Read Online Moonlight: Star of the Show by Belinda Rapley - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Belinda Rapley
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silently that she needed to turn off the flash option.Mia stepped lightly and hunkered down beneath the half door in the shadows, her hands shaking as she held the phone.
The hoof beats got louder as they passed right by Colossus’s stable. Mia waited for as long as she dared, then as the hoof beats tripped away she popped her hand over the stable door while staying well hidden and took a picture.
She scooted back and they all huddled round to see the result. It wasn’t easy to see in the gloom of the stable and it was a bit blurry because Mia’s hand had been shaking. She’d taken it at an angle, and most of what was visible of the pony was covered in a huge, lightweight summer rug. Mia looked disappointed for a second, then saw, in among the muddle of human legs, a pony’s back leg. It was an off hind. And it was white. They all peered closely in turn at the photo of Moonlight stuck into Mia’s notebook from the ‘Missing’ advert. It showed that his near hind was black, from his stifle to his hoof. But the off hind,his right back leg which Mia had just caught on camera, was all white.
“It’s him!” Charlie whispered urgently, peering at the phone. “It’s Moonlight!”
“Shh!” Alice hissed. “They’re still talking!”
They strained their ears again. Then the horsebox roared into life.
“Good luck at the Fratton Show,” Harry shouted over the engine noise. “He better win after all this effort.”
“Oh, there’s no question about him being placed first. This one’s a proven winner. There’ll be no disguising that bit once we get there! All this will be worth it then, as Mark here picks up the red rosette,” Mark’s dad replied. The horsebox rolled down the drive and rumbled away into the early evening.
The girls sank back in the straw, exhausted and elated at the same time. But as Rosie did a victory shuffle she spooked Colossus. Unsettled already by their presence and all the activity onthe yard, he began to pace his stable. They all rushed to get out of his path and squeezed against the back wall, breathing silently, as Harry returned to the main yard, rustling something in his hands.
“Easy money, Growler, easy money. Come on, boy – I don’t know why you’ve decided to guard Colossus’s box tonight.” He stopped and called the dog again. Growler whined and scratched at the stable door.
“What’s in there, Growler?”
Alice stopped breathing.
“Are there rats? Shall we open the door for you to get the rats? Shall we?”
Alice froze. She stole a glance at the others; they all looked exactly how she felt – petrified and in a state of total panic.
“Too late now, Growler old boy. The rats can live until tomorrow.”
The girls let out a collective long, silent breath.
But outside Growler still refused to shift. If he didn’t disappear they’d never be able to escapewithout his alerting Harry. Harry hovered nearby, trying to coax the reluctant Growler away, while Colossus circled his box again. As they huddled in the corner, Colossus let out a loud, body-shaking neigh, which pierced the girls’ ears as they stood just behind him. Harry stomped over. Already stiff and uncomfortable, the girls squeezed as tightly as they could into the shadows, desperate not to get caught and have to face the wrath of Harry. If he discovered them now, he’d know they’d just witnessed him selling a stolen pony to Mark Tickle. And if he was mad at them earlier just for sniffing around the yard, who could tell how furious he’d get for this? The girls clung together. Rosie closed her eyes and crossed her legs, suddenly feeling desperate for a wee.
At that precise moment Colossus lifted his tail. A strong smell preceded the droppings that followed the tail lifting, but in his excitement they shot out further than normal. Much further. Charlie and Alice silently ducked either side ofthe long grey tail. Rosie, left crouching between them, still had her eyes tight shut. There wasn’t the
The hoof beats got louder as they passed right by Colossus’s stable. Mia waited for as long as she dared, then as the hoof beats tripped away she popped her hand over the stable door while staying well hidden and took a picture.
She scooted back and they all huddled round to see the result. It wasn’t easy to see in the gloom of the stable and it was a bit blurry because Mia’s hand had been shaking. She’d taken it at an angle, and most of what was visible of the pony was covered in a huge, lightweight summer rug. Mia looked disappointed for a second, then saw, in among the muddle of human legs, a pony’s back leg. It was an off hind. And it was white. They all peered closely in turn at the photo of Moonlight stuck into Mia’s notebook from the ‘Missing’ advert. It showed that his near hind was black, from his stifle to his hoof. But the off hind,his right back leg which Mia had just caught on camera, was all white.
“It’s him!” Charlie whispered urgently, peering at the phone. “It’s Moonlight!”
“Shh!” Alice hissed. “They’re still talking!”
They strained their ears again. Then the horsebox roared into life.
“Good luck at the Fratton Show,” Harry shouted over the engine noise. “He better win after all this effort.”
“Oh, there’s no question about him being placed first. This one’s a proven winner. There’ll be no disguising that bit once we get there! All this will be worth it then, as Mark here picks up the red rosette,” Mark’s dad replied. The horsebox rolled down the drive and rumbled away into the early evening.
The girls sank back in the straw, exhausted and elated at the same time. But as Rosie did a victory shuffle she spooked Colossus. Unsettled already by their presence and all the activity onthe yard, he began to pace his stable. They all rushed to get out of his path and squeezed against the back wall, breathing silently, as Harry returned to the main yard, rustling something in his hands.
“Easy money, Growler, easy money. Come on, boy – I don’t know why you’ve decided to guard Colossus’s box tonight.” He stopped and called the dog again. Growler whined and scratched at the stable door.
“What’s in there, Growler?”
Alice stopped breathing.
“Are there rats? Shall we open the door for you to get the rats? Shall we?”
Alice froze. She stole a glance at the others; they all looked exactly how she felt – petrified and in a state of total panic.
“Too late now, Growler old boy. The rats can live until tomorrow.”
The girls let out a collective long, silent breath.
But outside Growler still refused to shift. If he didn’t disappear they’d never be able to escapewithout his alerting Harry. Harry hovered nearby, trying to coax the reluctant Growler away, while Colossus circled his box again. As they huddled in the corner, Colossus let out a loud, body-shaking neigh, which pierced the girls’ ears as they stood just behind him. Harry stomped over. Already stiff and uncomfortable, the girls squeezed as tightly as they could into the shadows, desperate not to get caught and have to face the wrath of Harry. If he discovered them now, he’d know they’d just witnessed him selling a stolen pony to Mark Tickle. And if he was mad at them earlier just for sniffing around the yard, who could tell how furious he’d get for this? The girls clung together. Rosie closed her eyes and crossed her legs, suddenly feeling desperate for a wee.
At that precise moment Colossus lifted his tail. A strong smell preceded the droppings that followed the tail lifting, but in his excitement they shot out further than normal. Much further. Charlie and Alice silently ducked either side ofthe long grey tail. Rosie, left crouching between them, still had her eyes tight shut. There wasn’t the
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