Silver Dream

This stinks, said Joanna.

Her black lab, Noah, looked up at her and sighed, then turned his patient gaze back to Robbie jumping Silver Sky over the obstacles in the ring.

It’s not fair, she said a little louder and kicked the bottom fence rail. Her dad glanced at her from the center of the ring, frowned, then turned back to watch Silver Sky. The white sport pony flew over fences with Robbie perched on his back like the pro he was.

Just finish this round, her dad called to Robbie. We still have Trinket to work today.

Robbie didn’t acknowledge that he’d heard their dad’s command, but Joanna knew he had. So did their dad. He never repeated anything he told Robbie because he knew his son always listened to him. After all, Robbie was perfect. The perfect rider. The perfect competitor. The perfect son, especially for a man who raised sport ponies for a living. After Jason, Joanna and Robbie’s oldest brother, hadn’t shown an interest in the ponies, then grew up and left home, Robbie was considered even more perfect. Joanna kicked the bottom rail again.

Don’t you have some homework to do, Jo? Dad asked, turning to look at her with a frustrated expression.

Did it already.

Then why don’t you go help your mom in the house? She’d like that. His fake smile seemed stuck to his face.

I’m sick of being in the house. That’s all you ever want me to do. Why can’t I help with the ponies? Robbie did when he was my age, and so did Jason, and he wasn’t even into them!

Behind their dad, Robbie pulled the white stallion to a halt and shook his head at her immature whining. He even showed his contempt perfectly.

Okay, you can ride out to check the fillies, Dad said. No one’s been out there since this morning.

Can I ride Sky?

Robbie laughed as he dismounted the magnificent sport pony. Yeah, right.

Joanna glowered at him. I can ride him. I’ve ridden him before!

Yeah, around the ring at a walk and trot, said Robbie.

Their dad looked from Joanna, to Robbie, and back again. You can ride him, Jo. It’ll be good for him to get out of the ring, and after Robbie’s ride he won’t be too fresh. You should be okay.

Joanna held back her exasperation as best she could. She could handle Silver Sky, and had said so many times. However, no one ever listened to her.

Thanks, Dad, she said, trying to sound grateful. And she was grateful, really. Usually she had to sneak out at night to ride the stallion.

Just take him slow and easy, a nice trail ride. He needs to relax. And don’t spend too long with the fillies. It’s going to be dark soon.

Okay. Joanna climbed over the fence and hurried to take Silver Sky’s reins. Robbie was already unbuckling the cinch of his expensive jumping saddle.

Have fun riding a real pony for once, he said quietly as he pulled the saddle from Silver Sky’s back.

Robbie! There’s nothing wrong with Joanna’s pony. Their dad had heard. Good! Maybe he’d realize Robbie wasn’t so perfect after all.

Head high, Joanna led the elegant Silver Sky from the ring. She wasn’t about to let Robbie know his words stung. She loved her dark pony, Raven, with all her heart. He was the kindest sweetest pony she knew and it hurt to hear someone say bad things about him. Especially since he was getting too small for her. Joanna felt her throat close off. If only she could stop growing.

Sneaking out at night to ride Silver Sky only made her feel worse about Raven too, guilty as well as worried. Silver Sky was the farm’s prized stallion for a good reason. Joanna had never ridden a pony with such power, grace, and strength.

If only Raven was more like Silver Sky.

No! She shouldn’t think such a thing!

But on the other hand, she had to be reasonable too. Even if she refused to ride any pony but Raven, no amount of loyalty was going to stop Dad from someday noticing how tall she looked on his back, how long her legs were getting. What would happen to her beloved pony then?

She stopped at a gate near the barn. Both Raven and Trusty, her dad’s big palomino gelding, thrust their heads over the top rail. Raven whinnied to her.

Sorry, Ravie, Joanna murmured and stroked his velvet nose. But Dad hasn’t ever let me ride Sky outside the ring before. We’ll go for a long ride tomorrow, okay? The pony snuffled her dark brown hair, but then shied away as Silver Sky came too close. Raven was always nervous of the large white pony, though for some reason Trusty never frightened him and he was even bigger.

I’m sorry, Joanna said, close to tears as she watched her black pony trot away from the gate, then turn to look at her from a safe distance. How could she do this to her precious Raven?

But how could she not ride Silver Sky, now that her dad had given her permission? Maybe if she spent lots of time with Raven tomorrow, brushing him so that he gleamed like dark satin, then took a long, leisurely ride down to the lake, they’d both feel better. Raven loved going to the lake, and if it was a nice day, they could swim together. And tomorrow was Saturday – no school – so they’d have lots of time.

You have a good rest today, Ravie, Joanna added, her voice a little cheerier. And tomorrow we’ll have lots of fun. I promise.

Chapter 2

There would be nowhere to hide, once he was closer to the barn. The fences were rail and he would be easy to see if anyone cared to look. There were no trees to hide behind. Even the bushes were no more than small, well-manicured lumps.

It seemed there was only one way to get close to the barn unseen: crawl on his hands and knees along the shallow gully that ran toward the buildings. It looked like it went to the edge of the barn and then along its length. However, his eyesight wasn’t what it used to be, so he might be wrong.

Crawling along the gully was not a guarantee he wouldn’t be caught either. Someone might see his jacket above the level of the ground if they came near the ditch. Or if there was a dog, it might hear or see him and alert the owners. How embarrassing that would be! How would he explain himself?

Yet he couldn’t go home empty handed either. Not when Kathy needed her pony.

The man lowered himself over the mown edge of the gully. Unfortunately, whoever kept the fields clean hadn’t weed-whacked the ditch for a while. The vegetation there was about six inches long, and the ground was damp from the thin stream that flowed along the bottom. He was going to get wet.

He carefully knelt on arthritic knees. He hated doing this, but there was no other way. Kathy didn’t understand why Thunder had been taken away. Well, neither did he. How could anyone be so cruel as to take a girl’s pony, when he was the one who had messed up?

"Thunder doesn’t eat very much, she’d told him, tears coursing down her cheeks. I could get a job and buy his food. Her face became even sadder when she added, Is it my fault, Daddy? I’m so sorry." It had almost broken his heart to hear that.

He took a deep breath and started to crawl along the ditch.

He’d tried to explain that she and Thunder hadn’t done anything wrong, that there were other reasons they’d taken and sold him, but she didn’t understand all this nonsense about losing races and paying debts. It was that moment that he promised himself – not her, because if he failed, he didn’t want her to be disappointed – that he would find her pony and bring him home.

The thing he hadn’t counted on was that it would be so hard. Not just the manicured grounds and rail fences that offered no cover. The biggest problem was in himself, in his heart. This felt wrong somehow. But there was no other way to get Thunder back.

Now his pant legs were completely soaked, but he must be making headway. He rose up slowly to peer over the edge of the ditch.

He was closer to the barn all right. The half-light of dusk shone on the building making it glow. And just inside the doorway, tied in crossties – Thunder! His daughter’s beautiful white pony. A girl was tacking him up.

The man ducked out of sight, his heart rushing in his ears. Had she seen him? He didn’t think so. But the pony had. And the girl would too, if she rode past him. He had to get out of here and fast. Why did she have to choose tonight of all nights to go for an evening ride?

Still, the advancing darkness wouldn’t be wasted. Dancer waited to be rescued as well. He would get the big horse tonight and save Thunder’s recovery for tomorrow. Dancer’s new farm was miles away, and by the time he got there the stable hands would be asleep. Perfect timing to reclaim his magnificent Thoroughbred racehorse, the best horse he’d ever bred or raced. If it wasn’t for Graham…

Enough obsessing about Graham. What was done was done. He was going to look forward from now on, and getting his favourite horses and Kathy’s pony back home was the first step.

Chapter 3

Joanna slid her saddle onto Silver Sky’s back and quickly did up the cinch. The tall pony looked out into the evening light, his ears pricked forward.

Joanna smiled as she unclipped the crossties. "It’s a nice night for a ride, isn’t it, Sky?