by Tina Nolan
“Merlin is a newborn – he’s just one day old,” Heidi explained to Cath Brown, the owner of Leebank Pony Sanctuary the following morning. “We need to find a new home for him. Of course, we won’t move him anywhere until he’s a good deal older.”
“Quite right.” Cath nodded. “And you’ll need to find someone who will keep him with his mother for the first year or so, until he’s weaned and ready to leave her.”
Eva and Karl sat in the back of their mum’s car, listening to the grown-ups talk. “I like it here!” Eva muttered.
Karl grunted. He didn’t dare to hope that Leebank would become Guinevere and Merlin’s new home – that would be too good to be true.
“No, honestly – look at all the horses and ponies in the fields!”
Leebank sat in a valley with a stream running through it. The yard overlooked three big fields full of grazing animals.
“Fifteen – sixteen – seventeen,” Karl counted. “…Twenty-two altogether.”
Meanwhile Eva concentrated on Cath Brown, a tall, sturdy woman dressed in a blue padded jacket, jeans and wellies.
“I’m very happy to set up a link with Animal Magic,” Cath was telling Heidi. “For instance, if people bring horses and ponies to me who are in need of a vet, I can bring them over to you for treatment. Likewise, if you need to rehome a pony and you’ve tried everywhere else without success, then I can provide a home here as a last resort.”
“Look at that big brown and white one!” Karl nudged Eva and pointed to a horse that had come up to the gate.
Eva couldn’t resist – she got out of the car and went to stroke the horse. He had thick, feathered legs and a long white mane that fell forward over his face. He was so hairy he even had a funny, curled moustache at the end of his nose.
“What’s his name?” Eva called to Cath.
“That’s Major. He’s thirty-three years old.” Cath came across with a carrot for the elderly horse.
“Wow!” Eva couldn’t get over Major’s size and hairiness. “What do you think about Guinevere and Merlin?” she asked.
Cath smiled. “They sound great. And Guinevere sounds as if she’s taken to motherhood, no problem.”
“Merlin is so gorgeous!” Eva told her.
“And you’re longing to keep him?” Cath guessed.
Major’s moustache wobbled up and down as he ate his carrot.
“Yeah, but we can’t,” Eva sighed, enjoying the sight of other ponies ambling up the fields towards them. “Can you?” she asked suddenly, keeping her fingers crossed behind her back.
Cath sighed. “Like I said, Leebank is a last resort. And your mum says there’s a chance of Guinevere and Merlin being sent to a good home in Devon.”
“Miles and miles away!” Eva protested.
“But they would do well there – on a farm, with other animals, and kids to ride them.”
“I could ride them if they lived here,” Eva pleaded. She felt her hopes fade as Cath smiled sympathetically.
“Send them to Devon,” Cath advised. “They’ll have a good life down there.”
“OK, so we have two people interested in Guinevere.” As soon as they got back from the pony sanctuary, Karl went into Reception and checked the website. “One says she can’t take Merlin though.”
“We can’t split them!” Eva insisted, reading the emails over her brother’s shoulder. “And look, this other one’s the opposite – they want the foal but not the mare. What’s wrong with them? Don’t they read the ads properly?”
“Hi, Annie, any news from Devon?” Heidi asked, looking up from her examination of Bruno as Eva’s friend appeared.
“Aunty Ruth says she’ll definitely think about giving Guinevere and Merlin a home,” Annie replied cautiously, just as the phone began to ring. “But she can’t give an answer right away.”
Eva frowned. Right now, with Leebank only to be used as a last resort and no other offers coming up, Devon looked like the only choice.
“Answer the phone, would you, Eva?” Heidi muttered as she checked out movement in Bruno’s injured shoulder.
Eva reached for the receiver.
“Hi, this is Cath Brown from Leebank,” the voice said. “Is that Eva?”
“Yes, do you want to speak to Mum?”
“No. Can you just pass on a quick message? I forgot to mention one important thing when you dropped by, which is that the police called in here about a week ago to warn me that two horse thieves are operating in the area. I thought you should know, since it’ll soon be time to put your mare and foal out to pasture. When you do, make sure the field is secure.”
“OK, thanks.” The message worried Eva. For a moment she wondered if the two angry fishermen she’d seen while walking Dougal had anything to do with the horse thieves. But when she told her mum, Heidi had good news.
“Don’t worry, your dad fixed up a deal with Tom Ingleby earlier today. Tom has promised to rent us his field facing on to the golf course for as long as we need it. You know, the one you can see from your house, Annie.”
“Hey, cool!” Annie grinned. “I’ll be able to look out of my bedroom window and see Guinevere and Merlin!”
“So?” Eva prompted her mum, trying not to feel jealous.
“So, there’s no direct access to that field from the main road,” Heidi explained. “In other words, no horse thief can drive a trailer anywhere near Guinevere and Merlin when we put them out there tomorrow morning.”
Reassured, Eva went off with Annie to feed the orphan kittens in the cattery. As they passed by Tigger’s bay, Miss Eliot’s tabby gave a loud miaow.
“What a gorgeous cat!” Annie said.
“He’s going back to his owner as soon as she’s out of hospital, so don’t get any ideas about adopting him,” Eva kidded.
Annie sighed. “As if! You know what Mum’s like!”
“I sure do!” Eva raised her eyebrows. Soon she and Annie were busy with the four tiny kittens, dropping milk into their greedy pink mouths.
The kittens squirmed and swallowed, curling their tongues around the plastic tube and sucking out every drop.
“So, you get to see Merlin out of your window and I don’t,” Eva sighed. Her bedroom overlooked the yard and the surgery.
“Yeah, but you got to see him being born!” Annie reminded her. “And you can stroke him whenever you like! I can’t believe he feels so soft!”
“As soft as these kittens,” Eva said. They were finished with the feeding and so she and Annie nestled the orphans down in their warm bed and left the cattery. “Do you fancy taking a peek at Merlin before you go?” she asked.
Annie glanced at her watch. “I promised Mum I’d be back for one – but hey, she won’t mind if I’m a few minutes late!”
Eva led the way into the stables. “We need to be very quiet” she murmured.
Merlin was resting in the straw. Guinevere raised her head as the girls drew close and peered into the stall.
“Oh, he’s so cool!” Annie breathed. “And skinny! And cute!”
Eva nodded happily. “Can we come in?” she asked Guinevere, gently opening the door and beckoning Annie in after her. “The first thing I thought after he was born was, ‘Wow, how skinny!’” she confessed. “Then I saw him stand up on these long, wobbly legs, and I thought he’d never be able to do it, but Guinevere nudged him and he got up and he stood there trembling all over!”
“Is it OK to stroke him again?” Annie checked. “Oh, he’s so gorgeous! Look, he’s standing up!”
Jerkily getting to his feet, Merlin shook himself, and then tottered towards Eva. He pushed his soft nose against her arm, and then gave a small hop and skip towards Annie.
“He likes me!” Annie smiled. But just as she reached out to stroke him, she heard her mother’s voice calling and drawing nearer. “Uh-oh, I might have known!” With a start she drew back, making Guinevere glance anxiously towards the stable door.
“Annie, where are you? I told you not to be late home,”
Linda Brooks called.
“In here, Mum!” Annie replied softly, slowly backing out of the stall.
Linda appeared in the door, her forehead creased by a deep frown. But when she spotted Guinevere and her tiny foal, for a moment her face softened. “Oh my!” she murmured, before the hard mask returned. She cleared her throat. “Annie, come along, your lunch is getting cold!”
Blushing, Annie joined her mum, who sneaked one final look at Merlin before she turned and marched away.
“Did you see that?” Eva muttered as she patted Guinevere’s neck. “For a second back there I thought Mrs Brooks was about to crack a smile!”
The grey mare nuzzled at Eva’s pockets.
“Sorry, no treats!” Eva smiled. “But listen, Guinnie, there was this look on Annie’s mum’s face, all soft and gooey, like everyone else when they first set eyes on Merlin. I was so surprised!”
This really made Eva think. She knelt down beside the foal, who had nestled back down in the straw. “Of course, she soon switched it off, but I did see it. And you know something?” she murmured, wrapping her arms around Merlin’s neck. “The truth is Linda Brooks fell in love with you on the spot.”
Merlin turned his head and nuzzled Eva’s shoulder.
Eva smiled. “She did,” she insisted. “And you know something else? I’ve just had a totally brilliant idea!”
“Forget Devon!” Eva told Karl, brimming with confidence as she hurtled into his room.
Her brother was busy as usual updating the website. He sat with his back to her. “Sugar and Spice are orphan kittens,” he typed. “They’re ready to go to new owners and would like to find a home together.”
“I said, forget Devon for Guinevere and Merlin!” Eva insisted. “I’ve thought of something brilliant!”
“So impress me,” Karl muttered, uploading an image of the kittens.
“I’m serious, Karl!” Eva swivelled his chair away from his desk. “Listen, you’d like to find Merlin and Guinnie a home close to Okeham, wouldn’t you?”
“It’s not up to us,” he said. “Everyone else thinks Devon is a good idea.”
“Except Miss Eliot!” Eva pointed out. “No one’s told her yet, have they? It’s going to break her heart!”
Karl frowned. “You’re only saying that because you want to keep them nearby so you can see them!”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Well, maybe a little, but do you want to hear my idea, or don’t you?”
Karl turned back towards the screen. “Go ahead. You’re going to tell me anyway.”
“OK, this is it! Mrs Brooks came to fetch Annie earlier and she saw Merlin…”
“Sage and Thyme,” Karl typed, his shoulders hunched, his back to Eva again. “Two more orphan kittens looking for a friendly new home…”
“Her face softened the moment she saw him!”
“So?”
“So, she’s like everyone else – she’s fallen in love with him!”
“So?” Karl muttered again.
“So, she used to go riding when she was young – Annie told me. She loves horses, even if she tries to pretend she doesn’t!”
“Are we talking about ‘Linda Brooks’, as in the woman who just sent a petition to the Council to get us closed down?” Karl scoffed.
“Karl, listen. You didn’t see her face when she set eyes on Merlin. She really liked him. So my idea is to get Linda to adopt him and Guinevere!”
Karl spun round in his seat, his eyes narrowed. “You’re crazy!”
“I’m not!”
“Yes, you are. You’re always having mad ideas. Now let me get on, OK?”
Eva gritted her teeth. “You wait!” she muttered, flouncing off to her own room. “I’m going to make it happen!”
Next morning, Eva was bringing Joey the greyhound back from a walk by the river when she bumped into Annie at the entrance to Animal Magic.
“Hey, Eva, I was looking for you,” Annie greeted her, stooping to pat Joey. “I’ve got good news. Mum spoke to Aunty Ruth again about Guinevere and Merlin and the answer’s yes!”
“Oh!” Eva walked on towards the kennels with Joey.
“Aren’t you pleased?” Annie ran after her. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
Just then, Eva’s grandad drove through the gates and Karl came out of the house to say hello.
“How are my favourite grandkids?” Jimmy asked with a broad grin as he got out of his car.
“Grandad, we’re your only grandkids!” Eva grinned back, handing Joey’s lead to Annie, who had offered to put him back in his kennel.
“Exactly!” He gave her shoulder a quick squeeze. “I thought I’d come and check up on Tigger for Miss Eliot.”
“How is she?” Karl asked.
“Not too bad. She comes out of hospital on Monday, into a flat with a warden to keep an eye on her. The old house is already up for sale.”
“Well, tell her Tigger’s fine,” Karl said. “And we’re pretty sure we’ve found a home for Guinevere and Merlin – in Devon.”
“Yes, it’s all fixed!” Annie announced, coming out on to the kennel porch.
Eva pressed her lips together and kept quiet, watching her grandad’s reaction.
“Well, that’s a long way away,” Jimmy said, shaking his head. “I’m not sure how Miss Eliot will feel about that.”
“She’ll hate it!” Eva broke in.
“But it’s a good home,” Annie insisted.
“I’d better tell Miss Eliot then. I hope it doesn’t come as too much of a shock,” Jimmy said, worried. He set off for the house to find Mark and Heidi.
Eva ran after him. “Don’t tell Miss Eliot about Devon just yet,” she pleaded.
Her grandad turned to study her face. “Why? Have you got something else in mind?” he asked.
Eva’s eyes were bright and eager. “Actually, yes!” she nodded. “I’m working on it. So don’t worry, Grandad, I’m pretty sure I’ll find Merlin and Guinevere a place much closer to home!”
“Meanwhile, it’s business as usual,” Heidi announced after she and Mark had finished telling Jimmy about the problem with the Council over a cup of coffee.
Eva sat quietly in a corner of the kitchen, listening to their conversation.
“Did they say how long they’d take to make a decision?” Jimmy asked.
Mark shook his head. “But you know us, Dad – we always look on the bright side. There are lots of people in Okeham who support Animal Magic, in spite of the ones who signed Linda’s petition.”
“Why can’t people like Linda Brooks see what a good job you’re doing here?” Jimmy grumbled.
“Listen, we’re not solving anything sitting here talking,” Heidi decided, catching Eva’s eye. “It’s time to take Guinevere and Merlin out into the field for the first time. Eva, do you fancy putting a head collar on Guinevere and helping me lead her out?”
The words were hardly out of her mum’s mouth before Eva was halfway across the yard. She dashed into the stables.
“Guess what!” she told Guinevere, grabbing a head collar from its hook on the wall. “You’re going outside!”
The mare stamped her feet and turned to edge Merlin towards the door.
Carefully Eva strapped the head collar on and clipped a lead rope in place. “Merlin, this will be the first time you’ve ever seen the sky and grass and a river … and everything!”
The little grey foal gave a jerky hop, straight up in the air.
“Ready?” Heidi asked, appearing at the door. Behind her, Mark, Karl and Jimmy held back, curious to see how the new foal would enjoy going out into the field. “Do you want to lead the way?”
Heidi opened the door of the stall and they all made way for Eva and Guinevere. Little Merlin tottered close behind.
Eva led the procession across the yard and out through a side gate, down a narrow, leafy lane and into Tom Ingleby’s field. Guinevere walked steadily, stopping to snatch a mouthful o
f fresh green shoots growing in the hedge. Close behind her, Merlin sniffed and trotted along.
At last they reached the field. Heidi opened the gate and Eva stepped in with Guinevere and Merlin.
The tiny foal took his first step on to lush green grass. He stayed close to his mother at first, following her every step.
Then Merlin grew braver. He moved away, taking a sniff here and a sniff there. He looked up at the vast blue sky. He tried out a small skip and a jump.
Guinevere kept a wary eye on him as he ventured out into the big wide world.
Hey, I can jump and I can run! Merlin seemed to say. My legs are like springs! The air smells fresh and good!
“Look at that!” Eva murmured, sitting astride the gate as Merlin made another run and a jump. He toppled and fell to the ground, got up again and trotted back to his mum.
“Adorable!” Heidi sighed.
Karl, Mark and Jimmy leaned against the gate grinning.
Eva watched Guinevere check that Merlin was OK before letting him go off to explore again. Then she glanced at the houses overlooking the field. She made out the back of the surgery, with its low roof and small windows, and next to it, the Brookses’ tall, white house.
“Look, he’s getting braver!” Karl exclaimed, as Merlin made his unsteady way up the hill, away from the river towards the houses.
Eva saw the curtain move in a window of the Brookses’ house. She glimpsed Linda Brooks’s face.
Yes! she thought. Mrs Brooks is secretly watching! I knew it. I don’t care what Karl says, my plan is going to work!
“Hey, Eva, guess what!” It was Wednesday evening and Annie came looking for her friend in the cattery. “I just caught Mum sneaking a peek at Merlin when she should have been doing the hoovering!”
Eva gave a broad smile as she tucked Spice back into the basket alongside her brothers and sisters. “Tell me more.”