Spirit Riding Free--Pru's Diary

by Stacia Deutsch

  The other girl thrust her own blank paper into Pru’s hand. “Sign this and I’ll keep it safe all the way to Miradero.”

  Pru began to sign the page, then her hand stalled. She wasn’t sure she’d heard right. “Where are you going?” she asked.

  “Miradero,” the girl said. “My family is visiting there next. We’re on vacation and people say it’s the most beautiful town on the frontier.”

  Pru looked up at the mountains behind her, towering over the horizon, and thought about the girl’s words for a long moment. “You’re right,” she said at last. There was a tinge of homesickness in her voice. “Miradero is the most beautiful town I’ve ever seen.”

  Pru brushed aside the feeling and finished the autograph. “Be sure to get some ice cream and say hi to Mr. Winthrop for us all! He owns the parlor.” Pru added with a wink, “He can be a bit of a grump, but he’ll give you extra sprinkles if you ask.”

  The two girls excitedly skipped off, holding their autographs close to their hearts.

  Pru stared after them for a long moment, wondering if she should have made other suggestions, or maybe she could have asked them to talk to her parents for her. It was too late. They were gone. She turned her attention back to her friends.

  “So, Abigail,” Pru said, “tell me more about these cupcakes.”

  Diary Entry

  Dear Diary,

  This morning, I had the most brilliant idea.

  I think I should do a flip off a trampoline and land with flair on a horse’s back.

  The idea was so incredible that I hurried to the corral to ask Chica Linda if she wanted to be in the show. She’s been refusing to be part of the circus, so I’ve been doing the clown act with Boomerang. I thought that maybe this idea would get her excited. If she was willing, I could land on her back. The crowd would love it.

  Of course, when I asked, Chica Linda gave me a look as if I were crazy. There was no way I was going to flip and land on her back.

  I told her I was sure that Boomerang would be into the idea. In fact, Boomerang would probably love jumping on a trampoline himself, if there were one big enough.

  Chica Linda snorted.

  I told her to let me know if she changed her mind.

  If the trampoline idea doesn’t work out, I have a few other ideas up my clown sleeve that are all for Boomerang. Maybe I could pretend I don’t know anything about horses and try to put a saddle on Boomerang while he’s moving. Or teach Boomerang to throw a baseball. Or…

  Hang on, Lucky, Solana, and Abigail are here to report big news. Be right back….

  Well, Diary, it turns out the caravan is making a surprise stop on the way to our next show in Triple Creek.

  Fito and Estrella have been sneaking around and whispering a lot lately, so we all knew something was up, but we thought it was something small—like changing the ticket colors or adding food coloring to the popcorn.

  But Solana heard from the lion tamer, who heard from an acrobat, who heard from the fire-eater, who overheard Fito and Estrella saying that we are going to Low Shores.

  Before I could ask why that was important, Solana blurted out that there is going to be a gathering and exhibition festival for all the traveling circuses!

  WOW!

  Abigail claimed it was her unicorn wish come true, that she’d wished we could go to a festival, and now we were!

  Can you believe that Abigail spent her lucky unicorn wish on the idea of a festival? Sounds silly to me… especially since unicorn wishes aren’t a thing. But since she seems sure that the unicorn wish is the reason we are heading to a festival, it kind of makes me wonder…

  However it happened, this is great news. I mean, I’ve been in riding exhibitions before, so a circus one must be similar, right? At an exhibition, riders get to show off their skills, not in competition, but for fun. Since we haven’t seen other circus acts yet, I’m excited to see what the other clowns will be doing.

  The pressure is on. If I’m going to the exhibition, then it’s gotta be the most amazing clown act I’ve ever done. I don’t know what it is going to be yet, but my amazing friends offered some new ideas for the show. They suggested:

  • I could ride while juggling pies (that was Abigail’s idea).

  • Boomerang could ride a bike (also Abigail’s idea).

  • I could teach Boomerang a dance (Solana’s idea).

  • I could teach Boomerang to play a musical instrument (Lucky’s idea).

  Of everything we thought of so far, Lucky’s might be my favorite idea, but what instrument? And how would I teach a horse to play? I have to think more about that.

  If Durango City was the best show I’ve done so far, this one is going to be even better than that!

  El Circo Dos Grillos was one of the last circuses to arrive at Low Shores. The broad meadow was nestled between two large lakes that glistened in the evening sun.

  The caravan pulled into a wide-open space that had a small sign in the center, welcoming them. Each circus had its own well-marked area.

  Judging by the tents and the flags, Pru could see that there were twelve circuses there. Her heart began to race. She was excited to see the other acts but, at the same time, nervous about her own! The billowing performance tents stretched out in all directions. Smaller tents for sleeping or practice dotted the fields in bright, mismatched colors. Even though El Circo Dos Grillos didn’t have a big tent—they performed in the open air—once they were done setting up their sleeping and practice tents, the last patch of grass would be covered.

  The sounds of chatter and music, the howls and brays and neighs of performing animals, and the smells of a thousand different foods filled the air.

  “This is the most incredible place I’ve ever seen! We gotta explore,” Lucky said.

  “We can’t,” Pru said. There was always so much work to do when the caravan first pulled into a town.

  Pru had no doubt that before the night was over, she’d be even more tired than she already was. She’d been staying up late, writing show ideas in her journal, thinking of ways to improve her act for the exhibition. There were a few good ideas in her notebook but nothing amazing, and she wanted this performance to be amazing. Her own performance was on the last day of the three-day festival, so Pru still had some time. But if an idea didn’t come to her soon, she’d never have time to practice with Boomerang.

  “Pru’s right,” Abigail told Lucky. “Work comes first. We can go look around tomorrow.” Abigail gazed over Lucky’s shoulder at a spot where someone had set off small fireworks, and sighed. “Sometimes it’s hard being mature and very grown-up.”

  Lucky stared out at the fireworks and pinched her lips together.

  “Lucky… don’t even think about it,” Pru warned. “We have to stay with the circus.”

  “Come, girls.” Estrella called them to gather near the marker sign.

  “Buenas tardes, amigos.” Fito stood on a small ladder so he could address the entire circus staff. He had to shout over the sounds coming from the other circuses in the meadow. “It’s late, and I know you are all tired after the long days of travel. Leave the supplies for now,” Fito told them all. “We’ll set up the main performance area and a smaller practice tent tomorrow. Relax. Estrella and I will set up the corral and feed the horses. No one works. Tonight, you all should have fun and explore.”

  There was a cheer from the circus performers. It seemed that everyone wanted to find out more about the gathering.

  “My unicorn wish just came true,” Lucky told Pru and Abigail with a laugh.

  “What did you wish for?” Abigail asked, clearly excited that the unicorn wishes were working.

  “Adventure!” Lucky cheered, taking her friends’ arms and dragging them to where Solana was standing. “Come on, Solana, we’re off!”

  As they headed toward the loudest music and the brightest tent, Abigail asked Pru, “What was your unicorn wish?”

  Pru shook her head playfully. “I can’t tell you o
r it won’t come true.” Truth was, Pru hadn’t made one, but she didn’t want to make Abigail feel bad.

  It was as if Abigail read her mind. “Don’t be a doubter, Pru. A wish will come true for you, you’ll see.” With that, and before Pru could protest, Abigail skipped ahead, linking arms with Lucky and Solana.

  “Come on, Pru,” Solana called over her shoulder. “Catch up.”

  “Yeah, Pru, catch up.” A mocking voice came from somewhere behind her.

  “Huh?” Pru stopped and turned around. There, in the rising moonlight, stood a girl. She was alone in the field. Her hair was wild. Her jeans and T-shirt were loose fitting and well worn. Pru almost didn’t recognize her, but then—she winked.

  “Catalina,” Pru muttered under her breath. Louder she asked, “What are you doing here?”

  “It’s a circus gathering.” Catalina stated the obvious. “I’m here to perform, just like you.”

  Pru knew that Abigail, Lucky, and Solana were getting farther away. Eventually they’d notice she wasn’t with them.

  “What exactly do you do in this amazing circus of yours?” Pru asked, squinting hard at Catalina.

  “I’m a clown,” Catalina told her.

  Pru was surprised. Catalina didn’t seem the goofing-around type. Then again, maybe Pru didn’t seem that type, either.

  “Me too,” Pru responded. “Are you performing?”

  Catalina huffed. “Of course. Are you?”

  Pru imitated her huff and repeated, “Of course.”

  “You might as well not show up,” Catalina said. “I already warned you that we’re the best circus on the frontier.”

  Pru knew if Lucky and Abigail were there, they’d tell her to forget about Catalina and come explore instead. There was no real way to prove El Circo Dos Grillos was better than Circus Libre, so why bother? The exhibition was all about sharing shows and having fun. There were no awards or trophies, so why was Pru feeling so feisty?

  “It’s not a competition,” Pru declared, though she was feeling awfully competitive.

  “It sort of is,” Catalina countered.

  That caught Pru’s attention. “What do you mean?”

  “Lydia Sebastian is coming,” Catalina said, in a tone that seemed to expect that Pru knew who that was already. At Pru’s confused look, Catalina offered, “She’s a newspaper reporter.”

  Pru shrugged. She still didn’t know the name.

  “Ugh.” Catalina exhaled, as if telling Pru about Lydia Sebastian was the last thing on Earth she wanted to do. “She’s going to write an article that will showcase only the best acts,” Catalina explained. “I’ve always been chosen.” She added, “And I always get a photo, too.”

  Catalina was getting under Pru’s skin.

  “Maybe this year I’ll get my picture in the newspaper,” Pru suggested. “It could happen.”

  “No way,” Catalina said. “Not only is my act the best clown act, but I’ve known Lydia, the writer, for years. We’re both from Copper Springs. Her youngest sister was in my class at school; that makes us practically friends.” Catalina gave a small laugh and declared, “I’m going to prove to you that I’m the better clown, right here in front of every. Single. Circus. My name will be in the paper!”

  Pru’s blood was boiling. Now the exhibition was a competition, and she was going to do whatever she had to in order to be the one in the newspaper!

  “You’re on!” Pru told Catalina. “See you in the big tent!”

  Pru turned and stormed away, leaving Catalina in the field. But stomping off wasn’t satisfying. By the time she reached her friends, Pru’s face was on fire and her blood was hot.

  She told them what happened.

  “Pru, don’t let Catalina get under your skin,” Lucky said.

  “Yeah, that would be terrible,” said Abigail. “I mean, skin is stretchy and everything, but two people can’t fit in one body.”

  Lucky snapped her head to Abigail with a grossed-out look.

  “Oh, that wasn’t literal?” Abigail shrugged. “I’ll get it next time.”

  “It’s too late,” Pru said. “Now I have to show Catalina that I’m a great clown, too.” She groaned. “But how? You know, I was already planning to do something special, but I don’t have an idea yet.”

  “I’ve been thinking that you should do your usual show,” Lucky said. “It gets a million laughs, and everyone loves it.”

  “You can do the new bowling-ball part, too,” Solana said. “The crowd in Durango City thought it was hysterical. I swear I saw a little boy laugh so hard that he cried.”

  “Oh, that was because I spilled his popcorn…” Abigail started, then corrected herself. “And because he was laughing really hard.”

  “I don’t know,” Pru said, staring out at the endless rows of tents spread all around them. “Tonight’s my last night of fun. Tomorrow, the work begins. Boomerang and I are going to practice until our routine is a winner.”

  “Well, then,” Lucky said, clear that she couldn’t talk Pru out of her determination. “We better get started! We have to make tonight the best adventure ever!”

  They began the night by going into the nearest circus encampment, where a band was playing and people were dancing.

  Pru danced with her friends until her feet couldn’t dance a step more.

  Diary Entry

  Dear Diary,

  One quick note to you, one quick letter home, then I’m off to get Boomerang and start practicing. I haven’t come up with a brilliant idea yet, seeing as I have been awake for only twenty minutes, but today’s the day! Some stroke of genius is going to hit me, and I’ll be ready when it does.

  In the meantime, I have to tell you, last night was so much fun. We started at the Circus of the South’s campsite and that is where we danced. They have a big performance tent that is taller than any of the other tents around. Even Solana said that she’d be nervous about how high up their tightrope walkers are above the ground. The party there last night was playing Southern-style music with a fast rhythm and snappy beat. I’d never danced fast like that with a partner before, and Miz Prescott might have fainted if she saw us, but several performers from their circus taught us the steps.

  At the next tent, the Russian River Circus showed us more dance steps, but this time from Russia! I didn’t know anything about Russia, but now I have two future pen pals from there.

  Lucky picked the next tent to visit. It was the smallest at the gathering. To our surprise, it was a circus without any people acts. They have dogs, horses, and even llamas, but no people, except the trainers. To welcome visitors last night, it was like a petting zoo. I can’t wait to see what these animals do for a show!

  We didn’t visit everyone. It got too late and I was fading into a puddle of tired Pru. There are so many circuses here, I can’t wait to see as many of the exhibitions as I can. Between my own practices, of course.

  On the way home, we stopped near a quiet tent. It wasn’t as big as the Circus of the South’s, but it was bigger than the Amazing Animals’s. But it was silent. There wasn’t a party there, and I wondered if their whole group was out exploring. Or maybe this circus had just arrived, too?

  I peeked in through the flap and there was one person inside. Alone.

  It was Catalina. I couldn’t tell what she was doing, but she was sitting in the stands, looking at something in her hand and frowning. She didn’t see me (at least I don’t think so).

  Lucky tugged me away. Abigail told me not to let Catalina ruin my fun night. And Solana told me that she heard that our camp, even without a tent, had built a huge bonfire and was offering fire-roasted corncobs to anyone who visited.

  Actually, Solana confessed that her wish on the green unicorn had been for the roasted corncobs. They’re her favorite!

  For a second, I considered inviting Catalina, but then I remembered how rude she’d been when I first met her, so I didn’t. Plus, she’s the competition, after all.

  We hurried back to our own
camp and snacked until we were stuffed.

  It was a great night. And now, the work begins. No distractions for Pru. I’m staying super focused on the task. Oh, I did learn something else last night—that’s why I have to write home. I want to tell them the news….

  More later!

  Dear Mom and Dad,

  Last night was an amazing night at the circus. We are at a gathering of all the traveling circuses. I’m seeing new acts, learning about other kinds of circuses, and best of all, making new friends.

  Lucky and Abigail are helping me with a new act for the exhibition at the gathering. We haven’t come up with something great yet, but we will. That brings me to my big news:

  There’s a reporter here and she’s going to do an article on the best acts. Last night, at the Russian River Circus tent, I learned that the reporter is famous. She’ll send the article to all the regional presses, including Miradero’s newspaper, the Bugle! So you know what that means?

  I gotta work hard and be the best act… so you can see me in the paper!

  All those competitions I did in Miradero have prepared me for this one—so thanks, Mom and Dad. You both always help me be the best Pru I can be.

  I miss you both very much. I miss the barn and the ramada and even when Dad makes me fix the fence. I miss putting Chica Linda in her own stall at night (even though she’s okay here in the corral). I miss sleeping in my own room. I even miss Mom’s green-bean casserole (I’m eating vegetables, Mom, but they just aren’t as good). I’ll admit sometimes I get a little homesick thinking about everything I miss.

  But life here is good, too. So don’t you worry about me!

  Oh, I gotta go. Lucky and Abigail are here with Spirit, Boomerang, and Chica Linda. We’re going to the practice tent, and they’re going to help me with my act. I perform in three days. Wish me luck!

  Your daughter,

  Pru

  Pru forgot to mail the letter. She put it in Boomerang’s saddlebag, meaning to mail it later, but she forgot. The next day, when she went to find it and put on the postage, the letter was gone.