by Chloe Ryder
“You’re so immature,” Miranda said, rolling her eyes as she climbed into the front seat.
Mom snapped Jack into his car seat and Pippa took her usual seat in the back, beside her brother.
“We’re off!” cheered Pippa as Mom started the engine.
Dreamily, Pippa stared out the window, watching the busy city streets change to green fields filled with horses, cows, and sheep, until at last they arrived at their vacation home.
“Wow! Is it all ours?” Pippa exclaimed, as Mom pulled up in front of a small, white cottage surrounded by a huge yard. “I could have a pony if we lived here.”
“Yes, the yard’s big enough!” Mom agreed, digging in her handbag for the key to the front door.
The cottage was right by the water. Pippa breathed deeply, loving the smell of the fresh, salty air.
“Can we go to the beach?” she asked.
Mom laughed at her impatience. “Let’s unpack the car first. If we’re going to the beach, you’ll want to take your buckets and shovels.”
“I’ll help,” Pippa said, pulling her bag from the trunk.
The cottage was even prettier inside. Pippa loved the attic bedroom, even though she had to share it with Miranda. It had sloping walls and a sea view, and, to Pippa’s delight, there was an old horseshoe nailed to one of the roof beams.
“Horseshoes are lucky,” she said happily.
Pippa skipped down the stairs into the kitchen, where Mom was searching their luggage for the bag of food.
“We’ll have our lunch on the beach,” she said, packing sandwiches, cupcakes, apples, and drinks into a picnic basket.
The gate at the back of the yard opened onto a winding path that led down to the sea. Pippa was too excited to walk. Instead she galloped down the path, pretending to be a wild stallion, until she reached a horseshoe-shaped cove. Pippa stared in wonder at the golden sand and sparkling blue water stretching away from her.
The cove felt so secret and special it made Pippa’s insides buzz with excitement.
“It’s magic,” she whispered softly.
Pulling off her sandals, she ran across the powdery sand to the sea, where tiny, white-crested waves were licking the shore. Just as Pippa was about to paddle in the water, she saw something far away. What was that at the mouth of the cove?
Pippa stared in amazement at two animals splashing in the water. “They look just like seahorses!” she gasped.
Pippa raised her arm to shield her eyes from the sun so she could take a better look. They really did look like seahorses, and they were almost as big as real horses, with gracefully curved necks bobbing above the water and long spines sticking up along spiky manes. One horse was pale pink and the other was green with dark freckles. Pippa blinked and rubbed her eyes. Was she imagining things? When she looked again the two animals were still there, splashing water at each other with their curled tails.
Behind her Pippa could hear Mom, Miranda, and Jack laughing together as they made their way to the beach.
“Quick!” she called, waving at them. “Look at this!”
“What is it, sweetheart?”
“Seahorses,” Pippa said.
“Where? I can’t see them!” Jack cried.
“Seahorses!” Miranda exclaimed. “How can you see a tiny seahorse from here?”
“They’re giant ones,” Pippa said.
“I can’t see anything.” Mom stared out at the sea.
Miranda giggled as she ran over. “I see them! The red one’s wearing a hat!”
Pippa’s heart leaped, then sank right down to her bare toes. Miranda was teasing her! Besides, the sea was empty now. The seahorses had disappeared.
“I did see two seahorses,” Pippa insisted. “They were playing together.”
“Don’t be silly, Pip. There’s no such thing as a giant seahorse,” Miranda said meanly.
“Pippa, you’re too big for that sort of make-believe,” Mom said gently. “Come and help me set out the picnic.”
Pippa gazed at the sea, but there was nothing there except for the seagulls gliding over the bay. But the seahorses were real—Pippa knew she hadn’t imagined them. Confused, she hurried after Mom.
“Do I have to eat now?” she asked. “I want to go in the water first.”
“Go ahead,” Mom said. “Be careful. Don’t go in deeper than your knees.”
Pippa ran back to the water’s edge. The sea was lovely and warm. She waded out until she was knee deep. The water was so clear she could still see her feet. Pippa wiggled her toes in the sand.
“Ooooh,” she said. “That tickles!”
Two tiny seahorses were swimming around her feet.
“Wow! This place is full of seahorses!”
Pippa bent down for a closer look.
The moment her fingers touched the water they began to tingle. The feeling was so incredible that Pippa felt sure it was some kind of magic. Gently, she moved her fingers to get one of the seahorses to swim to her hand. The tiny animal was almost there when, suddenly, with a loud whoosh, the water rose up in the shape of the head and front legs of a galloping horse.
“Eek!” Pippa squealed.
Two giant seahorses popped through the water and examined Pippa with their big eyes.
“You are real!” she exclaimed. “I knew I hadn’t imagined it.”
Pippa waded closer to the giant creatures and gently stroked their noses.
“Your name, Pippa, is short for Philippa, which means lover of ponies,” said the pink seahorse.
“That’s right,” said Pippa, who couldn’t believe she was talking to a giant seahorse.
“Then you are the one,” said the green seahorse.
“My name is Rosella,” the pink seahorse continued. “And this is Triton. We’ve come to take you to a place that needs your help.”
BLOOMSBURY CHILDREN’S BOOKS
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First published in the United States of America in January 2019 by Bloomsbury Children’s Books
E-book edition published in January 2019
Text copyright © 2017 by Awesome Media and Entertainment Ltd
Illustrations copyright © 2017 by Jennifer Miles
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