On the corner of the aisle a line of people waited for their turn on the dodgem cars. Shelby pushed through them. She accidentally knocked a woman's handbag off her shoulder and heard the woman protest. Only a few steps now.
When she reached the clowns she slowed down. A group of small children and their mothers were queued for Pete's Pony Rides. Shelby pressed her way to the front.
'That girl is pushing in!' complained a young girl, tugging on her mother's leg.
'I don't think she's going to ride,' replied the mother, eyeing Shelby's fancy show apparel. Shelby craned her neck, trying to see past the mothers' heads.
All of Pete's ponies were being ridden now. He had them tied nose to tail, like a cargo train. Pete was at the front with his fist tucked inside the cheek strap of the lead pony. They were coming around the far corner and Shelby, panting hard, flicked her eyes from one to the other.
She heard running footsteps behind her and the pressure of a hand on her arm.
'Shel?'
It was Erin. Shelby turned to her. 'I saw Blue – I swear it. I saw him.'
Erin looked at the row of ponies. They were shuffling along the far end of the marked-out area now. Erin shook her head. 'Where? I don't see him.'
'I only saw the back half. It was his tail. I'm sure of it.'
'Show me,' said Erin.
Shelby looked back again – her eyes examining one pony after another.
There.
She pointed. 'There! Fourth from the end.'
It was the back half of Blue – the big rump and the long, thick tail. It was just the front half that was wrong. This horse had a big, black head and brown eyes.
Erin shook her head. 'It's not him, Shel.'
'I was so sure it was Blue,' Shelby whispered. Her legs felt wobbly and they collapsed underneath her. She landed in a heap on the grass. Her face screwed up and she couldn't breathe.
Erin squatted down in front of her. 'Oh Shel. I'm so sorry. Come here.' She threw her arms around Shelby's neck, and Shelby hugged her.
'I was sure, Erin.'
'I know. You can't stay here, though. You'll get grass stains on your good joddies.'
29 Tilt-a-Whirl
Shelby sat on the tailgate with Mrs Crook on one side and Erin on the other. Hayley had taken Ditto for the Turnout class.
Shelby had had a good long cry and her face was red and puffy. Mrs Crook didn't have any tissues, so Shelby wiped her nose with a rough serviette that made her skin tender and raw.
'You all right now?' asked Mrs Crook, rubbing circles on her back.
Shelby nodded, but she wasn't really all right. If only she knew where Blue was then she might stop seeing him in nightmares and daydreams. While she didn't know, there was hope, and it was driving her crazy.
She looked up and saw Monica and Kim running along the road towards them. Kim had a pair of blue overalls, like the ones mechanics wear, over her riding clothes. Monica had a snow cone, and even as she was running, she tipped the cup up towards her face, catching the melted juice in her mouth. They slowed down as they reached the float. Kim leaned over, out of breath, resting her hands on her knees.
'What's happened?' she asked, seeing Shelby's puffy face.
'Shelby thought she saw Blue, but it wasn't him,' replied Erin.
'Really? That's what we came to tell you. We saw him too.'
Monica nodded. 'It looked so much like him. Are you sure it wasn't him?'
Shelby nodded, but she also frowned. That horse hadn't looked so much like Blue after all – only the back half. In fact, when she'd seen him up close he looked completely different.
'How did you go today?' asked Mrs Crook, shading her eyes with her hand. Monica had won the Open Hack, and was now waiting for the Champion class.
'We went in the pairs, too. That was fun. We only came third, but we reckon we could win it if we practise.'
Mrs Crook nodded. 'Well done! Why don't you take Shelby over to the rides?'
Shelby didn't want to go on any rides. She just wanted to curl up in a little ball in the back of the four-wheel drive and stay there until it was time to go home, but her parents had always taught her to be polite, and so she let Monica, Kim and Erin lead her to the other side of the showground.
While they waited in the line, Shelby could see the people in the crowd looking the girls up and down in their snazzy show gear, and for a moment she did feel special – as though the riding gear was some kind of VIP tag.
When it was their turn, the four girls squeezed into the carriage together. Kim sang along loudly to the popular tune that was blaring through the speakers and Monica dug into her ribs with her elbow. 'Kimmy! Shut up! You are so embarrassing.'
Shelby didn't think Kim was embarrassing. She wished she had the confidence to yell out the way that Kim did. The next moment, Erin, who was on the far side of the carriage, joined in – jiggling her head and waving her arms in the air in time with the music. Monica covered her face with her hands.
Kim grabbed hold of Shelby's elbow and waved Shelby's arm in the air, like she was a rag doll. 'Come on, Shel,' she shouted over the music.
Shelby grinned and mouthed some of the words. She felt like a bit of goose but at the same time she was grateful.
The carriage shunted to the right and Erin let out a scream.
'Here we go!' yelled Kim.
The motor of the Tilt-a-Whirl hummed and growled into action. The carriage swung around in a loop and all four girls let out delighted screams.
'Put your hands in the air!' called out Kim and they all raised their hands above their heads.
They spun around and around – up in the air and down again. Shelby felt dizzy and excited at the same time. The crowd on the outside and the lights from the nearby rides were just a blur, but she could quite clearly see Erin's laughing face, and before long Shelby was giggling too. It was exhilarating, but over all too soon.
At the end they clambered out, one after the other. Kim staggered across the grass to the fenced area, trying to keep her balance, and the other girls laughed at her. Shelby's head was still spinning and she walked carefully, knowing that the sensation would pass before long.
'Let's go on the Cha-Cha!' said Erin, grinning.
'Yeah!' cheered Kim.
Erin and Kim skipped along the centre of the aisle, arm in arm. Monica and Shelby ran to catch up with them.
The four girls rode the Cha-Cha, and then the Rock-and-Roll, and afterwards Erin bought a big bag of fairy floss to share. Hayley met up with them after her class and they all scrambled into one of the Ferris wheel carriages. It didn't have any belts or safety bars, but instead a barred roof over the top like a cage. It shifted slowly upwards as the attendant let each group climb into the separate carriages. The girls each reached into the bag and tore off tufts of pink spun sugar. Shelby put a piece on her tongue and waited for it to dissolve.
'Did you win?' asked Monica.
Hayley nodded. 'We're going to have to go back after this. The Champion classes will be on soon.' The two girls' eyes met for a moment and then they both looked out at the showground below them. It occurred to Shelby that Monica and Hayley would be competing for Champion.
'So what did that girl say?' asked Monica, changing the subject.
'What girl?' asked Shelby.
'The one on the horse that looked like Blue.'
'I didn't talk to any girl,' said Shelby, confused.
'Then how do you know it wasn't him? Didn't you ask her where she got him or something?' asked Kim.
'I didn't see a girl. It was a man – Pete, I suppose,' she said.
'You must mean the father. How did you know his name was Pete if you didn't talk to him?' asked Monica.
'It was written on the side of the truck.' Shelby tilted her head towards the metal cage of the Ferris wheel carriage and pointed. 'There – Pete's Pony Rides.'
Kim and Monica looked down where she was pointing and then they looked at each other.
'That's
not where we thought we saw Blue. We saw him over the back, tied to a float. There was a little girl brushing him.' Kim pointed. 'See that big blue gooseneck float? He was behind that.'
They saw a different horse.
Kim stared at Shelby. 'I only saw you with him a few times, but I'd swear it was him, Shel. He had the same blue eyes and everything.'
It was him. It was Blue and he was here.
Shelby stood up suddenly and the carriage swung. Hayley screamed. 'Sit down! Are you crazy?'
'I've got to get off!' said Shelby. She grabbed hold of the bars on the gate and shook them. The gate clanged and rattled against its lock. 'Hey! Let me off!' she shouted.
Hayley screamed again and shimmied around as far from the gate as she could.
Shelby pushed against the gate with all her weight and the carriage tilted to the side. The other four girls scrambled back, but gravity pushed them down towards the gate and they pressed against it in a tangle of limbs. They shrieked. All of a sudden Shelby could see through the bars to the ground below. It was a long, long way down.
Hayley pushed back, bracing her foot against the bars, and the gate shifted slightly to the side, with a metallic scrape. Shelby's hand slipped through the bars and she fell onto the gate hard with her shoulder, her arm dangling out in the air. She looked down through the maze of metal to the grass beneath her. She could see the small round faces of the crowd staring up at them. Further along the aisle, groups of people stopped and looked up, pointing.
It's going to give, she thought. The gate is going to give and we're all going to fall.
The gate made another terrifying creak and the girls screamed. Erin grabbed Shelby by the arm and pulled as hard as she could. Shelby's knuckles grazed on the rough edge of the gate, but the carriage tilted upright again and all the girls let out a sigh.
'You're a complete nutcase – you know that?' shouted Hayley, still bracing herself against the bars.
'I'm sorry,' whispered Shelby.
'It doesn't matter,' said Erin. 'It will be over soon.' Even as she spoke the carriage swung down to the bottom. The attendant rushed over, unfastened the lock and yanked the gate open.
'What the hell were you doing!' he shouted.
'Just mucking around,' replied Erin, before the others had a chance to say anything.
'Get out!' he roared at them. 'You're banned – all of you. Get out and don't come back!'
'Yeah, yeah. Keep your knickers on,' replied Kim, shifting along the seat towards the gate.
Hayley climbed out first, marching away from them with her arms folded.
Shelby tumbled out next and dragged at Monica's arm. 'Show me. Show me where you saw him. Come on! Hurry!' The two of them set off at a jog, through the crowd.
Erin and Kim climbed out last. Erin poked her tongue out at the Ferris wheel attendant and then ran to catch up with the others. Kim ran alongside Hayley and grabbed at her elbow, but Hayley shrugged it off. 'She almost killed us!' she said.
'Oh, she did not, Hales,' replied Erin. 'Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud. We're all safe now.'
Hayley folded her arms and kept on marching. Erin and Kim left her and ran after Shelby and Monica.
They raced around the side of the showground, away from the crowd, and along the gravel driveway. As they got to the floats and horse trucks they slowed down, so as not to frighten the horses.
Shelby could see the blue gooseneck float in the distance. 'Is that it?'
Monica nodded.
Shelby tried hard not to break into a run.
The four girls rounded the side of the blue gooseneck and stopped still. Monica pointed. 'There. That was the float, wasn't it, Kimmy?'
Kim nodded.
There was a small, white, two-horse float coupled to an old station wagon. The tailgate was closed and locked tight. There was no Blue, just a lead rope and, at the bottom of it, a black halter, unbuckled and splayed open, hanging against the float's side.
30 A Police Matter
'Well, he was here before,' Monica said.
Shelby put her hands over her face.
'Don't panic. The float's still here, so that means that Blue's here somewhere. We've just got to find him,' Erin said.
Shelby nodded, trying hard to stop herself from crying again.
'Let's try the exercise arena,' Monica suggested. They moved off again, all four of them scanning the jumble of floats, trucks and horses around them.
Shelby's heart was hammering in her chest. Blue was here, somewhere. She couldn't explain it, but she could feel it. As they walked past a tall maroon ute, Shelby caught sight of a paint hide and her heart leapt into her throat, but as she took another step she could see it was a much taller horse. They walked around the last parked truck and the exercise arena was directly in front of them.
There were so many horses of all shapes and sizes that they almost blended into each other. Some were going over jumps. Some were standing together in loose circles, with their riders by their sides chatting, while others were practising workouts, or warming up for the sporting events.
Erin grabbed her shoulder and let out a little squeak. She waggled her finger, and Shelby whipped around, trying to focus on where Erin's finger was pointing. Erin jumped up and down on the spot.
'It's him, Shel, it's really him!'
Shelby frowned and shaded her eyes with her hand. There were so many horses, all she could see was a mishmash of rumps and legs and faces and then. . .
There was Blue standing patiently near the fence at the very edge of the exercise arena. He had his neck flat, horizontal, and his eyes closed – his donkey dozing pose. He stamped his leg to shake off a fly.
There was a little girl, maybe five or six years old, standing in front of him and clutching onto his reins. She reached towards him and he opened his eyes, stretched his head down towards the little hand, and nibbled on her fingers.
Shelby walked across the arena. A huge warmblood thundered in front of her, barely missing her.
'Watch it!' said the rider.
She was ten metres away. 'Blue,' she called out in a singsong voice.
Blue's head shot up and whipped around. His blue eyes were wide. He took two steps around to the side, facing Shelby. The little girl wasn't expecting it and the reins ripped out of her hands. She scrabbled for them but missed.
Blue licked his lips and walked towards Shelby, dragging his reins along the ground. The little girl made another grab at the reins, and this time she caught them. She shook at them hard, making Blue's bit rattle. He stopped, regarded the little girl for a moment, and then turned around again and whickered to Shelby in his deep voice.
Shelby ran towards him and threw her arms around his neck.
'Oh, Blue,' she said into his mane. 'You're safe.'
Blue nosed into her pockets looking for something to eat. She took a deep breath, smelling his mane, and then she stood back again. The other three girls crowded around him, patting his neck and face and crooning to him.
The little girl looked at them with wide eyes, and tugged at Blue's reins, trying to drag him away, but Blue wasn't budging. Tears started to spill over her cheeks.
'What's going on here?' There was a tall man in a check shirt and moleskins standing behind the little girl. He was frowning and there were two rosy circles on his cheeks.
'This is her horse,' started Erin, pointing to Shelby. 'He was stolen.'
'Shut up, Erin,' said Shelby.
'Stolen?' said the man.
'Daddy?' asked the girl, looking up at him.
'It's OK, sweetie. Daddy's here.' He reached forward and took the reins, forcing Blue to move backwards, away from Shelby and the other girls. 'I think not. This is our horse. We bought him fair and square. We've got receipts. We've got all the paperwork.'
'Where did you buy him?' asked Shelby.
'Yeah, and when?' added Erin.
'That's not your business,' said the man. He leaned down and lifted the little girl up onto his hip.
He tugged at Blue's reins again and they began to move away.
'Daddy, who are they talking about?' said the little girl.
'Excuse me, sir,' said Shelby, walking to catch up with him. 'I'm sure we can talk this through. I really do think this is the horse that I used to own. Can't you see that he knows me?'
The man looked over his shoulder. 'Prove it.' He kept walking. He had reached the gate to the exercise arena by now.
'She can prove it. They went to the Gully Pony Club. We have photos. This is Shelby's horse. You can't just walk away. He's stolen,' Erin shouted after him.
'So call the police,' the man said.
'We will!' said Kim.
'Good for you,' said the man.
The four girls followed the man and his daughter all the way back to the float.
The man put the girl down and started to take Blue's saddle and bridle off. 'Get in the car, sweetie,' he instructed. The little girl turned and climbed into the car, locking the door behind her.
Shelby turned to Monica. 'He's going to leave. We can't let him. Go and get Mrs Crook. Maybe he'll listen to an adult.'
Monica nodded and ran back between the floats.
The man led Blue around to the back of the float and let down the gate.
'Please, sir,' said Shelby. 'Can't we at least talk about it?'
'What's to talk about?' said the man. 'You're accusing me of stealing your horse. I don't have to listen to that.'
'No,' protested Shelby. 'I know you didn't steal him. I saw the man who stole him. You must have bought Blue from him.'
'His name is Patches.' The man pulled Blue onto the float. Erin jumped up onto the gate and put her arms across the front, blocking his path. Blue, who had never liked floats, backed up startled, and the man tugged sharply on his lead, holding him still. Blue looked warily at Shelby, his nostrils flaring.
'Get off my property,' warned the man.
'Make me!' said Erin.
'Don't tempt me, young lady,' the man growled.
'Hop down, Erin,' said Shelby, reaching towards Erin's arm.
'But he's getting away with it. We can't let him!'
'Yeah, I know, but this isn't the right way to do it. You're making Blue upset. Mrs Crook will be here soon. We can always take his number plate and call the police when we get home.'
For Sale Or Swap Page 14