New Friend (9780698143852)

by Bentley, Sue; Swan, Angela (ILT)

  Eleanor was speechless with wonder. She had never seen anything so beautiful in her whole life.

  “Comet?” she gulped when she could finally speak.

  “Yes, it is still me, Eleanor. Do not be afraid.” Comet gave a deep musical neigh. There was a final swirl of sparkling mist, and Comet reappeared as the sturdy chestnut pony.

  “Wow! That’s an amazing disguise! No one would ever know that you’re not an ordinary forest pony,” Eleanor said.

  “Destiny, too, will be in disguise. But that will not save her if the dark horses discover her,” Comet said gravely. “Now I must look for her. Will you help me?”

  Eleanor felt a second of doubt at the thought of the dangerous dark horses who were pursuing Comet’s twin sister. But then the magic pony leaned forward and pushed his satiny nose into her hand.

  Eleanor’s soft heart melted as Comet huffed warm breath onto her fingers. “Of course I will!” she said. “We’ll search for Destiny together.”

  “Thank you, Eleanor.”

  “I can’t wait to tell Aunt Pippa about you! She’ll be so—”

  Comet lifted his head. “No! You must tell no one about me or what I have told you!”

  Eleanor felt disappointed that she couldn’t confide in her aunt. She felt sure that Aunt Pippa could be trusted.

  “You must promise,” Comet insisted, blinking at her with his intelligent, deep-violet eyes.

  Eleanor nodded slowly. If it would help to keep Destiny safe until Comet could find her and return to Rainbow Mist Island, she was prepared to agree. “Okay. I promise. Cross my heart.”

  “Thank you, Eleanor.”

  “But where shall we start looking?” she asked. “There are thousands of ponies in the forest. If Destiny’s hiding among them, it’ll be almost impossible to find her.”

  As Comet looked thoughtful, there was the sound of a car pulling in to the driveway.

  Eleanor exclaimed, “Aunt Pippa! She’s back. I can’t come with you now. She’ll notice I’m gone. I’ll have to try to sneak out later. You’d better hide before she sees you!”

  “Very well.” With a swish of his sandy tail, the chestnut pony turned and galloped into the trees.

  “Eleanor? Where are you, honey? I hope you like pepperoni on your pizza!” Aunt Pippa called from the kitchen.

  “I love it! Coming!” Eleanor answered.

  As she went back inside, she bit back a huge grin. It looked like her rather lonely summer had just taken a turn for the better. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected to make friends with a magic pony!

  Eleanor’s heart beat fast as she peeped into the living room where Aunt Pippa was lying on the sofa, taking a short nap after dinner. All was silent, and then she heard a faint snore.

  Smiling to herself, Eleanor tiptoed into the kitchen. She was already wearing her jeans and a long-sleeved top, and she sat on the back doorstep to pull on her riding boots and hat. She felt tense with excitement. Would Comet still be there? Or would he have galloped off alone to look for Destiny?

  As Eleanor walked through the gate at the bottom of the back garden, the chestnut pony stepped out of the trees, and a warm orange sunset glowed behind him.

  “You’re still here! I’m so glad,” Eleanor exclaimed.

  Comet bent his neck to bump his nose very gently against her arm. “Greetings, Eleanor. Climb on to my back. We must go.”

  Eleanor scrambled onto the chestnut pony. She wasn’t used to riding bareback, but the moment she sat astride Comet she felt perfectly at ease. His magic seemed to spread over her, making her feel warm and safe.

  She twined her hands in Comet’s thick sandy mane as he leaped forward and galloped into the forest. Huge oak trees spread their branches overhead as they followed bridleways and paths. They came to a picnic area with a closed café and sped past, pushing deeper into the forest. There was no one around. Most visitors had left to go home by now.

  Eleanor and Comet weaved along twisting paths and tracks. In the warm glow of the setting sun they came upon small herds of ponies, grouped together in clearings or standing under the trees. Each time, Comet paused and trotted up to them, snorting a greeting, but did not find Destiny among any of the ponies.

  Comet galloped on tirelessly, his hooves skimming the ground. Eleanor crouched low on his back, feeling the breeze rush by, her hair streaming behind her. She was breathless with the thrill of riding the magic pony.

  “Hold tight!” Comet told her as he surged up a hill topped by birch trees.

  He paused at the top where the ground fell away into a deep ravine and a waterfall foamed into a river far below. From their position on the high ground, Eleanor could see the forest spreading out in all directions—its hundreds of acres of trees, divided by paths, clearings, and roads used by tourists and visitors.

  “The forest is never-ending,” Eleanor said. “How will we ever find Destiny?”

  Comet had stretched his neck and was peering around with his keen eyes. “Because we are twins, we have always had a special bond. If Destiny is close, I will sense her presence. Also, if she has passed by at any time she will have left a trail.”

  “A trail? What will it look like?” Eleanor asked.

  “There will be softly glowing hoofprints, which are invisible to most people in this world.”

  “Will I be able to see them?” Eleanor asked.

  “Yes. If you are riding me or if I am very close to you,” Comet told her. “Are you ready, Eleanor? We must keep searching.”

  “I’m ready!”

  Comet sprang forward. He was wonderful to ride—so smooth, fast, and exciting. Eleanor kept a close lookout but she saw no sign of any magical hoof prints, and although they met other wild ponies, none of them was Destiny.

  Despite the thrill of riding Comet, Eleanor felt her eyes drooping, and she bit back a yawn. The sun was now very low in the sky. Eleanor knew that Aunt Pippa might wake at any moment.

  “You are tired, Eleanor,” Comet said with concern. “I will take you back now.”

  Back in the clearing outside her aunt’s garden gate, Comet stopped and let Eleanor slide off his back.

  The pony’s chestnut head drooped a little. Eleanor guessed that Comet was missing his twin sister.

  “We’ll find Destiny,” she said, gazing into his large sad eyes, which were as beautiful as amethysts. “I promise I’ll do all I can to help.”

  “Thank you, Eleanor,” Comet said gratefully. “I will see you very soon.” With a flick of his tail, he whirled around and melted into the trees.

  Eleanor crept into the house and went swiftly upstairs. She took off her riding boots and hat, and heard her aunt stirring. She stood at the top of the stairs just as Pippa came out into the hall.

  “My goodness! I must have dozed off. I think I’m ready for bed,” Pippa said, hiding a yawn behind her hand.

  “Me too. Good night, Aunt Pippa. See you in the morning!” she called.

  Tired, but with her thoughts still full of the thrilling forest ride, she went to her room, undressed, and crawled into bed. Moments later, she was fast asleep.

  Eleanor woke to find bright yellow light flooding into her room. She threw back the patchwork quilt, her mind buzzing with all that had happened the day before. She looked out her window toward the forest, wondering where Comet was and what he was doing. She could see no sign of him and didn’t dare call out in case her aunt heard. Dressing quickly, Eleanor hurried downstairs.

  Aunt Pippa was in the kitchen making breakfast. “Good morning, honey. Sleep well?” she asked.

  “Yes, fine, thanks,” Eleanor said, helping herself to toast and scrambled eggs. All she could think about was going into the forest to find Comet, but she needed to think of a reason for going off by herself. Aunt Pippa wasn’t just going to let her wander off without knowing exactly where she was going.

  Eleanor puzzled over the problem as she nibbled a corner of toast. She was starting to think that it was all hopeless and that yest
erday might even be the only time she would see Comet when the telephone in the hall rang.

  Aunt Pippa went to answer it and returned looking a little flustered.

  “That was the gallery. They’re short-staffed because someone is sick and wondered if I’d mind going in and hanging my photographs,” she explained. “I think I’m going to have to go over there. I’m sorry, Eleanor. It’s going to be boring for you to come with me and sit around waiting.”

  “Why don’t I stay here? Then you won’t have to worry about me,” Eleanor said helpfully, trying not to sound too eager. “I want to finish my book, anyway.”

  Aunt Pippa looked relieved. “Well, okay. I hope I’ll only be a couple of hours. Maybe we could go out and look for Mary, Jed, and Blue after lunch?”

  Eleanor nodded, smiling. “I’d like that.”

  As soon as she’d said good-bye to her aunt, Eleanor hurried upstairs to grab her riding boots and hat and ran out the back garden gate. She stood in the clearing, her pulse quickening with excitement as she faced the trees and called Comet’s name.

  For a moment, nothing happened and she almost wondered if yesterday’s thrilling ride had been a dream. But then the chestnut pony appeared out of nowhere and walked toward her. His sandy mane and tail stirred in the breeze.

  “Greetings, Eleanor.”

  “Comet!” Eleanor’s heart lifted as she looked at him, thinking how amazing it was that he had chosen her to be his friend. Comet was her own special secret that she would never, ever tell anyone. “I’ve got two hours to myself. We can go looking for Destiny again!” she cried.

  Comet pawed at the ground, his deep-violet eyes flashing with eagerness. “Thank you, Eleanor. Climb onto my back.”

  Comet set off in a different direction from the one they had taken yesterday. As they galloped between the trees, Eleanor leaned forward and entwined her hands in the pony’s thick mane again. Comet moved so smoothly that she felt like a part of him and hardly even needed to grip his sides with her legs.

  It suddenly occurred to Eleanor that she shouldn’t ride Comet bareback and without a head collar in broad daylight. They hadn’t met any other riders yet, but when they did she was sure to attract attention.

  Comet’s ears twitched back as if he felt her hesitation, and he came to a halt beneath a large oak tree. “Is something wrong, Eleanor?”

  “It’s just that in this world ponies usually wear saddles and bridles when they’re being ridden,” she told him.

  Comet listened carefully as she described the equipment in detail. When she had finished, he nodded. “I did not know this. No one has ever ridden me before. I will see to it now.”

  Eleanor climbed down from Comet and stood watching him curiously.

  She felt a strange warm tingling sensation in her fingertips as bright violet sparks ignited in Comet’s chestnut coat. His ears and tail crackled with tiny lightning bolts of magical power.

  Eleanor’s eyes widened. Something very strange was happening. She watched in complete astonishment as with a whooshing noise thousands of tiny glittery lights like busy worker bees sprang into the air. The sparkling crowd weaved back and forth. Crackle! Rustle! Clink! The lights created a full set of tack just as she’d described it.

  “Wow!” Eleanor said breathlessly. Seconds later, Comet stood there fully saddled up.

  “Is this right, Eleanor?” Comet asked as the sparks faded from his chestnut coat.

  “It’s just perfect!” Eleanor adjusted the girth and slipped two fingers under the strap to make sure it was firm but not too tight around Comet’s middle. She mounted, checked her stirrup length, picked up the reins, and they set off again.

  Eleanor and Comet rode along narrow pathways bordered by birch trees. Gradually the trees grew thicker and shadowed the forest floor. They rounded some bushes and came to a clearing where a herd of about ten wild ponies were gathered.

  “Oh look. There are some young ones with them. Aren’t they gorgeous?” Eleanor sighed.

  Comet slowed to a walking pace. He gave a friendly nicker as he moved toward the rather nervous-looking ponies. They turned their heads to look at him, their ears twitching with curiosity.

  Suddenly a dog came out of nowhere and shot straight past them. Barking loudly, it ran toward the herd. One of the young wild ponies reared up, its eyes rolling in terror.

  “Bad dog! Get away from them!” Eleanor shouted. She twisted around to see if an owner was visible, but there was no one in sight.

  The wild ponies stamped around, blowing in alarm. The youngsters seemed ready to bolt in all directions at any moment. Eleanor was worried that they’d hurt themselves if they ran off in a blind panic.

  “We’d better scare that dog off before those ponies scatter!” she cried.

  Eleanor was about to squeeze Comet gently and urge him forward when he tossed his head nervously and backed up. She realized that he was also scared of the dog. Perhaps they didn’t have them on Rainbow Mist Island.

  “It’s okay, Comet. I’ll deal with this,” she said, quickly dismounting and running toward the dog. But now that she was closer to it, it seemed a lot bigger and fiercer.

  “Go away! Go on!” she cried, waving her arms.

  The dog turned and looked at her, and a growl rumbled in its throat. It started to walk toward her. Eleanor gulped and began to back up slowly, regretting her rash decision to face the dog alone.

  She felt another prickling sensation in her fingertips. It was a lot softer than last time.

  She glanced at Comet and watched as the chestnut pony opened his mouth and huffed out a big breath, which turned into a miniature violet fireball. It shot toward the dog, trailing bright sparks, and hit it harmlessly on the nose before dissolving into a puff of smoke. Poof!

  “Yip!” The dog gave a surprised yelp and dashed headlong for the trees with its tail between its legs.

  Eleanor let out a sigh of relief. She walked back to Comet and patted his silky neck. “Well done. That showed him! I was scared for a minute there.”

  “It was very brave of you to try to scare that creature away. Thank you, Eleanor.”

  “I didn’t really think about it. I knew you were scared and wanted to help. I’d hate for anything to happen to you,” she said fondly.

  Comet nuzzled her arm and she breathed in his sweet apple-scented breath.

  “Hey! What do you think you’re doing, letting your dog scare my herd like that!” called an angry voice.

  Eleanor looked up to see a girl coming toward them on a bay pony with a white star on its forehead. She looked about twelve years old and was frowning fiercely. Luckily, she seemed to have missed Comet’s magic display.

  “It wasn’t my…,” Eleanor began.

  But the girl was too angry to listen. “Not your fault, huh? Don’t you know the forest code? All dogs have to be kept on leashes!”

  “I know. I’ve seen the signs. I was trying to tell you that it wasn’t my dog!” Eleanor said patiently. She mounted Comet so she could explain to the girl properly from up on her horse. “It just came out of nowhere. I don’t know who it belongs to, but Comet scared it off because the ponies were about to bolt.”

  “Oh, I didn’t realize.” The girl’s face cleared and she looked embarrassed. “It was good of you to get him to do that. Sorry, I tend to speak first and think later.”

  “That’s okay. It was an easy mistake,” Eleanor said generously.

  “Nice of you to say so. You could easily have chewed my head off about it!”

  “I’m not that hungry!” Eleanor joked.

  They both laughed.

  The girl introduced herself. “I’m Francine Boyd, but everyone calls me Frankie. That’s a gorgeous pony you’ve got there. Is he forest-bred?”

  “Um…yeah. Comet’s pretty special,” Eleanor said, smiling to herself. If only Frankie knew how much! “I’m Eleanor Gale. I’m staying at Oak Cottage with my Aunt Pippa for the summer,” she said, changing the subject quickly and hoping to av
oid any more awkward questions.

  Frankie nodded. “I thought I hadn’t seen you around here before. Your aunt’s a photographer, isn’t she? Dad said that a woman who takes incredible photos of the forest ponies had moved into the empty cottage.”

  “That’s right. Aunt Pippa’s got an exhibit in town next week,” Eleanor said, smiling at Frankie.

  Now that the misunderstanding had been cleared up, the older girl seemed really friendly. Eleanor hoped Frankie might be someone she could get to know better. It was wonderful having Comet as a friend, but it would be extra fun having a pony-crazy friend!

  Frankie returned her smile. “I was just going to have my lunch. Would you like to share it with me?” she offered. “It’s such a nice day that I brought a picnic with me. I often do when I’m out with Jake, checking on our ponies. There’s a pretty stream near here. The ponies can have a drink while we sit and eat.”

  “Sounds great, thanks!” Eleanor said delightedly. “Is that okay with you?” she whispered to Comet so that Frankie couldn’t hear.

  Comet nickered an agreement. “I would like to stop for a while.”

  As Frankie moved forward on Jake, Comet pricked his ears and followed. Eleanor reached forward to pat his silky neck.

  “I’m glad we met Frankie,” she whispered.

  “Me too. I like her,” Comet neighed enthusiastically.

  Eleanor looked up in alarm to see if Frankie had heard him speak.

  Comet seemed to know what she was thinking. “Do not worry, Eleanor. Only you can hear what I am saying. To anyone else it sounds like a neigh or a snort.”

  “Oh, okay. Good to know,” Eleanor whispered back, hiding a grin.