Western Star

by Bonnie Bryant

  “The only thing that’s missing is presents,” said Carole. She’d meant it to be funny and her friends laughed, but it reminded them that they were away from their families and, no matter how much fun they were having, that was a little sad.

  “Frank, would it be okay if I called my dad?” Carole asked.

  “You don’t have to, Carole,” Phyllis said, coming out of the kitchen. “He’s on the phone. He just called a minute ago. You two must have some kind of ESP!”

  It turned out that it wasn’t just Carole’s father who was on the phone. It was the Lakes and the Atwoods, too. Since Carole and Lisa weren’t in Willow Creek with their families for the evening, the families had all gotten together at the Lakes’ and were having a big, boisterous party.

  The girls took turns talking to everybody. Stevie even talked to her brothers. She almost told them that she missed them. She said she did have presents for them and they could open them on Saturday when she got home, and if they hadn’t gotten a present for her, well, the fact that Christmas would be two days late just gave them two more days to shop for her.

  “You’re shameless!” Lisa said to Stevie when the phone call was finished.

  “You have to let them know what’s right,” Stevie said. “It’s a sister’s job.”

  “I’m surprised you didn’t post your dress and sweater sizes on the bulletin board,” Carole said.

  “No, of course not,” said Stevie. “I put those up in their bathroom, along with a list of the CDs I want.”

  Once again Lisa found herself wondering about the advantages and disadvantages of being part of a large family.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by an announcement from Phyllis Devine, telling everybody they were to go to their bunkhouses and find a sock to hang up by the fireplace.

  “Clean socks,” Phyllis called after The Saddle Club.

  A few minutes later each guest hung one sock on a nail on the mantelpiece, identified by a name tag so that Santa wouldn’t get mixed up.

  “Now, the next Devine family tradition is Christmas morning in pj’s and bathrobes. Nobody has to get dressed up. Breakfast at nine. And before we go off to bed, I hope the Finnegans will sing us one more carol.”

  Phyllis began turning out the lights in the lodge until the room was lit only by the lights on the Christmas tree and the flickering candles on the Katzes’ menorah.

  Gary picked up his guitar and began strumming softly.

  “ ‘Silent night,’ ” he began. Everybody joined in.

  When the last note was sung, the guests turned to go to their rooms. The girls filed out the front door and walked through the cold night under the star-filled sky to their cabin. At last they slept.

  “LAST ONE TO the lodge is a rotten egg!” Stevie declared at eight-thirty the next morning. “I’ve got to see what’s in my stocking!”

  It didn’t take long for the girls to get ready. They brushed their teeth, donned bathrobes, and pulled boots on over their socks.

  “Merry Christmas!” They were greeted at the door by pajama-clad revelers. The house was filled with the welcoming smells of breakfast, and the mantelpiece seemed to buckle under the weight of twelve overstuffed socks.

  “Take me to my goodies!” Stevie declared. Everybody agreed it was time to see what Santa had brought.

  Each sock had an apple or an orange in it, some candies, a candy cane, and a little something special. Stevie got a Slinky; Carole got a little picture puzzle of a horse; Lisa got a game in which she was supposed to get all the silver balls into the center of a maze. Santa had brought Christine a pellet that, when put into water, was supposed to make a magical crystal world. Nothing was very fancy, but everything was fun and given with love and care.

  Carole gave all the Devines a hug to thank them for making it one of the best Christmases ever. They hugged her back.

  “You’re a good part of what’s making it so special for all of us—you and your dude friends over there!” Frank said.

  Then Phyllis announced that breakfast was ready.

  “You remembered!” Stevie said when she saw that the menu included more than Phyllis’s traditional stollen. In the center of the table was a tray of eggs Benedict. Carole thought she saw a tear in the corner of Stevie’s eye, but Stevie swiped at her face fast, so Carol wasn’t sure. In any case, if it was a tear, it was one of joy, because Stevie attacked the breakfast with the same eagerness she always seemed to have for food. Of course, she began by scraping the hollandaise off the eggs.

  “Just the way I like it,” she said, grinning broadly.

  When breakfast was over the guests returned to the main room and sat by the warm fire, enjoying one another’s company.

  Christine spoke. “Well, since this seems to be a time of mixed traditions, I think perhaps I should share, too. And since my grandfather has died and my mother isn’t here, it falls to me to tell our family tale. My grandfather and my mother always began the story by saying they don’t know if it’s true. They only know that this is what our family has passed down.”

  Many years ago, before the first man was in this land, before the first animals walked in the meadows, before the first tree grew, before the first cloud touched the sky, there was a hawk. He flew the skies. He soared as high as the mountains. He dipped as low as the meadows. He never ate or drank and he never knew hunger, thirst, or pain. He knew only joy and curiosity.

  One day, he became curious about the land beyond the mountains, and he flew to explore it. He found many wonders. He found other creatures of the land, the sea, the skies. He found trees and grass and flowers. But he longed for his own land. He flew home. It was as he had left it, and he was glad.

  But as he soared over his own land, he dropped something from his talon. It was a seed that had become stuck in his claw when he was in the other land. The seed fell to the earth. It grew a root. It grew a tree. It grew grass. Flowers sprang up nearby. In the grass grew creatures and people of the land. In the tree grew birds of the air. In a stream fish flourished.

  And all around the land, people grew strong and healthy, feeding on the seeds and the animals of the land, drinking the water of the stream.

  The hawk watched from above, and when he saw the wonders that had come to his land, he flew down to look. He saw a small creature and he took it for food. He saw the water of the stream and he drank it.

  The people saw the hawk eating and drinking as he had never done before and they knew that the hawk had changed the land and the land had changed the hawk. And they saw that now the hawk needed the land. They would have to care for it evermore.

  There was a moment of quiet when the story was done.

  Ellen Katz was the first to speak. “Thank you, Christine,” she said. “I think Fred and I may add that to our Hanukkah traditions as well!”

  Everybody laughed.

  “You know,” said Lisa, “I’m having such a good time, I may never want to go home.”

  “Too bad,” said Frank. “Just when I was about to tell you that the airport’s going to be plowed and open early tomorrow morning.”

  “Well, on second thought …”

  The girls didn’t have to say it. This was fun, but home was home.

  “RACE YOU TO the creek!” Stevie declared three days later.

  It was Sunday afternoon. They’d been back in Willow Creek since Friday night, but the girls had barely seen one another since they’d gotten home. They’d been busy making up for missed time with their families and, as Stevie reminded them, there had been all those presents to open.

  The girls had agreed to have their own Christmas at TD’s that afternoon after a good ride.

  “Can you believe how warm it is?” Lisa asked. They were all wearing sweaters and light jackets to counter the fifty-degree weather, a big change from the near-zero temperatures out West.

  All three girls were glad to be back on their favorite horses. They each loved the horses they rode at the Bar None, but as far as Carole was concerned,
Starlight was the best horse in the world. Stevie wouldn’t have wanted to contradict Carole, but for her money Belle was number one. Lisa thought all horses were just fine, but for now she was happiest on Prancer. Prancer seemed glad to have her back. She was trotting in a style true to her name, too: She positively pranced across the field toward the woods.

  It didn’t take long to get to the creek. If it had been summertime, they would have taken off their boots and dangled their feet in the cool water. Today they had to be satisfied with perching on the big rock by the water’s edge and watching the icy water slip past.

  “It was great, but I’m glad to be back,” Stevie said.

  “Every trip to the Bar None is different in a wonderful way,” said Carole. “I mean, this time it was Christmas and I loved getting to know the Katzes and the Finnegans.”

  Lisa gulped. She had something she had to say. It wasn’t easy, but not saying it was going to be harder.

  “Carole, I haven’t apologized to you enough about butting in between you and Gary,” she said.

  “You were right,” Carole told her. “I mean, he is a great singer, you can’t deny that—”

  “Really great,” Lisa said.

  “Right, but that’s not enough. When the chips were down, Gary was a jerk. I was a fool to have had a crush on him. I need to thank you.”

  “No you don’t,” said Lisa. “Just because I saw something you didn’t, didn’t give me the right to stick my nose in. I’m never going to do that again.”

  “I promise I’ll never get a crush on another jerk,” Carole said solemnly.

  “But if you do, I promise I’ll tell you, not him,” said Lisa.

  “So, you think my boyfriend’s a jerk?” Carole asked in mock anger.

  Lisa laughed. So did Stevie and so did Carole.

  “I think there’s a lesson here,” said Stevie. “If I’ve got this right, the lesson is that no boy is more important than our friendship.”

  That was something they definitely could agree on.

  “And the other lesson is that if we don’t get to TD’s, I’m going to starve to death,” Stevie said. TD’s, short for Tastee Delight, was the ice cream shop where the girls often had Saddle Club meetings. “I nearly went into sundae withdrawal while we were at the Bar None. Are you girls ready for some real food?”

  “I’m ready for a sundae,” Lisa said. “But I hardly think those ghastly concoctions you order at TD’s qualify as real food. Now, real food is hot caramel on—”

  “Lemon ice!” Stevie said.

  “Let’s go,” said Carole.

  The girls took an extralong time grooming their horses and giving them treats. They needed to make up for the time they’d spent at the ranch. It was late in the afternoon by the time they settled into their favorite booth at TD’s.

  It didn’t take long for the girls to order. Or at least it didn’t take long for Carole and Lisa to order. Each wanted hot fudge on vanilla. Stevie, on the other hand, ordered one scoop each of pistachio and peppermint, strawberry and crème de menthe, with red and green sprinkles.

  “And don’t forget the cherry, right?” their usual waitress asked.

  “Right,” Stevie said solemnly. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t you want any nuts on it?”

  “No, this is a Christmas sundae,” Stevie said. “Just red and green.”

  “I couldn’t have figured that out on my own, even if I’d wanted to,” said the waitress, retreating quickly.

  Lisa and Carole laughed. Somehow Stevie maintained a straight face.

  For a few minutes the girls discussed the drill their Pony Club would put on in a couple of weeks. It was hard to believe they’d been practicing just a day before their trip to the Bar None. It seemed like a lifetime ago. Then Stevie got a gleam in her eye.

  “I think it’s time for our presents,” she said. “I mean, you guys may or may not have something for me, but I’ve got something for you.”

  With that she fished two identical packages out of her backpack.

  “Me too,” said Lisa. She took two packages out of the tote bag she was carrying.

  “Me three,” said Carole. She opened up a small box she’d been holding on her lap and put a package in front of each of her friends.

  Stevie looked at the six packages sitting on the table and wrinkled her brow.

  “What’s the matter?” Lisa asked.

  “Just look,” said Stevie. “Six packages, all exactly the same size.”

  Carole and Lisa looked.

  “Did you?…”

  “At the mall?…”

  “That wagon?…”

  Stevie went first. She opened her gift from Carole. It was a small, beautiful glass horse.

  “Really?” Lisa asked. She opened her gift from Stevie. It was the same thing.

  “I can’t believe this!” Stevie said, opening her gift from Lisa. A third glass horse stood on the table.

  “It’s beautiful!” said Stevie.

  “I knew you’d like it,” said Lisa.

  “Me three,” said Carole.

  The girls each opened their other gifts, and then there were six glass horses standing on the table.

  “I guess we know good presents when we see them at the mall,” said Lisa.

  “Or maybe we just know one another too well,” Carole said.

  “Maybe,” said Stevie. “And here’s the test. I know what I’m going to name my new horses. What about you two?”

  “I’ve got an idea,” said Lisa.

  “Holly and Ivy,” said Carole.

  “That’s my idea,” said Lisa.

  “Me three,” said Stevie.

  “Merry Christmas,” announced the waitress, putting Stevie’s sundae down in front of her.

  “It is,” Stevie assured her. Her friends agreed.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  BONNIE BRYANT is the author of many books for young readers, including novelizations of movie hits such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, written under her married name, B. B. Hiller.

  Ms. Bryant began writing The Saddle Club in 1986. Although she had done some riding before that, she intensified her studies then and found herself learning right along with her characters Stevie, Carole, and Lisa. She claims that they are all much better riders than she is.

  Ms. Bryant was born and raised in New York City. She still lives there, in Greenwich Village, with her two sons.

  Look for Bonnie Bryant’s next exciting

  Saddle Club book …

  49: STABLE FAREWELL

  Spoiled brat Veronica diAngelo was given an expensive Thoroughbred for Christmas. Now all she can do is brag about how perfect Go For Blue is. She hasn’t given a backward glance at her other horse, Garnet. The Saddle Club girls are determined to find a loving new home for the unloved Arabian mare. But the parade of potential buyers makes them wonder if the horse is going to end up with an owner who’s even worse than Veronica. What will happen to poor Garnet?

  And what can The Saddle Club do about it?

  If you love ponies, you’ll love …

  Saddle up for fun and adventure with three pony-crazy kids in this terrific new series from Bonnie Bryant, author of the successful The Saddle Club series.

  Join May, Jasmine and Corey, three girls with a passion for ponies, as they form their own club called the Pony Tails.

  Don’t miss the first titles, coming from May 1996.

  1. PONY CRAZY

  2. MAY’S RIDING LESSON

  3. COREY’S PONY IS MISSING

  4. JASMINE’S CHRISTMAS RIDE

  Hang out with the coolest kids around!

  THE UNICORN CLUB

  Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are just two of the terrific members of The Unicorn Club you’ve met in Sweet Valley Twins books. Now get to know some of their friends even better!

  A sensational Sweet Valley series.

  1. Save the Unicorns!

  2. Maria’s Movie Comeback

&nb
sp; 3. The Best Friend Game

  4. Lila’s Little Sister

  5. Unicorns in Love

  Super Edition: Unicorns at War

  Created by FRANCINE PASCAL

  Don’t miss the extra-long special editions of this top-selling teenage series starring identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield and all their friends.

  SUPER EDITIONS

  The Class Trip

  The Unicorns Go Hawaiian

  SUPERCHILLERS

  The Ghost In the Graveyard

  The Carnival Ghost

  The Ghost In The Bell Tower

  The Curse of the Ruby Necklace

  The Curse of the Golden Heart

  The Haunted Burial Ground

  The Secret of the Magic Pen

  SPECIAL EDITIONS

  The Magic Christmas

  A Christmas Without Elizabeth

  Big for Christmas