by Poppy Shire
With a flick of his tail, he led Megan around the mats to the girl with the injured arm. She looked surprised when she saw Sparkle. “Hello, Whisper. What are you doing here?” she said.
Sparkle looked innocent and turned to Megan. “Come on, Megan, say something,” he said, nuzzling the girl’s good arm. “You’ve got to help me out!”
Megan took a deep breath and stepped forward. “Hello,” she said. “I’m Megan. I’m sorry you’ve hurt your arm.”
The girl looked puzzled. “Hi,” she said. “I’m Juliet. Have you just joined the circus?”
“Not exactly,” Megan said. “I’m…visiting. Is Joshua your brother? You look just like him.”
Juliet smiled. “Actually, he’s my twin,” she said. Her smile faded. “Poor Josh. He’s been trying to learn this routine for ages, so that the acrobats can use it in our gala performance. But it isn’t going very well.”
Joshua was getting ready to try again, and Megan watched him anxiously. Would he manage to stand up properly this time? One foot was in place. Then the other. Joshua rested his hands on the acrobats’ heads for balance. Then slowly, carefully, he straightened his knees.
“Go on! You can do it!” called Juliet.
For a moment, it looked as though maybe he could. A big grin spread across his face as he realized he was actually standing up.
“I’ve done…!” he began.
But he spoke too soon. First he swayed forward, then back. He waved his arms in giant circles, but it didn’t help. He fell and landed in a crumpled heap on the mats. This time Megan didn’t feel like laughing at all. Everyone looked disappointed as Joshua got to his feet, hanging his head.
“Oh dear,” said Megan. Joshua didn’t seem to be a very natural acrobat. “Did you hurt your arm in the tumbling act?” she asked Juliet. Maybe both twins had been having trouble with the routine.
Juliet looked so upset that Megan thought she was about to cry. “No,” she said. “I’m a rider. I’ve sprained my wrist.” Her bottom lip trembled. “My pony Moonlight stumbled and went lame while we were practicing, and I fell off. It’s almost the end of the season and it’s our final gala performance tomorrow night. Moonlight and I are supposed to be the stars of the show!”
Megan felt very sorry for Juliet. “Isn’t there anyone who can take your place?” she asked.
Juliet shook her head. “There are no other girls to do my routine,” she said. “And anyway, Moonlight’s still lame. None of the other ponies know our tricks, either.”
No wonder everyone was looking so unhappy! The only person Megan had seen looking cheerful was Mr. Scarletti. He hadn’t seemed worried at all when he welcomed Megan to his circus. In fact, he had been very welcoming. She looked at Sparkle. He wasn’t looking upset, either. His ears were pricked and his brown eyes twinkled.
Megan hesitated. Surely this couldn’t be the task she was supposed to do? But then Sparkle gave an encouraging whinny, and she found herself speaking up.
“Oh!” she gasped, looking excitedly at Juliet. “Maybe I could take your place!”
Chapter 4
As soon as the words were out, Megan clapped her hand over her mouth. How could she take Juliet’s place? She was still a bit scared of riding, and anyway, she kept falling off.
But Juliet was looking curious. “Could you?” she asked. “Have you done circus tricks before?”
Megan went bright red. Of course she hadn’t done any circus tricks. She didn’t know what to say.
But Sparkle seemed excited. He whinnied and shook his mane. “Tell her you’re good at learning,” he suggested. “I’ll help you with the riding. You’ll be perfect, Megan. I’m sure this is why we’ve come!”
Megan thought for a moment. She loved performing, and the chance to wear a sparkling circus costume instead of a dark blue leotard was too good to be true! “Well,” she said. “I do ride—a bit. And I’ve had to learn lots of different gymnastics tricks for displays at school, so I’m sure I could learn circus tricks as well.”
Juliet’s eyes lit up. “Really?” she exclaimed. Then her face fell. “But who will you ride?”
Megan put her arm around Sparkle’s neck. “Sparkle. He’s my own pony and he’s very clever. I know he looks like one of your circus ponies, but he isn’t.”
Juliet looked at Sparkle in wonder, then back at Megan and back at Sparkle again.
“Only you mustn’t tell anyone,” Megan carried on, lowering her voice. “You have to let everyone else think he’s Whisper.”
Juliet nodded eagerly. She seemed thrilled to be in on a secret. “Of course,” she said. “I won’t give him away. I just hope you can both learn my tricks in time.”
Sparkle tossed his head. “Hurray!” he said. “This is going to be fun!”
The acrobats finished their practice session, and Joshua walked over to Juliet and Megan, looking completely fed up. Even his tufty hair drooped.
“Don’t be sad, Joshua,” said Megan. “We’ve got some good news!”
“Don’t tell me. The whole show’s been canceled?” Joshua said gloomily.
Juliet ruffled Joshua’s hair with her good hand, making it stick up again. “No. It’s really good news,” she said, laughing. “Meet Megan. She might be able to take my place in the grand finale!”
Joshua’s mouth dropped open. “Hey!” he exclaimed. “That’s not just good news. It’s great news!”
Suddenly Megan felt very nervous. What if she fell off in the ring? Then she felt Sparkle blowing gently on her hair.
“Don’t worry!” he whispered. “It’s all going to be fine!”
Juliet and Joshua were counting on her. Megan knew she couldn’t back down. She’d just have to be very, very brave and work hard to learn the tricks.
“Well, I’ll try my best,” she said. She put her hand on Sparkle’s soft warm neck. “We both will.”
Sparkle rested his muzzle on her shoulder, and even though he didn’t say anything, Megan knew he agreed.
Juliet took Megan’s hand. “Let’s go to the big top,” she said. “It’s empty at the moment. You can start practicing.”
“Good luck!” called Joshua. “I’ll come over later to see how you’re doing.”
Megan followed Juliet and Sparkle across the showground. Her tummy was fizzing with excitement and nerves. They walked through the red curtain and stopped in the middle of the ring.
“Maybe I could watch you ride for a few minutes,” said Juliet. “Then I’ll explain how I do my tricks.”
Megan nodded. Then she frowned. Sparkle didn’t have a saddle and stirrups to help Megan climb onto his back, like the ponies in her riding school. There wasn’t a mounting block, either. “How am I going to get on?” she asked.
Juliet looked puzzled. “I just vault on,” she said. “Don’t you do that?”
“I do vaulting in gymnastics,” Megan said. “But I’ve never vaulted onto a pony.”
The circus pony arched his neck and snorted, then reached his nose out toward Megan. “Come on!” he urged her. “Try it!”
“I think he wants you to try.” Juliet laughed. “Anyone would think he knows exactly what we’re talking about!”
Megan grinned. She couldn’t tell Juliet that Sparkle was joining in the conversation. She looked into the pony’s soft brown eyes and stroked his nose. She knew she could trust him to take care of her. She walked around to his side and placed her hands at the end of his neck on his withers. His back seemed a long way up. Megan bent her knees and jumped, but her feet didn’t get any higher than Sparkle’s tummy. How could she ride in the gala performance if she couldn’t even get on?
“Kick up your right leg so you can swing it over Sparkle’s back,” said Juliet.
Megan took a deep breath and got ready to try again. Suddenly, she realized Sparkle’s back was getting lower.
“He’s kneeling down!” Juliet exclaimed.
Sparkle settled down on the sawdust with his legs tucked under him. “Oh, Sparkle,” Megan
gasped. “You’re wonderful!”
“He must have guessed you couldn’t vault up,” said Juliet. “You said he was clever, but I didn’t think he would be that clever.”
Megan wished she could tell Juliet the truth—that Sparkle was even more clever than she realized. Instead, she held on to his silky mane and climbed onto his back, which was easy now that he was kneeling down. Once she was settled comfortably, Sparkle carefully stood up again. Megan patted his neck.
“I think that counts as your first trick!” Juliet said with a grin.
Sparkle cantered steadily around the ring. Megan decided to try standing up again. Very slowly, she pulled her feet up onto Sparkle’s back and crouched there, holding on to his mane.
“Remember to lean into the circle,” said Sparkle, puffing a bit because he was cantering. “It will help you to balance.”
Megan was too nervous to reply. One finger at a time, she let go of his mane and straightened her legs. She’d done it!
Then she felt herself wobble. Her feet were slipping on Sparkle’s glossy back.
“I’m going to fall!” she cried.
Just as she began to tip sideways, Sparkle swerved the same way, and Megan found herself standing upright again. “Thanks, Sparkle,” she whispered.
“Bravo!” cried Juliet, clapping her hands.
After a few more circuits, Megan felt much more confident. “I think I’m ready to try some of your tricks, Juliet,” she called. She carefully sat back down on Sparkle’s back and rode over to the edge of the ring.
“We’ll start with the umbrella trick,” Juliet said. She ran behind the red curtain and came back with a beautiful silver umbrella decorated with pink glitter. “You have to open it up and twirl it by the handle so the patterns spin. Then pass it from hand to hand and around your back.”
Megan nodded. That sounded easy! She reached down and took the umbrella from Juliet, and Sparkle began cantering around the ring again. Once he was moving in a nice, steady rhythm, Megan stood up on his back, holding the umbrella in one hand.
“Try twirling it first,” Juliet called.
Megan looked down at the umbrella. That made her wobble, and she quickly looked straight ahead again. Maybe she could spin the umbrella without looking at it. But when she tried, she wobbled again. It was much harder to balance when she couldn’t hold her arms out sideways.
“Try holding the umbrella closer to your body,” Juliet suggested.
“I don’t think I can,” said Megan, beginning to panic. “Sparkle, stop!” Megan sat back down on Sparkle’s back. With a snort, Sparkle slowed down and stopped at the edge of the ring.
Juliet jogged over. “Let me show you how I hold it,” she said.
Megan handed her the umbrella. But when Juliet tried to spin the umbrella, she winced. “Ow!” she said. “I can’t do it. It hurts my wrist too much!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll try again,” Megan said determinedly.
“You’ll get there in the end,” Sparkle said. “It just takes practice!”
Off they went again, around the ring. Megan tried holding the umbrella close. That made her lose her balance. But if she held it farther away, she couldn’t twirl it at all!
“I’ll try it in the other hand,” she shouted to Juliet.
But this made her wobble even more. Sparkle swerved, but it was too late. With a thump, Megan landed in the sawdust.
Sparkle stopped at once and nuzzled her gently as Juliet ran over.
“Are you all right?” Juliet sounded very worried.
Megan felt like crying. She blinked her tears away and nodded. “I’m fine,” she said, standing up and brushing sawdust off her leotard. “But I’ll never be ready for the gala performance. I just can’t do it!”
Chapter 5
Juliet looked like she might be ready to cry, too. “Well…” she said, in a small voice, “never mind. The clowns will have to do the grand finale instead.”
Megan hung her head. She knew how much this meant to Juliet. She was sure that this was the task she was meant to do, but she had failed. She stroked Sparkle’s mane. “I’m sorry I’ve let you down,” she whispered. “The carousel must have chosen the wrong person.”
Sparkle blew on her hair. “No, it didn’t,” he said, but for once he didn’t sound quite so cheerful. “It must have taken Juliet a long time to learn her tricks. You’ve been trying to pick them up in just one day.”
“How’s it going?” called a voice from behind the curtain.
It was Joshua. He came into the ring and saw the look on their faces. “Oh dear,” he said.
“I just can’t get the hang of Juliet’s tricks,” Megan explained.
Joshua sighed. “It’s been a bad day for everyone,” he said. “I just heard that Clumpy the Clown has caught a cold.”
“Oh no!” exclaimed Juliet. “Poor Clumpy. That means the clowns can’t do the grand finale either!”
“I know,” said Joshua. “But there’s not much we can do about it now. It’s getting late. Aunt Ellie sent me to tell you supper will soon be ready.”
He looked at Megan curiously, and she blushed. She didn’t have any supper to go to, and it was getting dark. Where was she supposed to go? But Sparkle leaned against her shoulder as though he could tell what she was thinking, and she knew he’d look after her somehow.
Juliet looked at Megan. “Why don’t I ask Aunt Ellie if you can have supper with us?” she said.
“Oh, that’s okay, I’m not hungry,” said Megan hastily. She still felt a bit nervous about people asking her questions. In any case, she wanted to be alone so that she could talk to Sparkle properly.
“You have to eat something,” said Juliet. “I just need to talk to her, that’s all. If you don’t mind waiting here, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Juliet and Joshua left the big top, and Megan turned to Sparkle. “What are we going to do?” she said. “Do we have to go back to the carousel?”
Sparkle blinked his big brown eyes. “Oh no, we can’t go back yet!” he said, sounding shocked. “We have to complete the task first. We’ll just have to keep practicing.”
“I haven’t even learned the first trick yet,” said Megan. “I’ll never learn them all in time.”
The circus pony kneeled down in the sawdust. “Give it one more try,” he said. “I’ll do my best to canter really steadily.”
Megan stroked Sparkle’s neck. “I know you will,” she said. “But I still don’t think I can do it.”
“Don’t give up, Megan,” Sparkle said. “Remember, the magic chose you for a reason.”
Megan hugged the circus pony’s neck. “Well, even if I can’t do the tricks, I’m so glad I’m here with you. I’ll try one last time.”
She climbed onto his back with the umbrella, and Sparkle set off at his steadiest, most careful canter. Megan found that she could balance easily now when she was standing up, but as soon as she tried to twirl the umbrella, she began to wobble. She dropped the umbrella five times, and her legs started to ache with all the getting on and off. Around and around they went, until she was sure that Sparkle must be getting tired.
“It’s no use, Sparkle,” she sighed. “Let’s stop now.”
The pony slowed to a halt, and Megan slid off his back. “We’ll just have to go back,” she said gloomily. She sat down in the sawdust. “You might still have time to find someone else before the grand finale.”
Sparkle shook his head. “I’m not giving up,” he said determinedly. “Let’s try practicing a different trick.”
“But Juliet’s not here to teach me,” Megan pointed out.
“Maybe Juliet’s tricks aren’t right for you,” said Sparkle. “Is there anything else you could do?”
Megan thought hard. Suddenly she had an idea. “Maybe I could do something I know already, like my gymnastic moves!” she said, jumping up.
Sparkle pricked his ears. “Of course!” he exclaimed. “What can you do?”
“I’m quite
good at handstands,” she said. “And I like working on the bar. I can do pivots and arabesques.” Sparkle tipped his head to one side as if he didn’t understand, so Megan explained, “Pivots are when you twirl around on the spot, and an arabesque is standing with one leg raised straight out behind you.”
Her fingers and toes started to tingle. Maybe there was something she could do for the grand finale after all! But doing gymnastics on Sparkle’s back was going to be very different from performing on a floor covered in rubber mats.
“I don’t think I could do handstands,” she warned Sparkle, “but I could try some arabesques. Look, I’ll show you.” First she did some stretches to warm up. Then she held on to her heel and lifted her foot so that her leg stuck straight up beside her head. “This is called a ‘Y’ balance,” she puffed, “because I’m making the shape of a ‘Y.’ See?” She lowered her leg and tucked her arms by her sides to spin on a spot. “That’s a pivot turn. I’m sure I could do that on your back. And I could somersault off at the end!”
Sparkle pranced on the spot, and Megan felt bubbles of excitement fizzing inside her. “I’ll start with some cartwheels around the ring,” she said. “If you were kneeling down, I could even vault onto your back!”
Sparkle tossed his head, making his headdress shimmer in the lights. “Let’s try!” he said, pawing the ground with his hoof.
Megan put the umbrella back behind the curtain, then cartwheeled back into the ring. Sparkle stood in the middle of the ring and trotted on the spot, lifting his hooves high in elegant little steps. Megan thought he looked beautiful! He kneeled down as Megan cartwheeled toward him. She stood up and measured the distance in her mind, and with a one, two, three, she ran up to his back and vaulted right over.
“Brilliant!” Sparkle neighed.
In no time at all, the routine began to take shape. Once she was on his back, Megan soon got the hang of doing her gymnastics routines—an elegant arabesque, followed by a pivot turn, then bending down to touch her toes before stretching up with one leg to make a “Y.” It was a lot easier than twirling the umbrella!