Hide and Seek

by Alyssa Brugman

  'We came from the Pony Club,' Kim told them.

  Erin closed the gate. 'OK, we'll go straight through the middle and up to the water tower. That's the way he went before.'

  Monica nodded, and then she and Kim sent their horses forward at a hand gallop along the right-hand trail.

  Erin and Shelby rode their horses at a slower pace down the winding track into the Gully. When they reached the causeway, Bandit spooked and snorted at the water. Shelby didn't have time to be scared. She squeezed with her legs and the gelding kangaroo-hopped from one side to the other, making Erin laugh, despite her anxiety. On the other side he shook like a dog, nearly shaking Shelby off.

  Bandit and Blue bounded up the hill side by side. Soon they were cantering past the lounge suite and alongside the fence at Keisha's place.

  Zeb's son had the Clydesdale and the miniature liberty training in the round yard – trotting in opposite directions. He inclined his head in greeting to Shelby and she nodded in return. Keisha was lunging one of the Andalusians in the sandy area. Shelby could see the muscles across his back and neck as he moved.

  Everything seemed calm and normal. Shelby looked up at the stables but the door to the stable that held Diablo before was open. He wasn't here.

  Zeb was in the arena. Chad was sitting on Texas, holding the reins high and precariously, as though he was holding two dripping ice-cream cones. When he saw Shelby he dropped the reins and slipped off the quarter horse, embarrassed.

  Shelby pushed Bandit so that he was alongside the arena.

  'What are you doing?' she asked.

  Chad ran his palm along the broad horse's neck. 'Zeb's been teaching me,' he answered. 'I didn't know you were . . . I was going to surprise you.'

  33 The Herd

  'Have you seen Diablo?' she asked.

  'Have you lost another horse?' Chad asked. 'Do they normally go missing this much, or are you just hopeless?'

  Shelby turned Bandit around, nudging him with her heel more sharply than she intended. The gelding laid his ears back and swished his tail.

  'Don't be mad with me, Shel,' Chad called out. 'I was only joking!'

  Shelby looked over her shoulder as Bandit moved away. 'I'm not mad, I just have to find this horse before something bad happens. I think it's good that you're learning to ride. I have to go. Catch you later.'

  He grinned. 'I look forward to it.'

  Shelby and Erin continued on down the path. After they were out of earshot Erin said, 'He loves you, Shel!'

  Shelby snorted. 'He does not!'

  'Does too! He was just about falling over himself to make you happy. And you were so cool. I've never seen you be an ice queen before. Looking down your nose, all superior.' Erin flicked her hair dramatically. 'Catch you later, Chad,' she mimicked in a breathy voice. Then she pursed her lips together, making a kissy noise.

  'I wasn't being superior,' Shelby muttered.

  'Were too! And he's cute as well, for a horse stealer.'

  Shelby stared at her friend. 'Haven't we just spent the last few hours proving that he had nothing to do with it?'

  'Oh yeah, I forgot about that bit,' Erin said, grinning. 'Funny, isn't it? When you decide the way you think about someone it's hard to undecide it again.'

  'Well, you need to undecide about Chad, because he's my friend,' Shelby said.

  'Oooh! Chad and Shelby sitting in a tree,' Erin teased, 'K-I-S-S-I-N-G.'

  'Shut up!' Shelby said, smiling. She was so pleased to hear that Erin thought that Chad liked her. She'd almost given up on him. She was also glad that Erin was back to her silly old self. She was such a good friend, Shelby thought. Erin never held grudges.

  Still, there was plenty of time to think about all that later. For now their priority had to be the stallion.

  The two girls rode quickly, following the path around the side of the Gully. Soon there was a trail that zigzagged down towards the creek and the girls took that turn. Bandit was more used to Shelby now. She found it easier to balance as they headed for home.

  They listened for hoof beats along the other trails, and after a few minutes they could hear horses on the trail ahead.

  Shelby hoped that it might be Diablo and got as far as wondering if he would let them catch him, but it was Monica and Kim. Both of their faces were flushed with the exercise.

  'Nothing?'

  Erin shook her head.

  'We went all the way around.' Kim used her finger to indicate the rim of the Gully. 'And then straight across and up to the lookout. There was a group of bushwalkers. They'd come from the other side of the Pony Club and they haven't seen him either.'

  Shelby shook her head. 'There are just too many little trails he could have taken. It will take us forever. We're going to have to head back and get reinforcements.'

  'Are we the only ones looking?' Monica asked.

  Erin and Shelby looked at each other. 'We haven't exactly told Mrs E that he's missing yet.'

  'What?' Kim asked. 'You have to tell her!' She kicked her horse and he trotted. 'I'm going back right now. Imagine if it was Blue and nobody told you? You would be so mad.'

  Shelby felt embarrassed. She knew Kim was right. Kim turned her horse around and they followed her in single file – Shelby at the back.

  Telling, not telling, dobbing, lying, hiding the truth, and fine lines – it was all so complicated. No wonder teenagers were moody!

  The four girls cantered up the hill, returning to the stables.

  'Man! I hope we find him soon, because my bum's sore!' Erin complained.

  As they rode along the trail towards the back gate they could hear the thunder of hooves.

  'Wow, they're still going nuts!' said Monica.

  Soon they were out of the trees and they could see what was happening. The whole herd from the back paddock rumbled full-tilt up to the crest of the hill away from them and out of sight.

  Bandit pranced and tugged at his bit.

  After a moment the horses came around the side of the hill, bucking, wheeling and turning all at once, like leaves caught in the wind – some with their tails held high, others bouncing on the tips of their toes, like Pepé Le Pew. Even from this distance Shelby could see the dark patches of sweat on their necks and flanks.

  Shelby watched as the buckskin colt tucked up his legs and leapt nothing at all. The mare with the scarred face, in full flight, bucked and plunged, twisting her neck towards the other mares.

  There at the front, looking mighty, wild and handsome – even in his rugs – was Diablo. He raced across the paddock, tail flashing and head thrashing. He bucked and Shelby guessed all four feet must have been a metre above the ground.

  'Oh, thank God for that!' Erin said, putting her hand to her chest.

  'You mean he was here the whole time? After all that!' Monica groaned.

  'Last time he must have gone over that fence that was down,' Shelby said. 'Lucky he didn't cut his legs or get tangled.'

  'He probably jumped it,' Kim added.

  'Boy, can he jump!' Erin observed.

  The herd wheeled around again.

  Bandit pigrooted. Shelby held on to his mane. Bandit lifted up his front feet and then pigrooted again. Shelby could feel herself beginning to slip, and so she quickly slithered to the ground – holding the lead rope around Bandit's neck. He let out a high-pitched whinny right in her ear. She could see the whites of his eyes and the sweat curling the hair on his neck.

  Diablo charged towards them, ears back and teeth bared. The whole herd stampeded their way – their hooves drumming against the ground so hard that Shelby could feel the rolling, thrumming noise of it in her chest. They covered the ground quickly.

  'They'll turn,' Shelby thought. They had to turn; there was a fence.

  But they weren't turning. Fifty metres closed to twenty in seconds. Monica and Kim's horses panicked and bolted up the trail. The two girls shouted and tugged at the reins hopelessly.

  Blue's nostrils flared, his eyes widening in terror as the
stallion bore down on them. The little gelding backed away, trampling bushes and brushing against tree trunks. The stallion didn't stop. He was ten metres away, with the rest of the herd hard on his heels. Erin's face went white. If Diablo didn't stop, if he jumped the fence, he would crush them. How many of the others would follow him?

  Blue reared – something he had never done before – and wheeled to the side, heading along the trail after Monica and Kim's horses.

  Shelby held onto Bandit with all her might, calling, 'Whoa, whoa, whooooah!' She turned Bandit's head away, and the gelding danced on the spot, squealing, trembling and shaking his head.

  At the last moment Diablo skidded on his back feet, switched directions and flew up the fence line. Like a flock of birds the herd turned, chasing Diablo. The dirt from their churning hooves sprayed into Shelby's face and she closed her eyes.

  Away they soared. Shelby opened her eyes again. She had seen horses running around before, but this was something else. It was fierce and wild.

  'Wow,' she whispered.

  The other three girls trotted up behind her. Their horses were still spooking and shying, but were under control.

  'Yeah, awesome, but how on earth are we going to catch him?' Kim asked.

  'And get him back into his stable before Mrs E –'

  Erin was interrupted by a shrill whistle. The girls all turned their heads in the direction the sound had come. Standing up on the crest of the hill, hands on hips, were Lindsey and her mum.

  '. . . finds out,' Erin finished.

  34 Science

  The four girls took their horses through the gate and made their way up to the top of the hill where Lindsey and her mother were waiting. Beneath them the herd was still moving, although the broodmares and older horses had dropped back, their sides heaving, foaming with sweat. The girls' horses skipped and carried on, but they were able to contain them.

  When they reached the crest Mrs Edel's face was so pinched and weary that Shelby felt ashamed. Lindsey glared at Shelby, and then at Erin, sitting astride Blue. Shelby had forgotten that Lindsey was still mad.

  'We made up,' Erin told her. 'Shel explained every-thing. Don't worry, it all makes sense now. Oh, and that Chad guy – he's hot when he's not yelling. You didn't tell me he was hot. And he loves Shelby. You should have –'

  'Shut up, Erin!' Shelby said.

  Lindsey didn't reply; instead she watched the herd with a grim expression.

  'I don't understand how this keeps happening!' Mrs Edel sighed. 'He's never got out before. Does he need a companion? I don't know what to do!'

  Erin and Shelby looked at each other.

  'We know . . .' Erin began.

  'The important thing at the moment is to catch him,' Shelby interrupted.

  'Before one of those old horses has a heart attack,' Lindsey added.

  Down on the flat the horses had slowed down. Many of them were grazing. Diablo and the colt still pranced, trying to stir the others up, but the unfit horses had had enough.

  'I think we can rule out those Middle Eastern people this time,' Mrs Edel said.

  Shelby thought to mention that Zeb and his family weren't 'Middle Eastern', they were Ukrainian. Actually, they were Australian citizens, but she decided that now wasn't the time. There would be a time, though.

  Lindsey's mum reached out to Monica's horse, stroking his face. The horse rubbed his mouth on Mrs Edel's shoulder, leaving a long smear of green froth. She didn't seem to notice. She spoke in a monotone, as if she was thinking aloud. 'The vet said I could geld him, after all these years! Then, of course, I couldn't breed any more. But would he be happier out here? I suppose I could look into getting a new colt, maybe even two, and ramping up the whole breeding side of the business, but I'd have to start competing again. Anita might campaign a young horse for me. But what if the fences are no good? It could be a disaster!'

  Erin frowned at Shelby and mouthed, 'You tell her!'

  'Actually, Mrs E, we know what happened. Diablo didn't get out by himself. We've got it on video,' Shelby said.

  Mrs Edel stared at her. Her face was white, and Shelby couldn't tell if she was angry.

  'There were three variables,' Erin put in.

  'Yes, Mrs Crook turned off the electric fence when she was clipping Ditto,' explained Shelby. 'Then you opened the gate when you were on the quad bike. Diablo went straight through.'

  'And then Kim put him in the mares' paddock thinking that he was that horse that can escape,' Erin added.

  Kim's mouth dropped open. 'I did not! I've been with Monica all morning. Tell them, Mon.'

  'No,' Shelby exhaled, 'I'm talking about Good Friday.'

  Kim's eyebrows knitted for a moment, and then she reddened. 'Oh, I remember now. But I didn't know it was him, Mrs E, truly.'

  Mrs Edel shook her head. 'That was a week ago. I wasn't on the quad bike this morning. I cleaned his paddock yesterday.'

  'No, this morning it was us,' Erin confessed.

  'You let him out?' Mrs Edel asked.

  'It was an experiment,' Erin said, quickly. 'We were re-creating the variables for our science assign-ment, proving how it happened. Diablo jumped the back gate. We didn't know he was going to do that! Man, can he jump! I had no idea.'

  Shelby said, 'I've had some time to think about it, and you could put a sign up over the power point that says, "Do not turn off", or get someone to build a little box around it that you could lock. You might even be able to hardwire the electric fence. I was reading on the internet about it . . .'

  'You let him out for a school assignment?' Mrs Edel repeated. There was no mistaking her expression now – Mrs Edel was furious. She stepped over to Bandit and removed the halter that he was wearing over his bridle. Her voice was low and shook with anger. 'I think you should go back to the stables now, girls. Wash down those horses and then get to work, because I don't trust myself to speak to you right now.' Lindsey's mum set off down the hill towards the herd.

  'She swears when she's cranky,' Erin told Monica and Kim, nodding sagely.

  On the flat Diablo and the colt were playing a rearing, biting game. Diablo was distracted when he saw his mistress approaching with the halter. The colt bit the stallion on the neck, and then he squealed and ran with his short tail high in the air. The little buckskin stopped about twenty metres away, looking over his shoulder to see if the older horse was chas-ing him, but Diablo had lost interest. He was deciding whether he wanted to be caught.

  'You too, Lindsey,' Mrs Edel called over her shoulder.

  'What did I do?' Lindsey protested.

  'Go!' her mother said.

  Her daughter stood still with her hands on her hips, unbelieving, but Shelby understood that Brenda Edel wasn't mad with Lindsey, she was angry with herself. Sometimes when you're in the wrong or you're enraged it's better to take time to cool down so you don't say things in the heat of the moment that you might regret later. Mrs Edel had jumped in before. This time she was doing it differently. Shelby admired that.