horses?”
Belle looked at Uchenna curiously. “What horses?”
“You didn’t hear? There were horses behind Emer’s house.”
“I heard the story,” Belle said, picking up an ignored half-sandwich from her plate, “but it was just a rumor, it turns out.”
“Was not!” Emer said. “We went to see them!”
“Come on,” Belle said, “you’re pulling my leg, right? Some kids went over to the field where they supposed to be, yesterday afternoon right after school, and there was nothing there. If there was ever anything there to start with. Everybody I talked to just said they heard about them from somebody else, and the kids who say they actually saw them aren’t the kind you’d usually believe.” She took a bite out of her sandwich. “I think somebody made it all up to get at Garrity. Poor kid can’t just have a normal life; everybody wants him to have tinker ponies in the back yard and busted-up cars in the front.”
Uchenna shook her head. “No way,” she said. “We saw the horses. Got in the same field with them. And it wasn’t that long after school. Which field were they supposed to have been in first?”
“That one over by Airlie, the one with the burnt-out car in it.”
Emer shook her head. “Wrong field,” she said. “They were behind my house. One of those little patches between the back of my circle and the old houses.”
Belle finished putting away the half sandwich and then shook her head. “Doesn’t make sense,” she said. “Anyway, it’d take time to move them that far. You’d think somebody would have seen it happening.”
“That’s what I thought this morning,” Emer said. “Or at least heard. They were there last night when I went to bed. Now—” She waved a hand in the air. “Poof! Gone.”
“Ooooo,” Belle said, making a scary-movie sound, “ghost horses! Kind of early for Hallowe’en, isn’t it Eames?”
Emer scowled. “Probably somebody stole them,” Mary said.
“If they weren’t stolen already,” said Laura.
“Some kind of scam,” Belle said, finishing the bottle of flourescent orange Lucasade she’d been drinking. “I’d stay away from them, assuming they’re not some kind of crazy story you two are cooking up.”
“Belle, come on!” Uchenna said. “I don’t waste my time with crazy stories.”
“No, you’re Miss Practical most of the time,” Belle said, “which is why it’d be such a great story if you were making it up. Everybody’d believe you.” She gave Uchenna a sidelong look. “Look, it’s okay, you can tell us if it’s not for real. We’ll keep it quiet.”
Uchenna was starting to get annoyed, but she did her best to keep it from showing. “It’s for real,” she said. “Why would I make something like this up? Or why would Emer? Anyway, one of those horses has me worried. She was really pregnant, and there wasn’t much to eat in that little field.”
“So if they’re gone now, somebody took them away to where there’s more food, maybe,” Laura said.
“I hope so,” Uchenna said. “It’s just that now I want to know where they are so I can find out if the mammy’s okay.”
Belle grinned. “Our own little soap opera,” she said. “You want me to ask around?”
“Sure, if you want,” Uchenna said. “Just don’t make a big deal about it.”
“Me? Never,” Belle said, glancing up at the clock. “Uh oh, getting short on time here. Gotta run.” She got up, and Laura and Mary got up with her.
Uchenna and Emer waved as the others went off to dispose of their lunch trays and left the lunchroom. “You know where they’re going, of course,” Emer said under her breath.
Uchenna nodded. There were always kids who liked to slip out of school before lunch period was over and sneak a smoke somewhere, usually across the street by the Spar. “I wish they wouldn’t,” Uchenna muttered. “The way people around here smoke after they get started, they’re gonna be dead when they’re
Belle looked at Uchenna curiously. “What horses?”
“You didn’t hear? There were horses behind Emer’s house.”
“I heard the story,” Belle said, picking up an ignored half-sandwich from her plate, “but it was just a rumor, it turns out.”
“Was not!” Emer said. “We went to see them!”
“Come on,” Belle said, “you’re pulling my leg, right? Some kids went over to the field where they supposed to be, yesterday afternoon right after school, and there was nothing there. If there was ever anything there to start with. Everybody I talked to just said they heard about them from somebody else, and the kids who say they actually saw them aren’t the kind you’d usually believe.” She took a bite out of her sandwich. “I think somebody made it all up to get at Garrity. Poor kid can’t just have a normal life; everybody wants him to have tinker ponies in the back yard and busted-up cars in the front.”
Uchenna shook her head. “No way,” she said. “We saw the horses. Got in the same field with them. And it wasn’t that long after school. Which field were they supposed to have been in first?”
“That one over by Airlie, the one with the burnt-out car in it.”
Emer shook her head. “Wrong field,” she said. “They were behind my house. One of those little patches between the back of my circle and the old houses.”
Belle finished putting away the half sandwich and then shook her head. “Doesn’t make sense,” she said. “Anyway, it’d take time to move them that far. You’d think somebody would have seen it happening.”
“That’s what I thought this morning,” Emer said. “Or at least heard. They were there last night when I went to bed. Now—” She waved a hand in the air. “Poof! Gone.”
“Ooooo,” Belle said, making a scary-movie sound, “ghost horses! Kind of early for Hallowe’en, isn’t it Eames?”
Emer scowled. “Probably somebody stole them,” Mary said.
“If they weren’t stolen already,” said Laura.
“Some kind of scam,” Belle said, finishing the bottle of flourescent orange Lucasade she’d been drinking. “I’d stay away from them, assuming they’re not some kind of crazy story you two are cooking up.”
“Belle, come on!” Uchenna said. “I don’t waste my time with crazy stories.”
“No, you’re Miss Practical most of the time,” Belle said, “which is why it’d be such a great story if you were making it up. Everybody’d believe you.” She gave Uchenna a sidelong look. “Look, it’s okay, you can tell us if it’s not for real. We’ll keep it quiet.”
Uchenna was starting to get annoyed, but she did her best to keep it from showing. “It’s for real,” she said. “Why would I make something like this up? Or why would Emer? Anyway, one of those horses has me worried. She was really pregnant, and there wasn’t much to eat in that little field.”
“So if they’re gone now, somebody took them away to where there’s more food, maybe,” Laura said.
“I hope so,” Uchenna said. “It’s just that now I want to know where they are so I can find out if the mammy’s okay.”
Belle grinned. “Our own little soap opera,” she said. “You want me to ask around?”
“Sure, if you want,” Uchenna said. “Just don’t make a big deal about it.”
“Me? Never,” Belle said, glancing up at the clock. “Uh oh, getting short on time here. Gotta run.” She got up, and Laura and Mary got up with her.
Uchenna and Emer waved as the others went off to dispose of their lunch trays and left the lunchroom. “You know where they’re going, of course,” Emer said under her breath.
Uchenna nodded. There were always kids who liked to slip out of school before lunch period was over and sneak a smoke somewhere, usually across the street by the Spar. “I wish they wouldn’t,” Uchenna muttered. “The way people around here smoke after they get started, they’re gonna be dead when they’re
Similar Books
