Paraku

by Jesse Blackadder

  ‘It’s getting pretty wet out there. How about a rest day?’

  Cassie shook her head. ‘No way, Mum. You know the schedule. Anyway, it could be raining during the show. We have to know how to jump in all conditions.’

  ‘Righteo,’ Helen said. ‘Let’s get going then.’

  Rachel swallowed the last of her hot chocolate, jumped up and grabbed another piece of toast to eat on the way down to the stables. It was cold and miserable outside. Even the dogs hesitated, wanting to stay in their dry kennels. She couldn’t blame them. She gave Aragorn a quick brush, stretching up to reach his neck and rump. Before she was finished, Cassie came into the stable with the saddle and bridle, and they worked together to tack him up. Without a word Cassie swung up into the saddle and rode Aragorn out of the stables.

  ‘No problem,’ Rachel muttered as Cassie disappeared. ‘Happy to help.’

  Rapscallion nickered and she went across to his stable, opened the door and stepped inside. She flung her arm over his shaggy back and leaned on him, inhaling deeply. She loved his smell. She pushed her fingers under his mane and scratched. She knew all his itchy spots and he blew out softly through his nostrils with pleasure.

  Rachel closed her eyes. It was a rare moment of peace and quiet and she wished she could stay there to enjoy it, but ‘the schedule’ meant she had to race back to the kitchen, bolt down her proper breakfast, pack her lunch, lay out her school uniform and have everything ready so that after she’d brushed down Aragorn at the end of training, she could have a quick shower and get dressed before the bus.

  Rachel may have pleaded to be Cassie’s strapper, but she’d had no idea what hard work it would be, or that Cassie would never remember to say thank you. Or even good morning. The most annoying thing was that Cassie just expected they would all drop what they were doing to help her. And they did! Helen never complained about getting up at 4.45 each morning for training. Mike never grumbled about spending so many weekends driving to horse shows that he hardly ever had a day off. Of course, Cassie was never rude to her parents the way she was to her sister.

  Rachel was sick of working so hard and never even being noticed. ‘I can’t wait till the stupid championships are over,’ she whispered to Rapscallion. ‘Next year she can find someone else to be her slave.’

  Rapscallion snorted, and she decided he agreed with her. It was boring for him, standing in a stable or in the paddock all day. He loved their bush rides too, and would be missing them.

  ‘When it’s all done, then you and I are going for the biggest ride ever,’ she said. ‘On our own. We might even stay out all night and have a campfire. We’ll ride right into the national park and find the brumbies.’

  Rachel sighed. It was only a dream. She wasn’t allowed to ride long distances by herself, only into the bushland at the back of their property. She pushed down what her dad had said about selling Scally; she didn’t want to think about that yet. She glanced at her wrist, but she’d forgotten to put on her watch. She’d be in trouble if she disrupted ‘the schedule’. She gave Rapscallion one last pat and headed for the door.

  It was drizzling outside and she shivered on the way back to the house. It was a horrible morning for a workout, for horse, rider and trainer, and she was glad she didn’t have to stand outside in the paddock getting soaked and freezing cold.

  She was almost at the back door when she heard the first rumble of thunder. She looked up. A dark cloud was rising up over the pine trees along the driveway, and it looked like it was bringing even more rain. She hesitated. Would the training session finish early? Did she have time to get her things ready before the rain began and Aragorn would need her again?

  ‘Morning, love.’ It was her dad, coming out to the door with his hands wrapped around a cup of coffee. ‘Was that thunder?’

  He looked tired. Rachel knew he’d been up late the night before, Skyping Ali from the Sheik’s stables, talking for hours about what sort of horses the Sheik wanted him to catch.

  ‘Yep,’ Rachel said. ‘Cassie won’t be happy, cutting her training short.’

  ‘She’s a determined girl, that one.’ Mike ruffled her hair, but he was looking in the direction of the yards. Rachel told herself she didn’t mind that her parents hardly seemed to notice her these days. It was all about Cassie.

  Thunder rumbled again and the rain started to come down heavily. Mike squinted up at it. ‘That’s too much rain for training.’ He put down his cup, grabbed his oilskin from the rack and tossed another one at Rachel. ‘Come on, let’s get those crazy women indoors.’

  They ran down the track towards the barn and the jumping arena, their feet splashing in the puddles. Rachel could feel the water streaming down her hair. She wondered if her dad might have time to drive them to school so they didn’t get soaked at the bus stop.

  As they got to the arena, Rachel saw Cassie cantering around in the rain. She was so stubborn! Nothing would make her stop. Mike climbed up the first rung of the heavy wooden fence that surrounded the arena and waved towards his wife.

  ‘It’s too wet!’ he called out.

  Helen waved back to show she’d understood. Cassie was heading towards a jump and Rachel knew that they couldn’t interrupt her mid-round.

  Aragorn really is a beautiful horse, she thought, watching him lengthen his stride as he approached the jump. The rain had made his coat slick and shiny and his ears were pricked forwards. Cassie held him firmly, then let him go for the last few strides. He skidded a little as he left the ground, and though he rose up bravely, he knocked the bar with both back legs as he went over, and the pole clattered to the ground behind them.

  ‘Enough, Cassie,’ Rachel heard her mother call out, but it was hard to hear her through the rain.

  Cassie either didn’t hear, or pretended she hadn’t. She circled Aragorn around for the last jump of the series, the triple bars.

  ‘Oh, that girl!’ Mike said, half annoyed, half admiring. ‘Doesn’t anything frighten her?’

  ‘Losing,’ Rachel said. She could see the firm set of Cassie’s mouth as she and Aragorn approached the jump.

  A flash of lightning lit up the air around them and Rachel flinched. It was so close that the thunder must be …

  CRACK!

  The thunder exploded right above their heads. Aragorn let out a terrified squeal and pinned his ears back. He and Cassie were right at the jump. He threw his head up, pulled at the reins and swerved to go around it, but the ground was so slippery that he skidded.

  Rachel felt as though it was all happening in slow motion: Aragorn’s scrambling slither, Cassie’s look of fear as they crashed into the jump, her father’s groan beside her. It was all a mess of legs and hooves. Cassie screamed once. The rain was coming down so hard that all Rachel could see was her sister and the big horse on the ground, mixed up with the jump.

  Her mother was halfway to Cassie before Rachel registered her moving at all, and her father was over the fence in seconds. Rachel scrambled over too and followed him at a run, as the lightning hissed again and a second crack of thunder boomed over their heads a few seconds later.

  Aragorn struggled to his feet, his eyes wide and frightened. Cassie lay horribly still on the ground, in danger of being trampled. Mike ran at the horse, waving his arms. Aragorn reared, then swung away and broke into a canter. Mike fell on his knees next to Helen, who was leaning over Cassie on the ground. Rachel ran up behind them, afraid of what she was going to see.

  ‘Go into the barn, Rachel,’ Helen said, her voice very calm. ‘Find an umbrella.’

  ‘But Mum —’ Rachel protested.

  ‘Go!’

  Her parents didn’t want her to see Cassie, she realised with a sick lurch in her stomach. She backed away. Another shrill whinny from Aragorn made her spin around. He was cantering along the fence, the rain streaming down his coat. His reins had broken and were trailing, and she saw one end catch in the fence and jam. Aragorn’s head jerked around and he came to a stop, snorting and trying to
pull back. But the rein had caught close to his head, and he couldn’t get up enough force to break it. He was terrified. If he lashed out, he might catch his leg in the fence. He was in danger of really hurting himself.

  Rachel started running towards Aragorn. If she couldn’t help Cassie, at least she could help him. He saw her coming and started throwing himself around harder than before and kicking out. She was frightening him even more, she realised, and forced herself to slow to a walk. Her own heart was thudding as if it might jump out of her chest. ‘Please let her be all right,’ she whispered.

  The thunder cracked again, like a volley of pistol shots, and Aragorn gave a terrified neigh. In the heavy rain she knew he could hardly hear her, but she stretched out her hand and started talking slowly and soothingly, the kind of nonsense words she spoke to him when she was grooming.

  Aragorn stood still, his ears flickering. She took a few more steps forwards. He’d hit one of his front legs on the jump, or perhaps on the fence, and his knee was bleeding, but it didn’t look too bad. Not like Cassie, so still on the ground. She wanted to look back at her sister, but Aragorn was so freaked out she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

  ‘Hey, big boy, lovely horse, there there, stand up, fella, stand up,’ she murmured. She’d heard her mother talk like that to young, frightened colts to calm them down, just a stream of kind words, spoken softly. She was close now, close enough to see the white around his eye as he stared at her. He was trembling all over. She hoped the thunder wouldn’t crack again.

  ‘You’re all right,’ she said. ‘Just let me come in there and get those reins, my boy. Stand up, nice and still, stand up, boy.’

  He whinnied again. ‘Easy, easy,’ she said, stepping closer. She could feel that he wanted to run away, and that he also wanted her to help him, in that funny way horses had of wanting two opposite things at once.

  She stretched out a hand towards him, moving slowly, reaching until her fingers met his neck. She ran her hand down his drenched, slick coat, feeling him trembling. He was a highly strung horse, her mother said, like most showjumpers. Rapscallion would have been trying to eat grass by now, or trotting over to say sorry for throwing her off, but Aragorn could easily spook again and hurt both of them.

  She stretched out her other hand slowly and took hold of the trapped rein. He’d pulled back so hard that it was wedged into a crack where the post met the rail. She’d have to unbuckle the rein from the snaffle ring to free him.

  ‘Don’t be silly, fella,’ she said, keeping her voice calm, and he shivered and let out a rumbling sigh. As long as the thunder didn’t crack again, he would trust her now.

  Moving slowly, keeping up a flow of talk, she got him to drop his head so she could work at the buckle of the rein. It was swollen and wet and her fingers were cold. She felt like she’d never be able to get it undone. She wished her father or mother would help, but she couldn’t even risk looking back at them. She’d have to do it herself; there was no other way.

  At last the wet leather gave a little and loosened. She was able to slide the rein through the buckle. Aragorn was free. She took hold of the other rein and stroked his neck.

  ‘Let’s get you back inside,’ she murmured.

  As she turned him around, Rachel risked a quick glance sideways. Her mother was sitting on the ground beside Cassie, who hadn’t moved. Her father was gone.

  Aragorn danced around restlessly, still agitated, but let her lead him to the stables. As they came in out of the rain, she heard her father’s voice. He was on the stable phone, giving someone directions. He hung up and stepped into the passageway. She hardly dared to look at him.

  ‘Where’s the umbrella?’ he rapped out.

  ‘In the tack room,’ Rachel said softly.

  He turned and ran towards it. When he came out, holding the umbrella, Rachel tried to see his face. ‘Dad? Is Cassie dead?’

  ‘Oh, darling,’ he said. ‘No. She hit her head and I think she’s broken her leg.’

  He looked at her and Aragorn as if seeing them for the first time. ‘Put him away and wait here for the ambulance. We can’t move Cass so I’ve got to cover her up from the rain. But everything will be OK.’

  He headed for the door, then stopped and looked back at her. ‘Well done, young woman,’ he said, and there was a new tone in his voice.

  ‘Thanks,’ Rachel answered. He ran out into the rain, leaving her alone. She felt suddenly very grown up.

  Chapter 3

  The X-ray showed that it wasn’t a broken leg. Cassie had a dislocated hip and concussion from hitting her head. Rachel wasn’t allowed to see her before she went into surgery to have her femur put back into place. She sat in the hospital waiting room until Mike came out and slumped down next to her. He was muddy from sitting on the ground next to Cassie all that time. They were both still soaked, Rachel realised, and it was cold. Someone from the hospital had draped blankets around their shoulders and she was glad of that bit of warmth.

  ‘Your mother’s going to wait here while Cassie’s in theatre,’ Mike said. ‘You and I need to get home and sort out the horses. None of them had a feed this morning, and I haven’t had a look at Aragorn. The farrier’s probably waiting, and I need to see if there are any emergencies at work.’

  ‘Aragorn’s OK,’ Rachel said. ‘His knee had a cut, but I put some plaster on it. I couldn’t see anything else. He was just frightened.’

  Mike turned to her. ‘You did a great job, Rach. I don’t know how you caught him. I thought he’d still be running now, silly twit that he is.’

  Rachel shrugged, feeling sorry for Aragorn. It hadn’t been his fault — the thunder had been terrifying. ‘His rein was stuck in the fence. He couldn’t move.’

  ‘Sounds dangerous. I’m sorry you had to sort him out yourself.’

  ‘I was fine, Dad. Is Cassie going to be OK?’

  ‘I reckon,’ he said. ‘She won’t be riding for a while though. No regional championships. It’s going to be tough and we’ll all have to pull together.’

  Rachel felt her lip wobbling. She hadn’t wanted to cry the whole morning, not even when she thought Cassie might have been dead, but now she couldn’t seem to stop herself.

  Mike put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. ‘Oh, sweetie. You’ve been so brave.’

  But there was only time for a few tears before he sat her up and patted her on the head. Horses always came first, and they had a stable of very hungry horses waiting at home, alone. Rachel swallowed hard and brushed away her tears with the back of her hand. She couldn’t be a little kid any more. Her dad needed her now. She stood up and followed him out of the big double doors of the hospital and into the car park.

  Aragorn lowered his head so Rachel could reach behind his ears with the brush. Mike was putting out the last of the feeds, and he’d asked her to spend time with the big horse to make sure he was calm. The crash into the fence had scared Aragorn badly and he was still nervous.

  Rachel was jittery too, and grooming Aragorn calmed them both down. She settled into a rhythm, the brush sweeping along his smooth hair. What would happen to him now? He was in peak condition, full of energy. If they just turned him out into the paddock, his coat was so short and silky that even with a rug on he’d probably catch cold at this time of year. Someone would need to keep working him while Cassie recovered. Aragorn was a show horse. He’d never been out on a bush track. Cassie was paranoid about another rider ruining him, and for sure that’s what Rachel would do. Plus he was huge; more than sixteen hands high. Her mother would have to find time, somehow.

  The stable phone rang and every horse pricked up its ears, as if they all knew what had happened and were waiting for news. Mike ran to the phone, his footsteps echoing through the shed, and Rachel followed, stopping by his side.

  ‘Yes? Right. Right. Great. That’s a relief.’

  She stared at his face, trying to work out what the news was. It sounded not too bad.

  ‘Six weeks!’


  What was six weeks? Rachel hopped from one foot to the other impatiently.

  ‘Really? But how will you manage?’

  One of the horses stamped and snorted and Rachel knew just how he felt.

  At last Mike said, ‘OK, we’ll come back in. Give her a great big hug from me. See you soon.’

  He hung up and looked at her. ‘Surgery went fine. The hip’s back in place. But she’s got to spend at least six weeks in traction.’

  ‘What’s traction?’ Rachel asked.

  Mike shook his head. ‘She’s got to lie still in bed with her foot attached to a weight so the hip heals properly and doesn’t cause trouble later on. She can’t get up at all.’

  Six weeks! Cassie had trouble sitting still for six minutes. Missing six weeks of riding was unthinkable.

  ‘Come on, we’ll go back in and see her. She’ll be awake soon.’ Mike went to ruffle her hair and then paused and dropped his hand. ‘I guess school is out of the question today, Rach.’

  It had stopped raining and they headed back up to the house. ‘Your mother thinks I should still go to the Kimberley,’ Mike said, as they got to the door. ‘She won’t be training Cassie, so she’ll have time to look after the other horses here.’

  Rachel had a wild moment of hope. Perhaps now she could go to the Kimberley with her father? She knew it was a terrible thing to think — Cassie was barely out of surgery — but she couldn’t help it. She bit her lip to make sure she didn’t say anything.

  A big contraption stood at the end of the hospital bed, supporting a weight attached to Cassie’s leg with wires.

  Cassie was pale and furious. ‘I’m fine,’ she was saying as Rachel and Mike arrived. ‘It’s ridiculous. Lots of people ride after dislocations.’

  ‘Not dislocated hips,’ Helen said. ‘You could end up with arthritis when you’re older if you don’t stay in traction.’

  ‘I don’t care,’ Cassie snapped. ‘I’m coming home tomorrow.’

  ‘You gave us a fright, girly,’ Mike said, crossing to the bedside. ‘And watch your tone, please. It’s a big disappointment, but that’s no excuse for talking to your mum like that.’