Read Online Moonlight: Star of the Show by Belinda Rapley - Free Book Online
Authors: Belinda Rapley
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she looked up and saw the door was still open an inch. The big snout was still there. Rosie shivered as the snout edged the door open an inch more. One black, glinting eye looked round, then fixed itself upon her. But the next second Harry, his mobile still stuck to his ear, used his large boot to hook Growler back from the door.
“I’ll get the pony ready,” Harry said. “Now, about payment…”
He swung the stable door shut, slid the top bolt then kicked the bottom lock across. The rest of the conversation was lost as he stomped out of earshot.
Mia, huddled in the corner behind the others, looked stricken.
“He’s shut the bottom bolt!” she whispered. “We’re trapped!”
Chapter Six
“W E might be trapped,” Charlie whispered, feeling hot and sticky from crouching awkwardly in the corner, “but at least we haven’t been caught.”
“That was close, though!” Rosie said, puffing out her pink cheeks as she fanned her face with her hand.
Her insides felt upside down and she was secretly glad that she was sitting and not having to run anywhere or be heroic at that precise moment.
“Listen!” Mia hissed quietly, holding her hand in the air.
They all fell silent. The huge white horse, Colossus, stopped munching for a second, too, raising his head and taking a massive step upto the door, his big ears pricked forward. It was getting louder by the second – the unmistakable drone of a horsebox, gears changing down then revving as it slowed for the turning into the drive, then accelerating up the drive and braking in the yard with a hiss.
“They’re here,” Mia mouthed and took a deep breath. They all looked at one another, feeling nervousness and excitement bubble through them.
Alice felt her knees give and she grabbed hold of Rosie, who nearly jumped out of her skin, making Charlie start to giggle nervously before gulping and biting her lip to keep silent. Horsebox doors were slammed and a couple of people jumped down onto concrete. The girls crept nearer to the stable door, avoiding Colossus’s flashing tail, and straining to hear snippets of conversation as Harry clacked over to meet whoever had just arrived in the driveway. Three sets of footsteps walked into the yard, stopping not far from the grey horse’s stable. Alice felt a bead ofsweat trickle down between her shoulder blades as she heard the voices – they were just the other side of the wooden stable wall!
“So, you managed to get your hands on the pony my son here had his eye on,” a deep voice boomed. “No trouble keeping everything hush-hush at this end?”
“It was easy keeping everything under wraps to begin with,” Harry replied, “until today when some girls came round, one with a proper-looking show pony.”
In spite of the situation, Mia allowed herself a small, superior smile.
“They kept mentioning the Fratton Show and trying to get round to these stables where I’ve hidden your pony. I think they knew more than they let on, but I put them off. Just,” Harry explained.
“Good. That’s what you’re being paid extra for, to keep this ‘special’ deal quiet, remember?” the deep voice replied coldly.
As the other girls looked at each other with widening eyes, Mia eased her notebook out of her pocket. She began quietly scribbling their conversation down, collecting the evidence.
“Come on, Dad, I don’t want to hang around here all day,” a new, younger male voice piped up. “Can’t we just get the pony and load him up?”
The girls’ jaws dropped. They glanced at one another, their eyes wide with disbelief. The voice was unmistakable. Mia wrote down a name in capital letters, then tapped the notebook. The others read, then nodded their heads vigorously.
MARK TICKLE!
But they couldn’t be shocked for long. Mia would only have a second to get a photo on her mobile phone of Moonlight as he was led through the yard to the waiting horsebox. She switched her mobile to camera mode. Alice pointed out
“I’ll get the pony ready,” Harry said. “Now, about payment…”
He swung the stable door shut, slid the top bolt then kicked the bottom lock across. The rest of the conversation was lost as he stomped out of earshot.
Mia, huddled in the corner behind the others, looked stricken.
“He’s shut the bottom bolt!” she whispered. “We’re trapped!”
Chapter Six
“W E might be trapped,” Charlie whispered, feeling hot and sticky from crouching awkwardly in the corner, “but at least we haven’t been caught.”
“That was close, though!” Rosie said, puffing out her pink cheeks as she fanned her face with her hand.
Her insides felt upside down and she was secretly glad that she was sitting and not having to run anywhere or be heroic at that precise moment.
“Listen!” Mia hissed quietly, holding her hand in the air.
They all fell silent. The huge white horse, Colossus, stopped munching for a second, too, raising his head and taking a massive step upto the door, his big ears pricked forward. It was getting louder by the second – the unmistakable drone of a horsebox, gears changing down then revving as it slowed for the turning into the drive, then accelerating up the drive and braking in the yard with a hiss.
“They’re here,” Mia mouthed and took a deep breath. They all looked at one another, feeling nervousness and excitement bubble through them.
Alice felt her knees give and she grabbed hold of Rosie, who nearly jumped out of her skin, making Charlie start to giggle nervously before gulping and biting her lip to keep silent. Horsebox doors were slammed and a couple of people jumped down onto concrete. The girls crept nearer to the stable door, avoiding Colossus’s flashing tail, and straining to hear snippets of conversation as Harry clacked over to meet whoever had just arrived in the driveway. Three sets of footsteps walked into the yard, stopping not far from the grey horse’s stable. Alice felt a bead ofsweat trickle down between her shoulder blades as she heard the voices – they were just the other side of the wooden stable wall!
“So, you managed to get your hands on the pony my son here had his eye on,” a deep voice boomed. “No trouble keeping everything hush-hush at this end?”
“It was easy keeping everything under wraps to begin with,” Harry replied, “until today when some girls came round, one with a proper-looking show pony.”
In spite of the situation, Mia allowed herself a small, superior smile.
“They kept mentioning the Fratton Show and trying to get round to these stables where I’ve hidden your pony. I think they knew more than they let on, but I put them off. Just,” Harry explained.
“Good. That’s what you’re being paid extra for, to keep this ‘special’ deal quiet, remember?” the deep voice replied coldly.
As the other girls looked at each other with widening eyes, Mia eased her notebook out of her pocket. She began quietly scribbling their conversation down, collecting the evidence.
“Come on, Dad, I don’t want to hang around here all day,” a new, younger male voice piped up. “Can’t we just get the pony and load him up?”
The girls’ jaws dropped. They glanced at one another, their eyes wide with disbelief. The voice was unmistakable. Mia wrote down a name in capital letters, then tapped the notebook. The others read, then nodded their heads vigorously.
MARK TICKLE!
But they couldn’t be shocked for long. Mia would only have a second to get a photo on her mobile phone of Moonlight as he was led through the yard to the waiting horsebox. She switched her mobile to camera mode. Alice pointed out
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