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Authors: Alyssa Brugman
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hoof beats coming down the trail.
She grabbed Blue's reins. 'C'mon.' She dragged him
off the trail and behind the gigantic spool and the
boulders that held it in place.
Shelby cupped her hand over Blue's bottom lip.
'Stay quiet,' she whispered to him. He nibbled at her
fingers. She twisted her wrists experimentally and
leaned from side-to-side, feeling for pulled muscles in
her back and shoulders. She had been lucky this time.
The hoof beats faltered and skidded. 'Whoa! Bulldozer!'
It was Lindsey's voice. Shelby waited for the
thump, but it didn't come. The hoof falls were irregular
for a moment. Cracker must have been dancing around
on the spot. He didn't want to pass the bulldozer.
'Get moving!' Lindsey ordered.
Shelby heard more horses coming along the track.
It must have been the group she had passed earlier.
'Have you seen a girl on a little paint horse come
past here?' asked Lindsey.
'Yeah, she was in a hurry,' a voice answered.
'Did she come back this way?'
'No, I don't think so.'
'Thanks. Have a nice day.'
The hoof beats continued on down the trail,
slower now. One two, one two. Cracker was trotting.
Shelby counted to three and then stepped out from
behind the spool.
There was Cracker standing in the middle of
the trail. Lindsey was leaning over, buttoning up the
pocket on her saddle blanket. She looked up at Shelby
and smiled.
'Did you get caught short?' Lindsey asked.
The two girls stared at each other. Shelby was
embarrassed, but she was also irritated. Yes, she had
run away, but why did Lindsey have to chase her? If
she'd just let it be then they wouldn't be having this
stupid, awkward moment.
Lindsey had a half smile on her face. There was no
point hiding anymore.
Shelby bit her lip. 'I know where the Matchstick
Town is.'
'I know you do,' Lindsey replied.
Shelby ran Blue's reins through her fingers. 'I need
the money, Lindsey. I'm going to use it to pay for
Blue's agistment. I can't let him be a riding school
horse.'
Lindsey brushed her hair away from her eyes. 'It's
not that bad. I'll take good care of him, I promise.'
That's not good enough , Shelby thought.
They stood still, not speaking.
Eventually Lindsey asked, 'Does Erin know?'
Shelby shook her head.
Lindsey sighed as she turned Cracker around. 'I'm
going to go and find her. Good luck.'
'You'll end up with the money anyway,' Shelby
called after her.
Her friend looked over her shoulder, but she kept
the horse moving forward. 'Don't fret. I understand.'
Shelby watched her back as she rode away and felt
regret. Lindsey wasn't cool like Hayley. She didn't
have all the latest gear and the glamorous horses. She
wasn't fun and silly like Erin was either, but Shelby
thought Lindsey could have been an important friend
– the sort of person you could rely on when you were
in trouble.
She tried to imagine how she would feel if the
tables were turned. Shelby ran her hand down Blue's
face. 'I wouldn't care about the money,' she whispered
to him. 'I'd be disappointed that Lindsey didn't trust
me.'
Shelby wished that she had trusted Lindsey with
her secret. She could have told her on the rainy day
they met on the trail. Lindsey might have even agreed
to help.
'I guess it doesn't matter now,' she told Blue, as she
put her foot in the stirrup. 'Come on, let's hurry up
and win this thing. I'm getting hungry.'
She thought about having a sausage sandwich with
onions and barbecue sauce back at the starting point
and her stomach grumbled.
13 Into the Pocket
The mouth of the tunnel was obstructed with long
branches, ragged with leaves, silt and other debris. At
first Shelby thought they must have washed in there
during the heavy rain, but as she started to move some
of the branches away she could see that they were
embedded in chicken wire at the bottom. It was
almost as though someone had done it on purpose,
like a giant version of a flower arrangement held in
place with florist's sponge.
She had to keep stopping as people rode past,
because
She grabbed Blue's reins. 'C'mon.' She dragged him
off the trail and behind the gigantic spool and the
boulders that held it in place.
Shelby cupped her hand over Blue's bottom lip.
'Stay quiet,' she whispered to him. He nibbled at her
fingers. She twisted her wrists experimentally and
leaned from side-to-side, feeling for pulled muscles in
her back and shoulders. She had been lucky this time.
The hoof beats faltered and skidded. 'Whoa! Bulldozer!'
It was Lindsey's voice. Shelby waited for the
thump, but it didn't come. The hoof falls were irregular
for a moment. Cracker must have been dancing around
on the spot. He didn't want to pass the bulldozer.
'Get moving!' Lindsey ordered.
Shelby heard more horses coming along the track.
It must have been the group she had passed earlier.
'Have you seen a girl on a little paint horse come
past here?' asked Lindsey.
'Yeah, she was in a hurry,' a voice answered.
'Did she come back this way?'
'No, I don't think so.'
'Thanks. Have a nice day.'
The hoof beats continued on down the trail,
slower now. One two, one two. Cracker was trotting.
Shelby counted to three and then stepped out from
behind the spool.
There was Cracker standing in the middle of
the trail. Lindsey was leaning over, buttoning up the
pocket on her saddle blanket. She looked up at Shelby
and smiled.
'Did you get caught short?' Lindsey asked.
The two girls stared at each other. Shelby was
embarrassed, but she was also irritated. Yes, she had
run away, but why did Lindsey have to chase her? If
she'd just let it be then they wouldn't be having this
stupid, awkward moment.
Lindsey had a half smile on her face. There was no
point hiding anymore.
Shelby bit her lip. 'I know where the Matchstick
Town is.'
'I know you do,' Lindsey replied.
Shelby ran Blue's reins through her fingers. 'I need
the money, Lindsey. I'm going to use it to pay for
Blue's agistment. I can't let him be a riding school
horse.'
Lindsey brushed her hair away from her eyes. 'It's
not that bad. I'll take good care of him, I promise.'
That's not good enough , Shelby thought.
They stood still, not speaking.
Eventually Lindsey asked, 'Does Erin know?'
Shelby shook her head.
Lindsey sighed as she turned Cracker around. 'I'm
going to go and find her. Good luck.'
'You'll end up with the money anyway,' Shelby
called after her.
Her friend looked over her shoulder, but she kept
the horse moving forward. 'Don't fret. I understand.'
Shelby watched her back as she rode away and felt
regret. Lindsey wasn't cool like Hayley. She didn't
have all the latest gear and the glamorous horses. She
wasn't fun and silly like Erin was either, but Shelby
thought Lindsey could have been an important friend
– the sort of person you could rely on when you were
in trouble.
She tried to imagine how she would feel if the
tables were turned. Shelby ran her hand down Blue's
face. 'I wouldn't care about the money,' she whispered
to him. 'I'd be disappointed that Lindsey didn't trust
me.'
Shelby wished that she had trusted Lindsey with
her secret. She could have told her on the rainy day
they met on the trail. Lindsey might have even agreed
to help.
'I guess it doesn't matter now,' she told Blue, as she
put her foot in the stirrup. 'Come on, let's hurry up
and win this thing. I'm getting hungry.'
She thought about having a sausage sandwich with
onions and barbecue sauce back at the starting point
and her stomach grumbled.
13 Into the Pocket
The mouth of the tunnel was obstructed with long
branches, ragged with leaves, silt and other debris. At
first Shelby thought they must have washed in there
during the heavy rain, but as she started to move some
of the branches away she could see that they were
embedded in chicken wire at the bottom. It was
almost as though someone had done it on purpose,
like a giant version of a flower arrangement held in
place with florist's sponge.
She had to keep stopping as people rode past,
because
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