Days at Saddle Creek

by Shelley Peterson

  “He’s okay, I guess. He didn’t stay awake long. But he looks way better than yesterday.”

  “Very good.”

  “He started to tell me about my father.”

  Hannah looked at Bird. “Really?”

  “Yeah. But he fell asleep. I really want to know more.”

  “I wish I could help, Bird.”

  “I’ll ask him when he gets better.”

  Hannah indicated that Bird should put her bike away, and walked with her to the side of the house. “I heard about my father’s case while you were gone.”

  Now Bird felt doubly bad. She’d heaped one worry for her Aunt Hannah onto another. And Paul had even asked her to go easy on Hannah. “What happened today?”

  “His lawyer tried to get the case remanded — delayed — and to pay bail to keep Dad out of jail. Like he’s done before. But because last year’s insurance fraud case is still pending, the new charges of mischief and conspiracy to mislead justice made the judge think Dad’s a flight risk.”

  Bird propped her bike against the wall. She tried to understand. “The old insurance fraud case … plus the new charges … made the judge not trust him? Meaning Grandfather doesn’t get bail? Meaning he stays in jail?”

  Hannah nodded. “Correct. No matter how his lawyers argue, the judge thinks my father will run from the law. Your grandfather will have to stay in jail until his trial.” Her eyes looked hollow. “The date hasn’t been set.’

  “I’m sorry. He deserves it, though.” Bird looked directly into her aunt’s eyes. “A person who leaves someone to die on the road and then frames his mentally ill son for it doesn’t deserve to be free.”

  Hannah couldn’t disagree. “I hear you, Bird.” She brushed her hair from her eyes. “Oh, Eva called. They’ll pick you up tomorrow evening on their way home from Muskoka.”

  Bird felt her chest tighten. “Can’t I stay here? If I promise not to do anything else wrong? Would you be okay with that?”

  Hannah inhaled. “Fine with me. If you don’t pull any more stunts. Just be prepared to explain to your mother.”

  “Easy,” said Bird. “I’ll tell her the truth. She doesn’t like me and I don’t like her. Why put ourselves through the agony of living together?”

  “Hold on, there, Bird. Aren’t you being a little harsh?”

  “No. It’s the truth. No sense denying it.”

  “Keep an open mind. Things aren’t always as black and white as they look.”

  “They are to me.”

  Hannah smiled affectionately. “I’d love to have you stay, Bird. But what about Julia?”

  “Mom loves her. She’ll be okay.”

  AS IT TURNED OUT, Bird got her wish and was able to stay with her Aunt Hannah. Bird wondered if Eva was relieved to be rid of her. The thought didn’t exactly make her happy, but it did confirm Bird’s opinion that she and her mother would never get along. No big news.

  The week passed with the daily routines of the farm — animal care, lessons, and upkeep — and Friday came quickly. The morning of the show dawned bright and hot. Bird sprang out of bed thinking it was later than it was.

  She ran downstairs and surprised Hannah in the kitchen. “Whoa there!” Hannah said. “You almost made me spill my coffee!”

  “Are we late?” asked Bird. “We’re still going, aren’t we?”

  “No, we’re not late, and yes, we’re still going.” Hannah smiled broadly at her niece. “I was just about to wake you. Patty dropped off Kimberly and Liz at the barn. Everything is under control.”

  “Is Julia coming? And Sally?”

  Hannah frowned. “Eva hasn’t decided yet about Julia, and Sally wants to take Tall Sox, if we have room, to look around the show grounds.”

  “So, we take Sox if we have room, and Mom hasn’t decided yet?” Hannah looked at the clock. “I told her that the decision would be made for her if she doesn’t call by seven o’clock.”

  “It’s five after seven now.”

  “There you go. Tall Sox is coming.” Hannah punched in the numbers to contact Harold Johns. “Hi, it’s Hannah … Yes, Tall Sox has a spot in the trailer … Can you meet us at the show? We’ll be there a little after eight-thirty … Great. See you later.” She turned to Bird. “I woke him up, but he did ask me to call.”

  Bird ate a big bowl of granola with bananas and berries and vanilla yogurt, got dressed, and rushed up to the barn. Cliff had already packed the trailer with the necessary equipment, and extra bales of hay were piled in the back of the truck. The horses that were going to the show were groomed and ready to load. All except Sox.

  “Cliff,” Bird called out, “Sox is coming with us. I’ll get him!” She rushed back down to his field, but couldn’t see any sign of the bay gelding with the tall white socks.

  “Bird!” called Cliff. Bird turned. Cliff stood at the barn door, waving. “I brought him in earlier, just in case!”

  Bird ran back up. “I should have known.”

  A car came zooming up the driveway — Eva with Julia. Trouble, Bird thought.

  Cliff watched beside her.

  “Aunt Hannah already told Harold that Sox can come, and there’s no room for little Sabrina on the trailer,” said Bird. “Can you be the one to tell Eva? She hates me.”

  “No way!” Cliff said, screwing up his face. “She scares me!”

  “A tough guy like you?” Bird challenged with a smile.

  “Yeah, okay.” Cliff nodded unhappily. “I’ll do it. But she still scares me.”

  “I’ll protect you if she attacks.”

  “Sure.”

  “Thanks! I’ll groom Sox.” Bird raced off before Cliff changed his mind.

  She put Sox in the cross ties, scraped the dirt out of his hooves with the hoof pick, and combed his mane. His coat was thick with dust, so she made the decision to bathe him. He might as well look like a show horse.

  She and Sox were in the wash stall when Julia appeared, all dressed in her show clothes. “Hi, Bird.”

  Bird looked around. “Are you okay? I mean, without me at home?”

  “Mom is way nicer when you’re not there to argue with her. No offence.”

  Bird laughed out loud. “So I shouldn’t feel guilty?”

  “Well, I miss you!” Julia exclaimed. “You should feel guilty about that!”

  “Okay, I do. I’m just glad she’s being nice to you, that’s all.”

  “She is. In fact, I think she’s trying to spoil me to feel better about you and her.” Julia stepped back from the spray of water. “Anyway, I’m really excited. This’ll be a really fun day.”

  Bird thought she was being sarcastic. “Look, sorry about that. Mom was supposed to call Aunt Hannah by seven and she didn’t.”

  “What are you talking about?” Julia looked puzzled.

  “That Sabrina isn’t coming. We don’t have room.”

  “Cliff told Mom we’re coming! I heard it myself.”

  Bird felt a fork of anger. This was not fair to Sally and Harold Johns. Eva had a knack for always getting her way. She finished washing Sox and scraped off the water. She put him back in cross ties to dry and stomped off to confront Eva.

  Cliff stopped her in time. “I thought of a way for them all to go,” he whispered. “I’ll drive my truck and borrow Lisa and Joe’s tagalong trailer.” Lisa and Joe had boarded at Saddle Creek Farm for many years, and left their trailer at the barn.

  “Did you ask them?”

  “I just called. Lisa said yes. Thanks be to the heavens above.”

  “Cliff, you have no backbone.”

  “I know that,” Cliff laughed. “Hey, I saw how fast you chickened out and left her with me.”

  They loaded the horses and left for the show. Hannah drove the big rig with Bird and the four horses — Sundancer, Pastor, Moonlight Sonata, and Tall Sox. Eva drove Julia, Kimberly, and Liz, while Cliff trailered the pony, Sabrina, in the borrowed van.

  They arrived at the grounds right on time. Sally Johns was waiting in
the car with her father at the gate. “Hello-o-o!” she waved excitedly and ran over to the Saddle Creek truck. “I’m here!”

  Hannah smiled at the girl and leaned out the window. “Is your dad staying?”

  “No, he’s got to get to work.”

  “Jump in. We’ll go find a place to park.”

  Sally waved goodbye to her father and climbed in the back seat behind Bird.

  They weren’t lucky enough to find a spot overlooking the grounds, but settled on one under a big shady tree. Cliff parked his truck beside it. “We’ll have a little ways to go for water,” said Hannah.

  “We can handle it.” Bird jumped down from the truck and opened all the window flaps in the trailer. The horses stuck out their heads and looked around at the activity. Horses, ponies, kids, adults, grooms, riders, vans, trucks, golf carts, motorbikes, bicycles, tents, flags, paddocks, jumps — it looked like a big jumble of colour and movement until you figured out what everything meant, where things belonged, and what people were doing.

  So this is what it’s like! Tall Sox’s nose quivered as he took in all the new smells. So much is happening!

  You’ll get used to it, Sunny answered. After a while, you learn to ignore what you don’t need to notice.

  Bird thought the horse said it well.

  Sally came over. “What do we do now?” she asked.

  “We’ll leave Sox on the trailer until he gets familiar with the smells. In a while, we’ll lead him around, just to let him see everything.”

  Sally nodded happily. “I’m so glad he could come! I’ve never trained a horse before!”

  Bird was surprised that Sally saw herself as a trainer. But really, she thought, it made sense. The most important part of training is reducing fear, which allows a horse to accept what people want to do with him.

  “You’ll be really good at it,” said Bird. “And it’ll be fun.”

  7

  GLADIATOR

  All things are bound together. All things connect.

  — Chief Seattle, Suquamish

  Bird walked down to the registration office with Hannah to sign everybody up. The office still had the passports for their horses — they were kept in a box for the season’s shows — but Hannah had to write a cheque for the classes and get the girls’ entry numbers.

  As they made their way down the dirt lane toward the office, Bird noticed a very handsome bay gelding. He was skittery, and spooked at a passing golf cart. Watching him jump clear across the lane, Bird realized it was the same horse that had run away the weekend before — the same horse that had been stopped by the mysterious man!

  Bird looked up at the rider. It was Wanda, one of Dexter’s grooms.

  “Hey, Wanda!” Bird called to the red-haired girl as the horse continued to sidestep and prance.

  “Bird! How’s it going?!”

  “Good! What’s your horse’s name?”

  “Gladiator. He’s not mine — he belongs to the Woodalls.” The gelding jiggled and danced. “He’s for sale.”

  Hannah touched Bird’s arm and stared at the horse.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Bird asked. Hannah had guessed right away that the Woodalls’ horse would be for sale.

  “I’d put money on it.” Hannah whispered. She addressed Wanda, speaking loudly enough to be heard above the noise. “What does he do? Jumpers?”

  Wanda rolled her eyes. “He refuses jumps half the time, and is afraid of water, but don’t say I said so. They’re looking for a lot of money.”

  “How much?” asked Bird, knowing Hannah would be too polite to ask.

  “Fifty thousand.”

  “Holy!” Bird hadn’t expected that. Fifty thousand wasn’t out of line for a horse that was consistently in the ribbons, but not for one that stopped at jumps. “He’s handsome enough, but fifty?”

  Wanda shrugged. “Not my business.”

  Before Bird could reply, Gladiator decided that the people had chatted long enough. He leapt in the air with a mighty twist. Wanda wasn’t ready, and off she tumbled. Gladiator raced away with his stirrups flapping against his sides.

  “Stupid horse!” she yelled. “I’ll never catch him,” she grumbled as she brushed herself off. “And now I’ll never get Dexter’s clients ready for their classes in time!”

  Bird watched as the horse sped away. “Aunt Hannah, do I have time to catch Gladiator for Wanda?”

  Hannah nodded. “Lots of time. That’s nice of you. I’ll do the paperwork. See you back at the trailer.” She smiled at Bird and walked on to the office.

  “You’d do that for me?” Wanda’s voice was filled with gratitude. “I really, really, really appreciate it!”

  “No worries,” Bird said. “Where’s he stabled?”

  “At the far end of the third row, closest to the warm-up ring.

  Thanks so much! You’re a lifesaver!” She took off running to do her job.

  Gladiator had raced off in the direction exactly opposite from where he was stabled — an indication, Bird thought, that he didn’t want to be there.

  She caught sight of him between two trailers, and she began to run. He ducked behind a row of stall-tents and disappeared from her sight.

  Gladiator? Are you all right? she messaged.

  Who are you?

  My name is Bird. Can I come get you?

  And give me back to those people?

  Is there a reason not to?

  The horse didn’t answer.

  Gladiator?

  Silence. He wouldn’t willingly come to her — not yet, at least. She didn’t blame him, but she didn’t want to give up either. She continued to follow him, and when she got to where she’d last seen him, she turned the corner. There he stood, with sides heaving. Right beside him stood the man she’d heard at the last show — the man who could communicate like she did. Gladiator had run to him!

  After taking a few seconds to think, Bird walked up. “Hello,” she said aloud.

  The man looked at her out of deep brown eyes with wrinkles all around them. His face was weathered by the sun. His faded jeans had a brown leather belt and a big western buckle, and his messy black hair showed under a faded blue baseball cap. He wasn’t tall. He might be as old as Hannah, Bird thought.

  While she was examining him, Bird knew he was studying her, too. “Hello,” she repeated. “My name is Bird.”

  “Is this your horse?” he asked.

  “No. But I know where he belongs.”

  “Belongs, you say? He doesn’t belong there, or he wouldn’t be here.”

  Bird smiled at him, trying to look friendly and casual. “I feel the same way. But I told them I’d bring him back.”

  The man took his time answering. He removed his cap to scratch his head, black hair shining almost blue in the sunshine. Bird was wondering if she should say something — the silence was getting awkward — when he said, “Then do what you must do.”

  He gave Bird the reins and turned away.

  “Hold on!” Bird waited for him to turn back. He didn’t. “I think I saw you last week.” I heard you speak.

  The man stopped walking. He stood still with his back to her.

  I speak the same way, Bird transmitted.

  Nothing.

  I want to talk to you.

  Still nothing. The man didn’t turn to her, but he didn’t walk away either.

  Maybe I have the wrong person. Sorry.

  Now the man walked away. He didn’t look back.

  “Thanks for catching Gladiator!” Bird called to him through a thickening throat. All of a sudden she felt a wave of loneliness. Her eyes burned with tears. Had she gotten the wrong person? Had she imagined that he spoke telepathically?

  The horse gently touched her arm with his nose.

  Bird patted him gratefully. May I ride you back? she asked.

  I don’t know. The gelding became nervous again, and shuffled his feet. I don’t want to go back.

  It won’t be for long. I’ll try to
help you.

  Okay. You can ride me. I do not like it there, but I will not misbehave.

  Fair enough. Bird adjusted the saddle and got up. She tried to put aside her disappointment about the man as she steered Gladiator through the people and horses and fuss. They slowly made their way to Dexter Pill’s stall tents.

  You’re a nice horse. Tell me how I can help you, Bird asked.

  Can you buy me? I would be happy with you. You understand me.

  True. But they’re asking a big price for you, which I can’t afford.

  Soon it will be lower. I do nothing well. I hate my life.

  Bird patted his shoulder. I’m sure you do many things well.

  No, I don’t. I used to be a good jumper, and now everything scares me.

  Does Dexter hurt you?

  Yes. When I don’t jump he hits me. Now I never jump and he hits me all the time.

  You’ll get your confidence back. You’re a wonderful animal.

  Thank you, Bird. You make me feel good.

  I’ll watch out for you, Gladiator.

  Please don’t call me that. I like the name Glad.

  Okay, Glad.

  It is good luck to find a person who talks like you do.

  Thanks. It comes in handy.

  But it is great luck to find two.

  Bird was confused. Two?

  Yes, two.

  Did he mean the man? Perhaps she hadn’t imagined it! That man? Does he speak like I do?

  Ask him again when he’s ready to tell you.

  Bird smiled broadly. She would do just that.

  When they arrived at Dexter’s stabling, Wanda came running. “Thanks so much, Bird! You totally deserve a medal! I owe you one!”

  “My pleasure,” said Bird as she dismounted. “This is a very nice horse.”

  Wanda rolled her eyes. “Right. Tell that to my bruises.”

  “No, really,” Bird was serious. “If you want to pay me back for helping, be really good to him. And call him Glad.”

  “Whatever,” joked Wanda. Then she looked at Bird. “You’re serious.”

  “I’m serious. Call me if you need help with him. You know where we’re parked?”

  Wanda nodded. “Yes, and I will.”

  Bird stroked Glad’s neck. Be a good boy, Glad. I’ll check back later.