Stable Witch

by Bonnie Bryant

  “It’s nice of you to call,” she said, finally. “But it would have been even nicer if you had been there for me yesterday.”

  “We know,” Carole and Lisa responded in unison.

  “And you’re right—the way we acted was completely out of line with The Saddle Club ideals,” Lisa added.

  “Well try to make it up to you,” Carole said gravely.

  Stevie paused before saying, “I guess I am a little too competitive with Veronica. I can understand why you thought I might have gone overboard this time.” Then, with an effort to laugh, she added, “I sure look guilty, though, don’t I?”

  Lisa hesitated. “I hate to say it, Stevie, but you’re the obvious culprit.”

  Lisa and Carole went on to apologize nine or ten more times before Stevie could cut them off.

  “Listen—apology accepted, okay?” she said. She knew it might take a while longer for her to completely forgive Lisa and Carole, but there was no point in making them grovel.

  Now that the air was cleared, Lisa decided that it was time to get back to the practical aspect of the problem.

  “I think there’s only one solution,” she continued. “We have to find the real perpetrator and expose him—or her—to Max.”

  “But that’s practically impossible. Veronica has so many enemies, how can we single out one?” Stevie joked.

  “With some good old-fashioned sleuthing,” Lisa replied.

  “Some good old-fashioned, lightning-fast sleuthing, you mean,” Carole put in. “We’ve got to clear Stevie’s name in less than a week.”

  “There’s no better time than the present,” said Lisa. “Let’s get back to the scene of the crime.”

  The girls agreed to meet at Pine Hollow that afternoon. They would do some investigating, as well as take a Saddle Club ride together.

  That prompted Stevie to ask Lisa how the jumping practices were going. Lisa sighed. “They’re going nowhere fast,” she said glumly. She described her torturous sessions with Veronica. “The worst thing is, she’s right most of the time. I make so many mistakes that I can’t even remember all of them. I wrote down a list of problems, but it’s not helping. As soon as I remember one thing, I forget the other twenty-five. Poor Prancer has just about given up on me. Every time we go near a fence, I can practically feel her cringing.”

  Stevie and Carole were sympathetic to Lisa’s problems. Both of them felt bad that they hadn’t helped her out more. And both agreed that trying to learn anything from Veronica—or even in her presence—was probably next to impossible. They promised to try and help figure out what was going wrong.

  “You know what?” Lisa said. “I feel better already. Somehow, when The Saddle Club works together, I feel like there’s no obstacle we can’t conquer.”

  “Or jump over,” Stevie added, giggling. With a click she put down the receiver. In one phone call, her day had gone from total frustration to total relief. She was so glad that Carole and Lisa were back on her side that even the news about Mrs. diAngelo seemed unimportant.

  Humming happily, she began to fish her riding stuff out of her overflowing hamper.

  “BUT I THOUGHT I was supposed to lean forward,” Lisa said. The three girls had set up a short course of jumps in the outside ring—nothing big, but with enough variety to bring out whatever problems Lisa felt she had. Carole and Stevie were watching Lisa go over them. Unfortunately, Lisa seemed to be getting more and more uptight as the practice session progressed.

  Carole thought for a minute. “You are supposed to lean forward—just not that far forward.” She didn’t know how else to put it. That was the hard thing about being an instructor: you not only had to know what to do, you also had to be able to explain it in such a way that your student understood. It was part of what made teaching fun, but right now, Carole just wanted to zap the information into Lisa’s brain.

  On her next time around, Lisa’s jumping position was better, but she was still having problems with her hands. She either dropped them completely before the fence or held on too late. Again Carole struggled for the right words, but all she could say for sure was that Lisa’s timing was off. She knew Max would have been able to assess the problem in a matter of minutes and provide encouraging and useful advice.

  “I can’t seem to get into any kind of a rhythm,” Lisa said. “I’m either ahead or behind.”

  “That’s because you’re too worried about it,” Stevie told her. “You’ve got to relax.”

  Ruefully, Lisa thought of the list she had made. “I know I do, but it’s like a catch twenty-two. I can’t relax into a rhythm because I’m too worried about it, and I can’t stop worrying until I relax.” Lisa knew how frustrated she sounded, and, for once, she didn’t care. At least with Carole and Stevie critiquing her, she didn’t feel that she had to pretend to be pleased with her performance. Unlike Veronica, they truly wanted her to do well. Besides, they had seen her do well previously so they knew she could. But even all their help wasn’t helping. Every adjustment she made seemed exaggerated and uncomfortable. She didn’t want to admit it, but for the first time since she’d made her resolution, she felt like giving up.

  “I’m really beginning to think I’m cursed,” Lisa announced, only half kidding. “There’s got to be some kind of witch jinxing my jumping.”

  Carole and Stevie laughed.

  “I thought I heard a rusty chain clanking up in the hayloft,” Stevie joked.

  “How about giving it another go?” Carole suggested. To herself, she vowed to think up more creative ways to explain to Lisa what she was doing wrong.

  Lisa agreed. She wasn’t going to quit when Carole was volunteering so much of her time.

  “I’ve got a better idea,” Stevie said. “How about not giving it another go, at least for now, and taking a trail ride instead?”

  “I have to confess that a trail ride sounds great,” Lisa said. The thought of wandering through the woods had already brought a relieved smile to her lips.

  “Count me in,” Carole said. She had a feeling she knew what was behind Stevie’s suggestion.

  As she and Stevie went to get Starlight and Belle, who were tied to the rail, Stevie filled her in on what she’d been thinking. “Lisa is too uptight and nervous to do anything right. She needs a chance to erase all the mistakes she’s made and just enjoy herself,” Stevie said.

  Carole looked at her with respect. Stevie had figured out a way around Lisa’s problems instead of through them. Sometimes fun was the answer. Carole made a mental note to remember that with her future students, that was, if she decided to become an instructor instead of a breeder, trainer, veterinarian, or competitive rider. For now, she made a note to remember it herself.

  While the two of them mounted, Lisa volunteered to go in and tell Max where they were going. It was Pine Hollow policy never to leave on a trail ride without mentioning your intended route to someone. That way, if anything happened, people would know where to start looking for you.

  Max was happy to hear that they were taking a break from schooling. He told them to forget about the week’s troubles and enjoy themselves. Lisa promised to do her best. When she returned to the ring, both Carole and Stevie had funny looks on their faces. Lisa figured they had been talking about her jumping problems but had stopped when they saw her, not wanting to hurt her feelings. She appreciated their concern and decided to say nothing.

  Chattering happily, the three girls headed out across the back pasture. While they loved everything about horses, there was nothing quite like the freedom of riding on a shady, well-worn trail. As soon as they turned onto it, all three of them paused to inhale the wonderful, woodsy smell. With so much on their minds lately, it was even a bigger treat than usual to be getting away on their own. Starlight, Prancer, and Belle seemed to sense their good mood. The horses walked along at a nice pace, swinging their tails and pricking up their ears at the sound of birds.

  As usual, Carole was in the lead, with Lisa next, and Stevie last. Li
sa followed Carole attentively. She watched the light, easy way Carole sat in the saddle and tried to imitate her position. When they began to trot, Lisa felt her own sense of rhythm start to come back. She posted along contentedly. In another few minutes she thought she might even feel like whistling.

  Carole led them along the edge of a neighboring field, trotting and cantering for long stretches. When she got to the end, she veered right, onto a sort of serpentine, off the usual trail. “I’ve always wanted to explore back this way!” she called.

  “Why not?” Lisa called back. She figured Carole was hoping to find another meadow that they could canter in. All of them felt like cantering today.

  At the end of Carole’s serpentine, they came to a long stone wall bordering the woods. The wall marked the edge of Pine Hollow property. The Saddle Club knew because Max was constantly reminding them to get permission if they were going to go past the stone walls. Sensibly, Carole slowed to a walk. She walked the length of the wall before turning and taking a trail straight into the woods. Then she picked up a trot again.

  Once more, Lisa felt the happy sensation of being completely at one with her horse. Prancer perked up her stride and really moved. Up ahead, Carole seemed to be having an equally good time with Starlight. A couple of times, Lisa meant to turn around and check on Stevie, but she was so busy comparing her position to Carole’s and so thrilled about feeling like a decent rider again that she forgot. Besides, Stevie was such a good rider that there was nothing to worry about.

  Up ahead, Carole slowed once more to a walk. Lisa figured she had stopped to give Starlight a breather. Then she saw Carole halt and turn around in the saddle, staring over her shoulder, beyond Lisa. Trying to get a better look, Carole stood up in her stirrups and shielded her eyes. All at once, she started waving.

  Completely confused, Lisa looked to see where Carole was pointing. Turning in her saddle, she wondered what was up with Stevie now. “If this is another practical joke, Stevie—” she began to say. She stopped when she realized that no one was listening.

  Stevie was gone. There was no sign of her, as far down the trail as Lisa could see. Immediately, Lisa halted Prancer and listened. She heard a voice, faint at first, but unmistakably Stevie’s. She was calling for help from her friends. But where was she?

  In a split second, Lisa had her horse turned around and headed back down the trail. All she could think was that Stevie was in trouble and needed her. Images of fallen riders lying helpless on the ground flashed before Lisa’s eyes. She urged Prancer into a canter, then a gallop. As they neared the end of the trail, Lisa heard Stevie again. Her voice was coming from the field that lay beyond a low gray wall.

  Without hesitating, Lisa rode straight for the gray stones. She could feel Prancer confident beneath her. She leaned forward, reached forward with her hands, and rose in the saddle. They flew over the stone wall in perfect unison, landing gently on the other side.

  As soon as she landed, Lisa spotted Stevie, standing in the middle of the field, holding Belle. Lisa hurried over to her, worried sick about what she would find. With every step closer she took, however, her worry got diluted: Stevie had a huge grin on her face. As Lisa pulled to a halt beside her, she heard Starlight landing in the field. Carole cantered up next to them. If anything, her grin was bigger than Stevie’s. Lisa looked from one to another incredulously.

  “We knew you could do it,” Stevie said.

  “Do what?” Lisa asked, dumbstruck.

  “Jump,” Carole said simply.

  As the realization dawned on her, Lisa’s jaw dropped. “You mean—?” she asked, pointing at the wall.

  “Yup,” Carole and Stevie said in unison.

  “We knew that if you could jump without thinking about it—without worrying about every last detail, you and Prancer would do everything right naturally,” Carole explained.

  “And you did,” Stevie put in.

  Lisa thought back over the perfect jump, a slow smile spreading over her face. It had been the most wonderful feeling in the world. And she hadn’t tried to do anything. She had just headed Prancer toward the fence and stayed with her.

  Jumping was easy. And fun. Suddenly Lisa couldn’t wait to do it again.

  Impulsively she embraced Stevie and Carole in a huge hug. “Thank you for making me jump right!” she cried. As they watched, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the now-wrinkled list of things to watch out for. She ripped it into pieces and threw it joyfully into the air.

  “I was so obsessed with every little detail that I had forgotten completely how to just—jump!” Lisa said, her voice full of emotion.

  After they had joked about the plan and how perfectly Lisa had fallen for it, Stevie remounted and they began to walk to the edge of the field. Talking and riding together had put all three of them in the mood for a Saddle Club meeting.

  “I know—let’s go sit by the creek. We’re right nearby,” Carole suggested, naming one of their favorite spots on the trail.

  “Good idea,” Stevie said. “The sooner we get off of this property the better. I have no idea whose land we’re trespassing on, and Max will have our heads if we get into trouble with some farmer.”

  “So, does that mean we’ll have to jump back out the way we came?” Lisa inquired innocently, shortening up her reins.

  “It most certainly does,” Stevie answered, picking up a trot.

  “Well then, tally-ho!” cried Carole, setting off for the stone wall.

  THE FAMILIAR SETTING of the creek made a perfect resting place. After watering the horses and tying them nearby, the girls went to sit on the rocks. The sun was out, making the winter afternoon warmer than usual, even for Virginia. For a few minutes, the three of them sat in near silence, listening to the peaceful sound of the horses blowing through their nostrils.

  Lisa was so happy she could hardly put it into words. A few hours ago she had been dreading Saturday’s competition. Now she felt eager and confident. She no longer believed she had to prove herself to everyone. She could just sit back—but not too far back—and enjoy the ride. Finally, she spoke up. “I owe it all to you guys that I can jump again,” she said.

  “You don’t owe us anything,” Stevie responded. “We just fooled you into remembering something you already knew.”

  “I just don’t understand what it was that kept interfering,” Lisa said. “Unless,” she added, musing aloud, “it was the witch in Mrs. Reg’s story.”

  “What witch? What story?” Carole asked. Briefly Lisa recounted the strange tale.

  “So the boy was always convinced that this girl was cursing him on cross-country?” Stevie asked. She sounded as skeptical as Lisa had felt when she had first heard the story from Mrs. Reg.

  “That’s right. And Mrs. Reg said it was a stable witch that was haunting him,” Lisa said. “What do you think it means?”

  Carole had a ready answer. “To me, the only kind of witch like that—one that casts spells on you—is a person’s own lack of confidence. What else haunts you more than self-doubt? If you don’t think you can do something, you can’t. This whole week you were worried and nervous because you didn’t believe in yourself or your horse.”

  “That’s true,” Lisa conceded. “I kept dwelling on how green Prancer was and how inexperienced I was compared to everyone else. I was using that as an excuse. I should have been looking forward to having my own learning experience this weekend, but instead all I could think about was how I measured up. Of course what I saw was that I didn’t measure up—to anyone.”

  “Right,” Carole went on. “And that lack of confidence cast a spell on you. Every time you saw a fence, you thought, ‘I don’t know if I’ll be able to do this,’ and so you couldn’t, just like that boy couldn’t get around the cross-country course. But once you were tricked into not thinking at all, you forgot to doubt yourself, and you jumped perfectly.”

  “Why is it that sometimes the harder you try, the worse you get?” Lisa asked, remembering her se
ssions with Veronica.

  In response, Carole launched into one of her famous lengthy explanations. “Well, for starters, riding isn’t an exact science. Just because your heels are down and your shoulders are back doesn’t mean your horse is going to behave perfectly. Having a good position helps, but it doesn’t guarantee anything. And sometimes the more you try to adjust every last detail, the more upset you get when your horse still isn’t behaving perfectly. You feel that you’re doing everything you can, and yet nothing is working. And once you’re upset, you can forget about getting anything done.”

  Lisa thought of the list she had made. She mentioned it to Stevie and Carole. “It seems like such a silly idea now, but at the time I really thought it would work. Instead, I guess I created my own stable witch.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” Stevie declared. “My theory about Mrs. Reg’s story is actually a little different. Carole’s explanation makes sense, but I think that, in this case, the stable witch was Veronica.”

  Lisa and Carole burst out laughing. Somehow, neither of them could see Mrs. Reg telling one of her mysterious stories simply to implicate Veronica. Obviously, she hadn’t been the mysterious girl on the cross-country course. And yet the funny thing was, Veronica truly was a stable witch—of the scariest kind!

  “No, listen, I’m serious,” Stevie said when they had stopped giggling. “Let me explain. First of all, whenever Lisa went to jump, Veronica showed up. Just the sight of her made Lisa nervous. Then with all her confusing advice, I think that she got Lisa’s head so mixed up and turned around, it was a wonder Lisa was riding facing the front of the horse!”

  Carole nodded in agreement. “You know, you’re right, too. Too much ‘helpful’ advice can be worse than none at all, especially when the person you’re advising is even the slightest bit unsure of herself.”