Sea Horses: the Talisman

by Louise Cooper

  The morning was bright, but though the wind had dried up much of the water left by the rain, there were a lot of puddles in the stable yard. When Tamzin and Nan arrived they found Mrs Richards and Joel sweeping out the worst of them.

  ‘Morning,’ Mrs Richards called cheerfully as they came through the gate. ‘Looks like we’ve got a nice day for it!’

  There was bunting hung around the yard, and more out in the fields where the events were to be held. Mr Richards was setting up the loudspeaker system that would be used for music and announcements, and Nan went to give him a hand while Tamzin joined in the puddle-sweeping. The riding-school horses were all still in the stable, but their doortops were open and heads were looking out at all the activity with great interest. They knew something exciting was going on, and Tamzin snatched a few minutes to give Moonlight an apple and two carrots, and to talk to him about the day ahead.

  Competitors and spectators started to arrive soon after nine, and by ten o’clock the yard and the fields were bustling with people and ponies. Tamzin was grooming Moonlight when Marga and Lossie came in at the gate. She looked round quickly for Nan, who was some way off, but Nan had already seen the arrivals and nodded reassuringly. The little wheels inside Tamzin seemed to turn faster than ever, and firmly she made herself turn back to her grooming.

  Tamzin kept out of Marga’s way, but once the first events got started it was impossible to avoid her completely. There was a big crowd in the fields now, and cheerful music played over the loudspeakers. In the yard, horses and ponies milled about. Tamzin had saddled Moonlight and was just about to mount and get ready for her first event – the walk, trot, mount and gallop – when Lossie clattered past with Marga on his back.

  ‘Hi, Tamzin,’ said Marga with a smile that Tamzin instantly mistrusted. ‘I haven’t seen much of you this morning.’

  ‘No,’ Tamzin replied. ‘I’ve been busy.’

  ‘I expect you have. But I’m glad I’ve found you now because I want to ask you something.’

  ‘Oh?’ said Tamzin warily. ‘What is it?’

  ‘Just a thought, but I wondered if you wanted to ride Lossie in one of the events I’m not going in for? The bending race, maybe – he’s very good at it and faster than Moonlight, so you’d have a better chance of winning.’

  Tamzin’s eyes narrowed. ‘Thanks,’ she said coldly and firmly, ‘but no thanks.’

  ‘OK.’ Marga shrugged, still smiling. ‘Like I said, it was just a thought. I’d better go and get ready for the first round of the jumping. See you later.’

  ‘Only if I’m unlucky…’ Tamzin whispered under her breath as Marga rode away.

  ‘Hi, Tam,’ another voice hailed her then, and she turned to see Joel approaching, leading Jester, who was excited and very lively. ‘All set for the first event?’

  ‘I think so.’ She adjusted Moonlight’s girth while Jester jingled his bridle impatiently.

  ‘Was that Marga you were talking to?’ Joel asked.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Thought so. She and Lossie look great, don’t they? I bet – steady, Jester, calm down! – I bet they’ll get a prize in the best turnout.’

  ‘Probably,’ said Tamzin.

  ‘Well, I’d better get to the field or I’ll be late. Wish me luck in the jumping!’

  ‘Yes – good luck!’

  Joel swung himself on to Jester’s back and Tamzin watched as he followed Marga and Lossie towards the jumping field. There were still twenty minutes to go before her own event, so she mounted Moonlight and rode him to the field’s edge where she could watch the first few competitors.

  The jumps were quite low for the first round, and the first six horses, including Jester and Lossie, completed the course without a fault. Checking her watch, Tamzin saw that her own event was about to start so she turned Moonlight and urged him towards the other field.

  She was halfway there when there was a sudden commotion. A big bay mare, with a middle-aged man on her back, gave a shrill whinny, reared, then swung round out of control and collided with Moonlight. Startled, Moonlight pranced sideways, catching Tamzin unawares. She lost a stirrup, felt herself slipping. She made a frantic grab for Moonlight’s mane but it was too late – she fell off and landed on her back in the middle of a large puddle.

  People hurried to help her, and the bay mare’s rider jumped down and came running.

  ‘I’m terribly sorry,’ he said breathlessly. ‘Are you all right?’

  Tamzin wasn’t hurt but she was absolutely soaked. Muddy water streamed from her as she got to her feet, and she replied shakily, ‘Yes, I – I’m fine. Just a bit wet…’

  ‘More than a bit!’ It was Mrs Richards, who had been nearby. ‘Oh, Tamzin, just look at your clothes! You’ll have to change.’ She glanced accusingly at the bay’s rider, who spread his hands helplessly.

  ‘I’m terribly sorry,’ he said again, ‘but truly, it wasn’t my fault. Some idiotic girl on a chestnut came charging straight at my mare and frightened her.’

  ‘A chestnut…?’ There was a quaver in Tamzin’s voice.

  ‘Yes. A big animal with a white blaze. She probably couldn’t control it properly. It was very irresponsible of her.’

  ‘Well, there’s no real harm done,’ said Mrs Richards. ‘Come along, Tamzin. You’d better come to the house and we’ll find some dry clothes that fit you.’

  Tamzin looked down at her sodden clothes. Would Mrs Richards have any spare blue things? She hoped so. She couldn’t fetch anything from home because her blue fleece and navy jeans were in the wash.

  Unhappily she stared around, looking for Moonlight and Lossie. She couldn’t see them but she knew instinctively that Marga was there somewhere. She would be watching. She would be laughing.

  Because this was the first clash, and she had won.

  For the rest of the morning Tamzin was far too distracted to think about anything but what Marga’s next move might be. Wearing a borrowed green sweater and fawn jodhpurs, Tamzin took part in three events, but she couldn’t concentrate on riding and that confused Moonlight, so that they came last or next to last every time.

  By lunchtime her nerves were stretched to breaking point. Nothing had happened – in fact, Marga hadn’t been anywhere near her since the incident with the bay horse, though Tamzin had seen Lossie in the distance a few times. The question nagged and nagged in Tamzin’s head: what was Marga planning? She couldn’t even guess; and waiting like this was worse than facing it. She just wished that Marga would come out into the open and get it over with.

  She could not eat her sandwiches, but gave the meat ones to Barney and the cheese ones to Moonlight, who adored cheese. Then, leaving Moonlight in the stable for a rest, she went in search of Nan and found her by the jumping ring. The jump-off for the children’s competition was about to start, and Joel and Marga were both still in the running.

  ‘I’ve been keeping a close eye on that girl,’ Nan said in a low voice as Tamzin joined her at the ringside. ‘You’re right. She’s a very good rider. In fact, I’d say she’s unnaturally good.’

  Tamzin shivered. ‘I know.’

  ‘I couldn’t hear her horse’s name over the speakers,’ Nan went on. ‘You did tell me once but I’ve forgotten.’

  ‘Lossie,’ said Tamzin.

  ‘Lossie…’ Nan looked thoughtful. ‘That rings a bell somehow, but I can’t place it. Ah well, perhaps I’m getting it mixed up with something else.’ Then, as a horse finished a clear round, she looked at Tamzin properly for the first time. ‘You’re very pale, love. Are you feeling all right?’

  ‘Not really,’ Tamzin admitted, and explained about the awfulness of waiting. ‘And I did really badly in all the events,’ she finished unhappily. ‘I was too worried to think about them.’

  ‘That’s not surprising,’ said Nan sympathetically. ‘Are you entering any more events this afternoon?’

  ‘I was going in for the best turnout. But my hair’s in an awful state after falling in the puddle, and the
se clothes don’t fit me properly. I’d only come last again so there doesn’t seem a lot of point in trying.’

  ‘Fair enough,’ Nan agreed. ‘And what about the musical ride? That’s right at the end of the day, isn’t it?’

  Tamzin nodded. ‘I don’t want to do it, Nan. I’m so scared of getting it all wrong and ruining the whole thing.’

  ‘But you told me, didn’t you, that you do some of the tricks in pairs?’ said Nan. ‘If you drop out, it’ll leave an odd number. Won’t that ruin it anyway?’

  Tamzin nodded again, feeling so jumpy that she could have screamed or cried, or both. ‘I don’t know what to do.’

  ‘I’ll tell you what to do.’ Suddenly Nan was brisk and encouraging. ‘Take part in the ride. You’ve rehearsed it so well and you’ve been looking forward to it. Moonlight will help you. And Marga won’t be anywhere near you; I’ll see to that. Come on, Tamzin, you can do it.’ She paused, then added, ‘Marga’s probably expecting you to drop out – in fact, it might be part of her plan. Stand up to her and show her that you’re not afraid!’

  Tamzin swallowed something that was trying to stick in her throat. ‘Oh, Nan, you’re brilliant! You make me feel brave.’

  ‘You are brave,’ said Nan firmly. ‘And that’s exactly what Marga hasn’t bargained for. Will you do it? For me?’

  Tamzin hesitated, but only for a second. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I will.’

  As everyone had expected, Marga and Lossie won the children’s jumping, and Marga was presented with a red rosette, which she proudly – smugly, Tamzin thought – pinned to Lossie’s bridle. Joel came third, and as he rode out of the ring behind the other prizewinners he saw Tamzin by the gate and stopped to say hello.

  ‘Well done!’ Tamzin patted Jester.

  ‘It could have been worse, I suppose,’ Joel grinned. ‘If he hadn’t rapped that top pole on the last jump but one… we couldn’t have beaten Marga but we might have come second. Oh, well. I’d better take him to the stable and let him have a rest before the musical ride. Are you all ready?’

  ‘Yes. Moonlight’s in the stable too.’ Tamzin looked at her watch. ‘Half an hour to go.’

  ‘OK. I’m going to get a cold drink and some chocolate. See you in the yard in about twenty minutes.’

  Tamzin spent the next twenty minutes trying to calm her nerves. Nan’s pep-talk had helped and she was feeling much steadier as she returned to the yard to fetch Moonlight.

  As she approached Moonlight’s box, though, she met Joel coming out.

  ‘Tam, we’ve got a problem.’ Joel looked worried. ‘Moonlight’s lame.’

  ‘What? He can’t be!’

  ‘Come and see for yourself. He’s limping badly. He can hardly put one of his hind feet down, and when I tried to take a look at it he kicked out at me. I don’t know what’s wrong but there’s no way he can be ridden.’

  Aghast, Tamzin said, ‘We’ll have to cancel the musical ride!’

  ‘We can’t! It’s the highlight of the whole day. People are going to be really disappointed if it doesn’t go ahead. Look, Tamzin, you’ll have to ride another pony. After all, it’s the riders who matter; any pony can do it, provided we choose one that’s quiet and obedient.’

  He was right – but Tamzin didn’t like the idea of riding another pony. She wanted to be with Moonlight. She felt safe with him. Yet if she refused, she couldn’t explain her reasons. And she would be letting everyone down.

  ‘All right,’ she said, her heart bumping nervously. ‘Which pony can I have?’

  ‘Well…Sally-Ann and Jester are already in the team, so they’re no good. Dandy’s quiet enough but he’s been ridden nearly all day, so I don’t think he should do any more. There’s Pippin, of course, but…’ He shrugged helplessly. ‘You know what he’s like. You’d never even get him to trot, let alone canter. Look, if you can start getting Jester ready, I’ll find Mum or Dad and see if they’ve got any ideas. Won’t be a minute.’

  He swung round – and came face to face with Marga.

  ‘Hi, Joel,’ she said. ‘Bad luck about the jumping. I thought you deserved to do better…’ Then her voice tailed off as she saw Joel’s worried expression. ‘Something up?’

  ‘Moonlight’s lame. We’ve got to find another pony for Tamzin in the musical ride, but I don’t know if there’s one we can use.’

  Marga’s face lit up. ‘Of course there is,’ she said. ‘Problem solved.’ She looked at Tamzin, and smiled the smile of a predator. ‘She can ride Lossie!’

  ‘Of course I’d stand in for Tamzin, if I could,’ Marga said sweetly. ‘But I haven’t learned the routine. Besides, she’s ridden Lossie before. And he’s very obedient.’ She looked from one to another of the people gathered around. ‘So it’s the obvious solution, isn’t it?’

  Everyone looked at Tamzin, and Tamzin knew she was cornered. There they all were: Mr and Mrs Richards, Joel, the rest of the musical ride team. They were all smiling, all waiting for her to smile back at Marga and gratefully accept her offer. Every instinct in Tamzin was screaming silently at her to say, No, no, I won’t do it! But she couldn’t tell them that. They wouldn’t understand. And she couldn’t tell them the truth about Marga because they simply wouldn’t believe her.

  Desperately she looked around for Nan but could not see her anywhere. Joel said, ‘Come on, Tam, what are you waiting for?’ and some of the others were getting impatient. She was running out of time.

  She heard her own voice say feebly, ‘Lossie might be… too tired.’

  Marga laughed. ‘He isn’t. He’s got loads of stamina. I’ll go and fetch him, shall I?’

  She stared very hard at Tamzin as she spoke and, in the depths of her eyes, behind the smiling mask of her face, Tamzin saw a cold, deadly light. A light of victory.

  And Nan’s words echoed in her head: ‘Stand up to her and show her that you’re not afraid!’

  In her mind’s eye Tamzin pictured a sparkling blue sea, a shining blue sky, a white horse with a blue-tinged coat, galloping…

  She drew a deep breath and said, ‘All right. I’ll ride him.’

  ‘We’re starting ten minutes late but I don’t suppose anyone’ll mind.’ Joel on Jester jogged beside Tamzin and Lossie as the musical ride team made their way in pairs towards the field. Tamzin nodded but didn’t speak. So far, Lossie was behaving as perfectly as anyone could have wished, but she could feel his huge strength and knew that if he chose to play up – or worse – there would be nothing she could do to stop him.

  They reached the field, and the waiting crowd gathered round the roped-off arena started to clap and cheer as they entered.

  ‘Now I know how it feels to be famous!’ Joel checked Jester, who didn’t like the noise and was tossing his head and dancing. Lossie took no notice but walked on as placidly as ever.

  Suddenly Tamzin said, ‘Joel, couldn’t we swap? I mean, Lossie’s so big…’

  Joel laughed ruefully. ‘No way! Jester’s being difficult. I think getting a prize in the jumping’s gone to his head. Sorry, Tam, but you wouldn’t be able to handle him. Stick with Lossie; you’re much better off.’

  It had been her one chance and now it was gone. Well, she would just have to hope that she was ready for whatever was going to happen. She just wished she knew where Nan was.

  The music for the display began to blare from the speakers, and the eight horses formed up in the centre of the arena. Joel, who was team leader, checked that everyone was ready. Then his hand came down in a signal and the musical ride began.

  ‘I’m sorry about that, Mrs Weston.’ Joel’s mother smiled at Nan as they stood together in the yard. ‘There’s always one that gets lost, isn’t there? Still, the little boy’s all right now, and his parents weren’t far away. Thank you very much for helping me find them.’

  ‘No trouble at all,’ said Nan, then: ‘Oh, listen – the music’s starting for the riding display. I must hurry – I don’t want to miss Tamzin’s big moment.’

  ‘Of course!
I’ll come with you.’

  They walked towards the field, and Mrs Richards said, ‘It’s such a pity about Moonlight, isn’t it?’

  ‘Moonlight?’ Nan was puzzled.

  ‘Going lame so suddenly. Oh, didn’t you know? Joel discovered it, just a few minutes before the ride was due to start.’ Mrs Richards smiled. ‘We thought we wouldn’t be able to find a spare horse for Tamzin to ride, but Marga came to the rescue and offered Lossie.’

  Nan’s face had turned a sickly colour. ‘Mrs Richards – are you telling me that Tamzin is riding Marga’s horse?’

  ‘Yes. He’s rather big for her, of course, but he’s very gentle. Wasn’t it kind of Marga to lend him?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Nan pallidly. ‘Wasn’t it…’ And she started to walk faster.

  The musical ride was going without a hitch. Lossie obeyed all Tamzin’s commands and did everything she could have asked of him. He was the perfect mount. And Tamzin didn’t trust him an inch.

  She couldn’t see Marga anywhere at the ringside, but she was relieved to see Nan arrive with Mrs Richards. Nan raised one hand in a sort-of wave, but Tamzin couldn’t wave back – and she wasn’t close enough to see the look on Nan’s face.

  ‘Tam!’ Joel hissed suddenly. ‘Concentrate!’

  ‘Sorry.’ Hastily Tamzin remembered what she was supposed to be doing. Only another minute to go… ‘Trot on, Lossie,’ she said, and Lossie broke into a neat, collected trot. One last canter around the field, then back to the centre for a final salute…

  At the ringside, Nan was saying to Mrs Richards, ‘Lossie – it’s a strange name for a horse, but I keep thinking I’ve heard it somewhere before.’

  ‘Yes, I thought that too. I must ask Marga sometime.’ Mrs Richards smiled. ‘Maybe it’s from the old Cornish language?’

  Nan’s spine prickled suddenly. Lossie… and what if Marga wasn’t short for Margaret, but meant something else? Not in English, but in Cornish, like the words that had been carved on the Grey Horse figurine. Gweetho An Men Mar… Guard This Stone…

  Nan had started to learn Cornish some years ago, but had not had the time to continue it. How much could she remember? Lossie… Los…