Read Online Trickster by Laurie Halse Anderson - Free Book Online
Authors: Laurie Halse Anderson
Ads: Link
of it?”
“All of it.” I get up and follow Dr. Mac to the file cabinets behind the reception desk. “Honest. When I wanted to quit, I kept thinking about Trickster, how my corner-cutting hurt him. Not that me cleaning the floor would help him. I guess that’s stupid, isn’t it?”
“Not really,” she says as she opens the file drawer. “Seems like it’s all connected, if you ask me.”
The phone on the desk rings, and Dr. Mac picks it up. “Veterinary clinic,” she says crisply. “Lucas?” She pauses. “When did it happen? Have you taken his temperature?”
“What’s wrong?” I ask. “Is it Trickster?”
She motions for me to be quiet. “I’ll be rightthere. Don’t get upset. It’s probably nothing, just a little colic.”
I can’t stand this.
“We’re on our way,” she says.
“What?” I ask as she hangs up.
“Quinn has a sick horse.”
“Trickster?”
“No—it’s Starfire.”
Chapter Twelve
D r. Mac drives without a word, pushing the van above the speed limit once we get out of town. At first I was pumped about going with her and seeing Trickster, but the closer we get, the more I wish I had stayed at home. What if Mr. Quinn kicks me out of the barn?
“Maybe I’ll just stay in the van,” I say as we turn down the lane to the stables.
“Fine,” Dr. Mac says, driving fast enough to create a cloud of dust behind us.
“Or I could just find the girls and, you know, steer clear of Mr. Quinn.”
Dr. Mac hits the brakes, and the van skids toa stop behind the barn. “Do what you want, David.” She grabs two equipment boxes out of the back, slams it shut, and jogs into the barn.
I wish I had the guts to follow her. I want to see how Trickster is doing. I owe him an apology, too. If I had tied him up the way I should have, he’d be fine by now. We might even be out riding together.
I feel like a pile of manure just thinking about it. No—I don’t want to go in the barn.
I sit on the bumper of the van. If my dad were here, he’d tell me to march right into the barn and deal with what’s bugging me. “Get back on the horse when you fall off” was one of his big mottoes. It was easier to do when he was around. Everything was easier when Dad was around.
“Come on, boy, you can do it.”
It takes a second to realize where the voice is coming from. It’s Mr. Quinn, talking to Starfire as he slowly leads the horse into the courtyard. Dr. Mac is behind them, watching closely.
Starfire looks like a different horse from the one who rescued Brenna yesterday. His head and tail are down, and he walks slowly. He stops suddenly, jerking at the rope held by Mr. Quinn, and swings his head back toward his belly.
No wonder Dr. Mac was in such a hurry to get here! Starfire is Mr. Quinn’s favorite horse—his most expensive one, too. If anything happens to him …
“See, this is what I was telling you about,” Mr. Quinn says. “His belly is sore.”
Starfire shakes his head and takes a few steps forward.
“Has he been rolling around in his stall?” Dr. Mac asks.
Mr. Quinn shakes his head. “Not that I’ve seen.”
“Still, it could be colic,” Dr. Mac says. “The symptoms point to it.”
“That’s what I thought at first, too,” Mr. Quinn says. “But he’s not having any trouble going to the bathroom. He’s had diarrhea for the last hour. Do you think it’s colitis X—that disease that kills racehorses?”
“Relax. I doubt that’s it,” Dr. Mac says. “That’s pretty rare. I’d suspect a lot of other things first. Let’s get him in a stall. I’ll start an I.V. to replace the fluids he’s lost. Where can we put him so he’s isolated from other horses?”
“How about the foaling barn?” Mr. Quinnasks as he strokes Starfire’s back. “It’s empty now.”
“Great,” Dr. Mac says. “If he has a virus, or something contagious, we don’t want it to spread to the other horses.”
That doesn’t sound good.
“Come on, Starfire.” Mr. Quinn
“All of it.” I get up and follow Dr. Mac to the file cabinets behind the reception desk. “Honest. When I wanted to quit, I kept thinking about Trickster, how my corner-cutting hurt him. Not that me cleaning the floor would help him. I guess that’s stupid, isn’t it?”
“Not really,” she says as she opens the file drawer. “Seems like it’s all connected, if you ask me.”
The phone on the desk rings, and Dr. Mac picks it up. “Veterinary clinic,” she says crisply. “Lucas?” She pauses. “When did it happen? Have you taken his temperature?”
“What’s wrong?” I ask. “Is it Trickster?”
She motions for me to be quiet. “I’ll be rightthere. Don’t get upset. It’s probably nothing, just a little colic.”
I can’t stand this.
“We’re on our way,” she says.
“What?” I ask as she hangs up.
“Quinn has a sick horse.”
“Trickster?”
“No—it’s Starfire.”
Chapter Twelve
D r. Mac drives without a word, pushing the van above the speed limit once we get out of town. At first I was pumped about going with her and seeing Trickster, but the closer we get, the more I wish I had stayed at home. What if Mr. Quinn kicks me out of the barn?
“Maybe I’ll just stay in the van,” I say as we turn down the lane to the stables.
“Fine,” Dr. Mac says, driving fast enough to create a cloud of dust behind us.
“Or I could just find the girls and, you know, steer clear of Mr. Quinn.”
Dr. Mac hits the brakes, and the van skids toa stop behind the barn. “Do what you want, David.” She grabs two equipment boxes out of the back, slams it shut, and jogs into the barn.
I wish I had the guts to follow her. I want to see how Trickster is doing. I owe him an apology, too. If I had tied him up the way I should have, he’d be fine by now. We might even be out riding together.
I feel like a pile of manure just thinking about it. No—I don’t want to go in the barn.
I sit on the bumper of the van. If my dad were here, he’d tell me to march right into the barn and deal with what’s bugging me. “Get back on the horse when you fall off” was one of his big mottoes. It was easier to do when he was around. Everything was easier when Dad was around.
“Come on, boy, you can do it.”
It takes a second to realize where the voice is coming from. It’s Mr. Quinn, talking to Starfire as he slowly leads the horse into the courtyard. Dr. Mac is behind them, watching closely.
Starfire looks like a different horse from the one who rescued Brenna yesterday. His head and tail are down, and he walks slowly. He stops suddenly, jerking at the rope held by Mr. Quinn, and swings his head back toward his belly.
No wonder Dr. Mac was in such a hurry to get here! Starfire is Mr. Quinn’s favorite horse—his most expensive one, too. If anything happens to him …
“See, this is what I was telling you about,” Mr. Quinn says. “His belly is sore.”
Starfire shakes his head and takes a few steps forward.
“Has he been rolling around in his stall?” Dr. Mac asks.
Mr. Quinn shakes his head. “Not that I’ve seen.”
“Still, it could be colic,” Dr. Mac says. “The symptoms point to it.”
“That’s what I thought at first, too,” Mr. Quinn says. “But he’s not having any trouble going to the bathroom. He’s had diarrhea for the last hour. Do you think it’s colitis X—that disease that kills racehorses?”
“Relax. I doubt that’s it,” Dr. Mac says. “That’s pretty rare. I’d suspect a lot of other things first. Let’s get him in a stall. I’ll start an I.V. to replace the fluids he’s lost. Where can we put him so he’s isolated from other horses?”
“How about the foaling barn?” Mr. Quinnasks as he strokes Starfire’s back. “It’s empty now.”
“Great,” Dr. Mac says. “If he has a virus, or something contagious, we don’t want it to spread to the other horses.”
That doesn’t sound good.
“Come on, Starfire.” Mr. Quinn
Similar Books
