Pony Swim

by Judy Katschke

  “What’s a skiff?” Yuki asked.

  “It’s a small boat with a motor,” Ben explained. “We’ll be so close to the swimming ponies we’ll be able to feed them carrots!”

  “Really?” Yuki gasped.

  “No, not really.” Willa giggled. “But we will be closer than if we watched them from the beach.”

  “Can we, Mom?” Yuki asked. “Please?”

  Mrs. Iori thoughtfully looked from Willa to Ben to Yuki. “I’m not sure,” she answered slowly. “Will there be an adult in the boat?”

  “Mrs. Starling will drive it,” Willa explained. “She and Mr. Starling give boat tours off the island, so she’s an expert.”

  “We’ll all wear life jackets, too,” Ben said. “And lots of bug spray for the mosquitoes.”

  “Lovely,” Mrs. Iori mumbled sarcastically.

  “May I go, Mom?” Yuki asked again.

  “Well . . . I could stay here and work on my photographs,” Mrs. Iori thought out loud. “Let me think about it.”

  Photographs? Willa remembered the big case Mrs. Iori had slung over her shoulder. Was it a camera case?

  Ben wasted no time asking his next question: “What kind of photographs do you take, Mrs. Iori?”

  Before Mrs. Iori could answer, Yuki chimed in again.

  “I hope I can go to the pony swim,” Yuki said. “Seeing the ponies up close would be so sweet.”

  Sweet! Willa suddenly remembered her platter of desserts. The raspberry sorbet was melting like a warm snowball.

  “We have an assortment of desserts,” Willa spoke super-quickly. “May we recommend the lemon chiffon cake with strawberry cream?”

  “Yuki doesn’t like strawberries,” Mrs. Iori said. “But she loves blueberries.”

  “Mo-om!” Yuki groaned, embarrassed to have her mother speak for her.

  “No problem,” Ben piped up.

  Willa shot her brother a sideways glance. Dad hadn’t made blueberry topping for dinner. What was Ben thinking?

  “I’ll just have a cup of coffee with milk on the side please,” Mrs. Iori said with a small nod. “Thanks, kids.”

  As they walked away from the Ioris’ table, Willa whispered, “Dad only has strawberry topping today.”

  “So he’ll whip up blueberry, too,” Ben whispered back. “Mrs. Iori could be taking secret photographs of Misty Inn. She could be the mystery travel critic, too. We have to make them happy.”

  One person who wasn’t happy about the blueberries was Dad.

  “How could you tell our guest I have blueberry cream when I don’t?” Dad asked in the kitchen.

  “I promised Yuki, Dad,” Ben admitted. “You and Mom always say a promise is a promise, right?”

  “Right,” Dad groaned, pulling open the fridge. “We still have whipped cream and leftover blueberry compote from breakfast. But no fresh blueberries for the garnish.”

  He turned to Willa and Ben and said, “Unless . . . you two go outside and quickly pick a few.”

  “Now?” Willa asked.

  “But it’s going to be dark soon,” Ben said.

  “Not for another two hours,” Dad said. His eyes twinkled as he added, “And a promise is a promise. Right?”

  “Riiight,” Willa and Ben chorused.

  Willa and Ben soon found themselves outside picking blueberries for Yuki’s dessert. The hot summer sun had faded to a hazy yellow spot in the sky. In the distance Starbuck stood in the pasture, her shaggy brown tail flicking mosquitoes.

  “Remember when we first moved here and I was so quiet?” Ben asked when their bucket had enough blueberries.

  “Yeah.” Willa chuckled. “What a difference a year makes.”

  They were about to head back inside when Mom rushed outside. Stretched between both hands was a white pillowcase. Stuck to the pillowcase was an icky-looking half-melted chocolate bar!

  “Mr. Ross went up to his room and found this,” Mom said. She raised an eyebrow. “Any idea how a chocolate bar got on his pillow?”

  “Um . . . sort of,” Ben admitted. “Dad said fancy hotels leave chocolates on the pillows.” He shrugged his shoulders and said, “But I didn’t think my chocolate bar would melt.”

  Mom stared at Ben. Willa stared at the pillowcase. Then suddenly—“Neeeeiiiiiighhhh!”

  All three heads turned toward the pasture. Willa knew a pony laugh when she heard it, which made her laugh too. Then Ben. Then Mom.

  The goopy chocolate bar on the pillowcase wasn’t really funny, but after a long, tiring day, everyone needed a good laugh. Including Starbuck!

  Chapter 6

  “WILLA . . . TIME TO GET UP.”

  Willa’s eyes stayed shut as she heard the faint sound of her mother’s voice. Was it part of her dream?

  “The pony swim is today, Willa,” Mom said.

  Pony swim? Willa heard that loud and clear. She smiled as her eyes snapped open. Who needed sleep when her real dream was about to come true?

  Willa rolled out of bed. The bedside lamp had been turned on. It was so early in the morning that the sky outside her window was still black.

  In a flash Willa was washed and dressed. She practically ran down the stairs to the kitchen, where preparations for the pony swim were underway. Dad and Katherine Starling, Sarah’s teenage sister, were busy filling express breakfast bags for guests. Katherine worked part-time at Misty Inn and was a huge help.

  Ben yawned as he scribbled the words “Pony Express” on each bag with a blue marker. “Why did we have to get up so early?” he asked. “The ponies aren’t swimming for another few hours.”

  “Katherine already told us,” Dad said as he placed a freshly baked scone into a bag. “The pony swim can cause a traffic jam of boats on the channel.”

  Katherine nodded. “My mom wants to leave early and get a good spot before she anchors.”

  Willa pointed to the Pony Express bags Ben was stuffing and said, “I hope there are no soggy chocolate bars in there.”

  “Very funny,” Ben said with a smirk.

  Willa turned to Katherine. “Will you be coming with us on the boat?” she asked.

  “Not this year,” Katherine answered. “I’m watching the swim from the beach with my friends.”

  Willa listed the passengers who would be in Mrs. Starling’s boat. “Lena won’t be there—she’s watching the swim and parade with her family, so there’ll be Mrs. Starling, me, Ben, Sarah, Chipper—”

  “And me!” someone cut in.

  Turning, Willa saw Yuki at the kitchen door. She was wearing shorts, a T-shirt, a white cap, and a smile.

  “Good morning, Yuki,” Dad greeted.

  “It’s an awesome morning,” Yuki declared. “My mom said I could watch the pony swim from the boat today.”

  “Cool!” Willa said.

  “That is good news, Yuki,” Mom said, walking into the kitchen. She stopped at the counter to fill her coffee cup. “Is your mom going too?”

  “No, Mrs. Dunlap,” Yuki said. “Mom’s checking her camera for the pictures she wants to take today.”

  Ben looked up from the bag he was stuffing. “Pictures?” he asked. “What kind of pictures?”

  “I’m not sure,” Yuki replied. “I just know they’re for some magazine.”

  Before Ben could ask which magazine, Yuki turned to Willa, her eyes shining. “Did you feed your pony yet?” she asked.

  “I was just going to,” Willa replied. “Would you like to watch?”

  “Absolutely,” Yuki said. “Just let me tell my mom I’m going to the barn.”

  As Yuki raced upstairs, Dad said, “Looks like you have a new friend, Willa.”

  “Her mother’s very nice too,” Mom said.

  “Yeah,” Ben whispered to Willa. “For a spy!”

  The hot July sun was beginning to rise as Willa and Yuki made their way to the barn.

  Once they stepped inside, Yuki took a long, deep breath. “Mmm,” she said with a smile. “It’s exactly how I thought a barn would smell.”r />
  Willa stared at Yuki. “Most guests hold their noses when they come in here,” she said. “You really do love horses, don’t you?”

  Yuki saw Starbuck and gave a little gasp. She walked ahead of Willa straight to her stall.

  “Yuki, meet Starbuck,” Willa introduced. “Starbuck, meet Yuki Iori.”

  The gentle mare nuzzled Yuki’s shoulder to say hello. “You are so lucky to have your own pony, Willa,” Yuki said.

  “Starbuck isn’t just any pony,” Willa said. “She’s a real Assateague pony who swam to Chincoteague.”

  “No way,” Yuki exclaimed.

  “It’s true,” Willa told her. “Starbuck started out as a boarder at my grandma Edna’s animal rescue center.”

  “Was she hurt?”

  “Starbuck’s leg was injured, but my grandma Edna is a vet and treated it,” Willa explained. “She also let Ben and me groom and exercise Starbuck.”

  “So after a while she was able to walk?” Yuki asked.

  “Not just that,” Willa continued. “Starbuck walked all the way from Miller Farm to Misty Inn. That’s when we knew she was finally home.”

  “That is so cool,” Yuki said.

  She then looked around the barn and asked, “Where do you keep the water and feed buckets? And Starbuck’s brushes?”

  Willa wasn’t sure she wanted Yuki to groom Starbuck. She seemed to know a lot about ponies, but did she know about grooming them?

  “How do you know so much about horses, Yuki?” Willa asked.

  Yuki sighed. “I read everything I can about them.”

  Willa decided to start Yuki off with a simple task. She pointed to a rubber hose coiled up near the wall. A few inches away was a water bucket. “Why don’t you use that hose to fill the bucket with some fresh water?” she told Yuki.

  “How much water?” Yuki asked.

  “Almost to the top,” Willa replied.

  While Yuki filled the water bucket, Willa scooped feed into Starbuck’s pail. “Maybe, if there’s time, we can go riding together while you’re here, Yuki,” she said.

  “I don’t think so,” Yuki said. “My mom doesn’t like ponies much, so she never lets me ride.”

  Willa stopped scooping to look up. Not like ponies? How can anyone not like ponies? But Willa gave Yuki a reassuring smile and said, “You’ll see more ponies today than you ever dreamed or read about.”

  “I can’t wait!” Yuki said as she carried fresh water to Starbuck’s stall.

  Yuki turned out to be a quick learner. She fed Starbuck then helped groom her coat with three different types of brushes.

  After the barn chores were done, Willa and Yuki returned to the house. Mrs. Iori was eating an early breakfast in the dining room, her camera case ready to go.

  “Remember, Yuki,” Mrs. Iori said. “Reapply sunscreen every hour on the boat. And please don’t get near those ponies.”

  “I’ll try, Mom.” Yuki sighed. On the way out of the room, she whispered to Willa, “See what I mean? My mom isn’t exactly a pony fan.”

  The sun was already high when Mrs. Starling dropped anchor in the channel. The skiff had a full crew. Willa, Yuki, and Ben shared a storage bench in the middle. Sarah and Chipper sat on cushioned seats. The skipper of the skiff, Mrs. Starling, sat before the outboard motor.

  Willa breathed in the welcoming scent of warm salt water and coconut sunscreen. She still couldn’t believe she was at an annual Chincoteague pony swim. She also couldn’t believe how many skiffs, tour boats, and kayaks crammed the channel, all there for a glimpse of the world-famous swimming ponies.

  “Check out the great view, kids,” Mrs. Starling said, popping a straw sun hat over her brown hair. “It looks like we have the best seats in the house.”

  “Like getting tickets to the World Series with seats behind home plate,” Chipper declared. “Way to go, Mom!”

  Yuki gazed out at the thousands of people on the beach. Many were standing waist-deep in the water. A few had climbed trees for a better look.

  “Look how many people are here,” Yuki said excitedly. “It’s like the ponies are celebrities.”

  “The ponies are celebrities, Yuki,” Willa said, smiling.

  “Yeah,” Sarah agreed. “Who needs Hollywood when you can live in Chincoteague?”

  The Starling Sundancer sloshed in the water as everyone waited for slack tide. That’s when the ponies would begin their swim. During that time, Ben took every chance he could get to question Yuki about her mom.

  “Um . . . Yuki, those pictures your mom is taking,” Ben said, trying to act casual, “not that I really care . . . but what magazine are they for?”

  “I don’t know the name of it,” Yuki said, pulling a muffin from her Pony Express bag. “Just that it’s some travel magazine.”

  “Travel magazine,” Ben whispered to Willa, “as in mystery travel critic!”

  “Not now, Ben, please,” Willa whispered back. “We’re here to watch the pony swim.”

  The kids made the best of the wait, sharing stories, feeding hungry seagulls, even groaning at Chipper’s corny pony riddles. . . .

  “What’s a vampire’s favorite part of a horse race?” Chipper joked.

  “When it’s neck and neck.” Sarah sighed. “You told us that one already, Chipper!”

  Chipper was about to try another one when the crackling sound of a distant loudspeaker filled the air. A hush fell over the crowd before an announcer welcomed one and all to the pony swim.

  Willa drew in an excited breath. Was this it? She soon got her answer when many began shouting, “Here they come! Here come the ponies!”

  All eyes in the Starling skiff turned toward Assateague. The island was far but near enough for Willa to see what she had waited all year to see—a team of saltwater cowboys herding brown, black, and pinto ponies from the marshy sands into the water!

  “Woo-hoo!” Ben cheered.

  “Use the binoculars, kids,” Mrs. Starling suggested. “You’ll get a closer look.”

  There were plenty of binoculars to go around on the Starlings’ tour boat. When Yuki looked through hers, she began to shout, “They’re swimming. The ponies are swimming!”

  Willa watched a parade of shaggy heads bobbing above the channel waters, moving toward Chincoteague. It was exactly the way she had dreamed it would be. Even better!

  “Why are they all swimming in the same direction?” Yuki asked.

  “Ponies are herd animals,” Mrs. Starling explained. “They prefer to travel in groups.”

  But after a few seconds it seemed Mrs. Starling had spoken too soon. Because bobbing away from the herd and in the direction of their skiff was a wide-eyed buckskin foal.

  “Oooh, look at her!” Yuki gasped. “She’s perfect!”

  “How do you know it’s a she?” Sarah asked.

  “I just do,” Yuki insisted, then stretched her hand out toward the swimming foal.

  Willa lowered her binoculars to watch the foal with her own eyes. The little pony seemed to be swimming straight toward Yuki’s hand. But just as she got close enough for Willa to see her soft brown eyes—

  SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH!

  Willa looked past the foal. A saltwater cowboy was steering his own pony toward the swim-away foal. The cowboy was Mr. Starling. His pony was Buttercup!

  Mr. Starling skillfully rode Buttercup around the foal, turning her in the direction of the herd. After a bit of coaxing the little foal rejoined the herd swimming toward Chincoteague.

  “Good job, Dad!” Sarah cheered.

  “Way to go, Buttercup!” Chipper added.

  Mr. Starling turned and tipped his cowboy hat with a grin. Then he and Buttercup splashed their way back to the herd.

  When Willa turned to Yuki, she was still leaning forward, her hand stretched out.

  “Yuki?” Mrs. Starling called. “No leaning out of the boat, please.”

  Yuki pulled her hand back in the boat, but her eyes were still on the herd. Willa had a pretty good idea she wa
s looking for the little foal.

  By now the swimming ponies were stepping out of the water onto Chincoteague’s marshy shoreline. Willa put the binoculars to her eyes again, watching as the crowd spread out to make room for dozens of wet, shiny ponies. Many squealed happily as the ponies shook water out of their thick, soggy manes.

  “Our first pony swim, Willa,” Ben declared when all the ponies were ashore. “How cool was that?”

  “Very,” Willa agreed. She turned to Yuki. “What did you think, Yuki? What was your favorite part?”

  “I’ll bet it was seeing all those beautiful ponies,” Mrs. Starling said with a wink.

  Yuki shook her head. “No, Mrs. Starling. It was seeing one beautiful pony, the adorable little foal that swam toward our boat.” Yuki looked toward the beach and smiled. “And I hope I see her again.”

  Willa smiled. Yuki’s mom may not have been a pony fan, but Yuki made up for it—in a huge way.

  Chapter 7

  MRS. STARLING AND THE KIDS SCRAMBLED to get the boat docked. Willa helped Chipper cover the skiff.

  “I waited all year for the pony swim,” Willa said a bit sadly, “and now it’s over.”

  Chipper smiled at Willa from the other side of the boat. “The swim may be over, but the fun is just starting. There’s the carnival, the pony auction—”

  “Don’t forget the pony parade,” Sarah cut in excitedly. “That comes first.”

  “When is the pony parade?” Yuki asked.

  “In about an hour,” Sarah said. “First the swimming ponies take a rest. Then the saltwater cowboys parade them up Main Street to the carnival grounds.”

  Hearing about the parade, carnival, and auction made Willa feel better. Chipper and Sarah were right. The pony swim festivities had just begun.

  With the boat safely docked, Willa, Sarah, and Yuki squeezed through the crowd on the beach. Mrs. Starling and the boys had stopped to buy fried oysters from a stand, but the girls were too excited to eat.

  “Let’s find a good spot on Main Street,” Willa told Sarah and Yuki as they walked ahead. “So we can see all the ponies.”

  People were already lining up and down Main Street when the girls reached town. They were lucky to grab a great viewing spot right at the curb.