Read Online Sammi and Dusty by Jessie Williams - Free Book Online

rope to slow the donkey down. ‘That’s enough, Dusty!’ he called. ‘Whoa, boy!’
    Dusty charged up to the gate, then stopped dead. In fact, he stopped so suddenly that Sammi slid forward down his shoulder and landed with a bump on the grass.
    ‘Sammi!’ exclaimed Asha. ‘Are you OK?’
    Sammi was laughing so hard he could hardly catch his breath. He managed to nod, and felt Dusty nuzzling his hair with his rubbery lips. ‘I... fine,’ he said eventually. ‘This grass very soft!’ He struggled to his feet and threw his arms around Dusty’s neck. ‘This very good, Dusty, no? We have much fun.’
    Asha was looking a little bit shocked. ‘I’ve never seen anything quite like that!’ she said. ‘You were going so fast, and you don’t even have a saddle!’
    ‘I not need saddle,’ said Sammi. ‘This how I ride in Afghanistan. You want try?’
    ‘Oh! No, thank you,’ said Asha quickly. She grinned. ‘I’m glad you’ve both been enjoying yourselves so much though! It did look exciting.’
    Dusty seemed to agree, because he stretched out his neck and started to bray. ‘Ee-yore, ee-yore!’ he went.
    ‘That enough now, Dusty,’ Sammi told him. ‘Come on. You be good for Asha.’
    He stroked Dusty’s neck, and the donkey quietened down. Then he nuzzled Sammi’s pockets.
    ‘He remember!’ laughed Sammi. ‘I promise him carrot after we ride.’
    ‘You know, he’s so different now,’ said Asha. ‘He’s so happy, like a completely different donkey! It would be so unfair if he has to leave. If anyone has to leave! Oh, Sammi – I really, really hope our petition works. I’ve worked so hard this week, trying to get signatures. Did you get some as well?’
    ‘Of course,’ said Sammi. ‘Come, I show you. Petition in feed room, in my bag.’
    He unclipped the head collar and gave Dusty a pat. ‘I come back later,’ he promised the donkey.
    Together, he and Asha walked up to the yard. Sammi found his petition and they counted the names on it.
    ‘...forty-one... forty-two... forty-three!’ Sammi finished, in English.
    Forty-three names, all collected by him and Giti. He stared at the sheet. He could hardly believe what he’d managed to do. He felt very proud of himself, but at the same time, he was worried. The petition had to work. It just had to!
    Asha looked at his sheet in admiration. ‘You did so well, Sammi!’
    Sammi smiled at her. He knew that Asha would have collected loads more names than him, but that was hardly surprising, she was so friendly!
    ‘Come on, let’s go and show Kerry,’ said Asha.
    ‘OK,’ said Sammi, and they hurried up to the barn.
    Inside, even though it was still so early, the whole place was in turmoil. Kerry had started packing away her most important paperwork, just in case they had to move everything out. Rory had packed up many of his belongings in the farmhouse, and some of his boxes were now piled up in the barn. Sammi stared at the scene, a lump rising in his throat. He couldn’t believe that this really might be the end for City Farm.
    ‘Ah, you two! There you are!’ called Kerry. ‘I’m just counting the names on the petitions. I think we’ve done pretty well... let me see yours...’
    Asha and Sammi added their sheets to the pile that Kerry had in front of her, just as Rory came in through the big wooden door carrying a heavy box. He dumped it down as Kerry flicked through the petition sheets.
    ‘Wow! You two have done us proud!’ exclaimed Kerry. ‘I think this will take our total to over five hundred signatures!’
    Asha jumped up and down in excitement. ‘Five hundred! That’s loads! They can’t close us down!’
    But Sammi was watching Kerry and Rory. They didn’t look quite so excited. He could see they wanted to believe the petition would work, but they didn’t dare. He took in the boxes piled everywhere, and the stacks of papers on Kerry’s desk. He knew all about packing. When you were about to leave a place you loved, you