by Wood, Karen
To Ruby’s horror, Chance reached Silvanus and shoved her nose into his bag of sweets. Then she took the whole thing in her teeth and shook it from Silvanus’s hands.
‘Hey!’ Silvanus shouted. ‘Control your horse!’ He watched as his lollies scattered to the ground. Chance dropped her head and hoovered them up, barely bothering to chew. When she had gobbled up the last one, she turned to Silvanus and licked her lips, looking quite pleased with herself.
The boy glared at her.
Chance put her nose against his belly and pushed him. Silvanus screamed as he went feet-up and landed on the ground. Chance dropped her head again and began snuffling all over him, looking for more lollies.
Kit pulled at the mare’s rope. ‘Oh my gosh, I am so sorry,’ she said.
But no matter how hard she pulled, Chance ignored her. Silvanus started chuckling as Chance’s muzzle waggled over his ribs and tummy. Was the old mare tickling him? Soon the boy was squealing with laughter. ‘Get her off me,’ he choked through fits of giggles.
Chance nipped at Silvanus’s pockets with her teeth and eventually found another bag of toffees. She worked them into her mouth, paper wrappers and all, and stood over the top of the boy, dribbling.
‘Get away from me, you big slobber-chops,’ Silvanus said, pushing her away and sitting upright. His eyes twinkled with humour.
Chance ran her nose over his cheek, nickered quietly and closed her eyes, her jaw still chewing and drooling. Silvanus lifted his hands and patted either side of her face.
There was a strange moment while the two held each other and everyone watched them.
‘No, no, no,’ said Kit suddenly, pulling Chance’s head away. ‘This is not happening.’
Chance gave another nicker before turning away, leaving Silvanus to pick himself up out of the dirt and brush himself off. He looked as shocked as everyone else.
A marshal gave a sharp blast of her whistle. ‘Trickstars, to the end of the parade!’ She thrust her finger to the other end of the field. ‘Hexley High Flyers, you go to the centre of the field.’
Ruby sensed relief from everyone as the families went their separate ways again.
‘There!’ said Grampy. He pointed at a white truck with blue stripes. ‘A police truck.’
Several horses could be heard banging about in the back. The ramp was lowered. Four bay horses walked off calmly, led by the two men who had been in the stable last night. The horses wore blue and white checked halters and smart blue rugs. Once they were saddled and marshalled, a man in a blue uniform with medals across his chest mounted the largest of the bays. He took the centre position alongside three other policemen.
So that was Destiny’s legal owner. A whistle blew and he rode forward, leading the parade onto the crowd-lined streets. Within seconds he was lost before a sea of baton-twirling cheerleaders and a huge paper dragon, bobbing up and down like an oversized puppet.
The Hexley High Flyers took their place, followed by tribal drummers and fire twirlers.
The Trickstars brought up the back of the parade. Grampy held Chance and led her alongside the girls. Kit had brushed her coat and woven blue and silver ribbons through her mane and tail to make her look festive.
The streets were busy. People stood shoulder to shoulder, cheering and waving. They danced to the music, blew trumpets and celebrated loudly.
‘One, two, three, stand!’ yelled Ruby, signalling the start of the Trickstars act. The three girls all pounced to their feet. ‘And cross over!’
Kit and Ruby jumped onto Featherfoot and stood behind Lexie. They lifted one leg high in the air and put both arms to the side. Together they formed a star. In the morning sun, their costumes glittered and sparkled. The crowds cheered them on.
Ahead, the Hexleys tumbled about doing some sort of clown act. Seth walked alongside in his ringmaster’s costume. Whatever it was they were doing, it seemed to have the crowd cheering.
One of the Hexleys’ horses let out a shrill whinny. From the corner of her eye, Ruby saw Chance lift her head, toss her mane and prance on the spot. Grampy held her steady.
Ruby heard a shrill whistle before the sound was overridden by the banging drums and blowing horns of a brass band. Chance suddenly went wild, rearing and squealing.
‘Whoa,’ said Grampy, trying to keep her calm. But Chance screamed again.
‘I can barely hold her,’ said Grampy, taking the rope with both hands.
‘Maybe the colt is here somewhere,’ said Kit. ‘She seems to be calling to someone.’
‘Surely they wouldn’t bring a young foal to a street parade,’ said Lexie. ‘That would be cruel.’
Grampy still wrestled with the anxious mare. ‘Easy, girl.’
Chance leapt away from him, tearing the rope through Grampy’s fingers. He growled with pain and shook his hands as he watched the mare bolt through the parade. Chance stopped and stared about for a brief moment before screaming and taking off again.
‘Oh dear,’ said Ruby, holding Tinker steady as he whinnied after her.
The dragon began leaning heavily to one side. People screamed. Trumpets blew out of tune and drums banged erratically. The entire parade began to scatter.
Twirlers lost their batons and dancers forgot their steps. The miniature ponies scattered as Chance galloped through the middle of them.
Grampy swung up behind Ruby. ‘What are you doing?’ she said.
‘Catching Chance!’ Grampy put his arms around Ruby, reached for the reins and kicked Tinker into action. ‘Before she ruins the entire parade!’
Tinker’s great shaggy, iron-clad feet clattered along the road as they gave chase. ‘Sorry!’ said Ruby, as people scattered to get out of their way. Behind her, she could feel Grampy kicking Tinker on faster. She took a large chunk of his mane and held on tight.
‘Rider coming through,’ Grampy yelled as he steered Tinker in and out of the crowds.
Ahead, Chance galloped on, leaping and jumping and dodging and weaving. Her lead rope trailed behind her.
‘Destiny must be here somewhere,’ said Lexie, cantering alongside them on Featherfoot.
‘Not Destiny,’ said Ruby. ‘Look!’
A boy walked out of the chaos and stepped in front of the mare. He wore a red suit.
Chance instantly slowed. She dropped her nose and walked towards him. Silvanus put his arms around her neck as he reached her, and Ruby saw Chance’s belly heave a huge sigh.
Every person in the parade stared at the pair.
‘I don’t believe it,’ said Kit.
‘No!’ gasped Lexie.
‘Ahhh …’ Ruby stammered. ‘I’ve never seen Chance cuddle anyone like that before.’
The police commissioner marched up behind Silvanus and the mare. He led the large bay Waler behind him.
‘Well, looks like we’ve found the thief!’ said the man.
‘That mare belongs to me,’ said the police commissioner, towering over the boy. ‘She was stolen from my property months ago.’
Silvanus gave the man a bewildered look. ‘I’ve never met this horse before in my life!’
As he spoke, Chance snuffled around the back of his ears and nickered softly.
The commissioner scoffed. ‘I find that very hard to believe,’ he said. Then he gave a puzzled frown. ‘She likes you.’ He spent another moment watching Chance press her head against Silvanus’s shoulder. ‘She hasn’t liked anyone since old Sam died.’
‘Who’s old Sam?’ said Silvanus.
Grampy gave Tinker’s reins back to Ruby. He slipped off the horse’s back and stepped forward. ‘The boy’s no thief,’ he said.
The commissioner raised an eyebrow. ‘And who are you?’
Grampy held out his hand. ‘Gallius Trickett. I’m the person who rescued this mare from the horse sales. I’m the one who kept her when you took her foal and left her behind.’ The commissioner slowly reached out and shook Grampy’s hand. Grampy looked suddenly awkward. His voice took on a pleading tone. ‘If the c
olt is giving you trouble I would like to buy him from you.’
‘She has a foal?’ Silvanus said, looking up at both men with wide eyes. His arms were still around the mare. ‘Where is it?’
‘In my stable, where it belongs!’ said the commissioner. ‘And no, I will not sell him. What makes you think he is giving me trouble?’ His eyes narrowed as he looked Grampy over, and then scanned the three gypsy cobs. ‘Someone tried to steal him last night but he proved too much for them. Luckily my grooms got him under control. He’s a very spirited animal.’
Ruby inwardly snarled. The grooms had told him a pack of lies.
‘Your grooms were being cruel to him,’ Kit burst out.
Ruby joined in. ‘They were frightening him! They were the ones who took Chance to the saleyards and tried to dog her. We heard them say so!’
Grampy gave a frustrated growl and Ruby realised she had let the cat out of the bag. She quickly stopped talking. Grampy shook his head and gave her a look.
The commissioner eyed her up and down. Then he cast his eyes to Grampy. ‘So you were at my stables last night.’
‘We were riding past and heard a commotion,’ said Grampy, which was kind of the truth. ‘Please, sir. I don’t have a lot of money, but I can offer him a good home. Thank you for leaving the mare…’
‘You do realise that is trespassing,’ snapped the commissioner.
‘Yes …no …we were just …’ Grampy stammered.
‘I could have you arrested.’
‘We were just trying to help the colt,’ said Grampy.
‘The colt did not need your help. I have two very competent grooms.’ A look of thunder crossed the commissioner’s face. ‘Someone put another horse in my stables last night. Do you know anything about that?’
‘A mare,’ said Grampy, looking the commissioner in the eye. ‘I wanted to settle the colt. He was frantic. It was all I could do for him.’
‘You should be thanking Grampy,’ said Ruby.
‘Ruby, zip it!’ snapped Grampy. ‘Now!’
Ruby crossed her arms over her chest. She clenched her jaw shut. This was so unfair. Grampy had done nothing wrong.
The commissioner ran his eyes over Silvanus. Chance was nuzzling at his neck and nibbling on his ears, making him giggle. The two of them looked delighted with each other.
‘Why is that mare behaving so strangely?’ the commissioner demanded. ‘I’ve never seen her do that before.’
‘She is a Magnifico horse,’ said Grampy. ‘They only ever bond with one person. It seems she has finally found her special one in this lad here. No one else will ever take that place.’ He shrugged. ‘No matter what you do.’
‘And Destiny will be the same,’ said Ruby. She couldn’t stop the words running from her mouth. ‘He is worth nothing to anyone except Grampy …’ She caught a look of fury from Grampy and she clamped her mouth shut again.
‘How did you come to own this mare?’ asked Grampy. ‘She is not like any other of your horses. They are all bays.’
The commissioner stopped and looked thoughtful for a while. ‘She was owned by my groom, Sam,’ he answered. ‘When he died he left the horse to me.’ He pursed his lips. ‘But she was an extremely difficult horse, even for Sam, sometimes. I couldn’t control her at all.’
‘Trickery is in her blood,’ said Grampy.
The commissioner snorted. ‘You’ve got that right. She escaped one night and found my purebred black Waler stallion,’ he said with disdain. ‘That is why I wanted the colt back. If he takes after his father, he will be a valuable horse, descended from some of the finest cavalry mounts ever produced in Australia.’
He looked at Chance and frowned. ‘If he takes after the mare, however …’
Ruby, Lexie and Kit all spoke at once. ‘He takes after the mare.’
‘She chose me,’ said Silvanus, almost to himself. He was staring, full of wonder, at the big shaggy head in his arms.
‘Sell the colt to me,’ said Grampy. ‘He is still young and needs his mother. Sell him to me and when he is old enough you can use him for stud. You can breed as many foals from him as you want.’
The sound of whistles brought everyone back to the moment. Marshals in orange vests were pointing and directing. ‘Let’s get this parade back on the road!’ they shouted.
The crowds began honking their plastic horns and cheering again.
The commissioner put a foot in his stirrup and mounted his horse. He looked down at Grampy and then across to Silvanus and Chance. ‘I don’t want a crossbreed horse for stud,’ he said. ‘But he would make a very flashy parade horse. Much like the Queen’s drum horses. And if he’s a one-man horse like you say, then surely that person is myself.’
Grampy opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it.
Ruby put her hands on her hips. The idea was enough to make her laugh out loud. A giant snorty honk exploded from her chest. ‘There is no way that you could be Destiny’s special person.’
Grampy glared daggers at her.
The commissioner’s face tightened. ‘Oh, really? Well, special or not, I am his owner. Anything else is beside the point.’
Oh dear, she had really blown it. Ruby scrambled for a way to win the commissioner over. An idea rushed to her mind. ‘Keep him then,’ she said.
The commissioner raised an eyebrow.
‘What are you saying?’ hissed Lexie.
Ruby kept talking. ‘Handle him yourself for a week and see how he goes. If you are his special person, then you will know quickly. If you are not, then…’
‘Then you will also know fairly quickly,’ muttered Lexie.
The commissioner gave her a cold stare. ‘I don’t make deals with children,’ he said in a cool voice. With that, he picked up his reins and rode off.
The giant dragon surged into the air, lifting and rolling in waves as it was carried along the street on long poles.
‘Please go back to the rear of the parade,’ ordered one of the marshals.
Ruby’s heart was at the bottom of her stomach as she watched the police commissioner ride away. But she refused to give up hope.
Kit reached for Chance’s lead rope.
Silvanus Hexley wrapped his arms tightly around the mare’s neck. He gave Grampy a pleading look. ‘Please, Gallius Trickett. You’ve no use for this horse.’
Grampy gave Kit a questioning look, as though asking for her blessing. It was Kit who had worked so hard to bring the mare back to health after the Tricketts had rescued her.
‘It’s up to Chance,’ said Kit, and burst into tears.
‘You can’t, Grampy,’ said Ruby. ‘What if Destiny comes back to us? He will need his mother.’
Grampy gave a sad shake of his head. Then he turned to Silvanus. ‘You take good care of her or I’ll be coming after you.’
Silvanus Hexley gave Grampy a wide grin. He sprang onto Chance’s back and looked at them all meaningfully for a moment, his hand over his heart, before trotting away. The mare’s thick white tail swished happily back and forth. Silvanus put his hands out wide like he was flying for a few strides, then reached down and hugged the mare’s neck.
As Ruby rode through the rest of the parade, she felt her dreams of being a trick rider slipping away from her. Grampy walked silently alongside them, his arms lifelessly by his sides and his eyes staring at the road. Without Destiny, he would bury himself in farming again. His chance to be happy would be gone.
After more than a week at Zelda’s place, with no word from the commissioner, a heavy cloud of disappointment settled over the Trickett family. Grampy barely spoke. The triplets found it hard to smile. The truck was finally repaired, and Analita quietly set about packing up to go home.
Only Zelda kept chirruping happily. ‘You girls are so talented,’ she said. ‘I watched you in the parade. Astonishing! Just like your grandmother! She always said that triplets were coming and that you would be extra special. You will be famous one day; it is in your stars.’
Ruby m
anaged a weak smile. Zelda was just trying to make them feel better. Their dreams of being trick riders were just that: dreams. And now they had woken up.
As the Tricketts packed up to leave Silverton, Zelda pressed boxes of cut sandwiches into their arms and made up thermoses of hot chocolate for the journey home. She hugged the girls and promised to come and visit them in Kulnara.
‘Promise me you will keep Levinia’s dreams alive,’ Zelda said to Grampy. ‘These girls are born to ride. They don’t need the colt.’
Grampy gave a sad shrug. Later, he drove the truck through the main street of Silverton to find a petrol station. The streets were quiet after the commotion of the winter solstice parade. People walked in and out of shops and cars parked along the kerb.
During the week, Zelda had brought home some hopeful local gossip. The commissioner had placed security cameras in his stables and caught his grooms mishandling the colt. Both men had been fired and charged with livestock theft. Word was, he was indeed handling the colt himself.
‘At least we know Destiny will be safe now,’ said Lexie. ‘Maybe he will actually like the commissioner.’
‘He seems like a very knowledgeable horseman,’ said Kit. ‘And we know Destiny will be well fed.’ But Ruby could tell she didn’t feel great at all. Worry made Kit grind her teeth and pick at her fingernails.
They heard a wailing sound in the distance. It became shriller as it got closer. Ruby leaned forward and peered into the truck’s side mirrors. Police lights flashed blue and red behind them.
Grampy checked the dashboard. ‘I wasn’t speeding,’ he said, sounding puzzled.
He turned onto the small field at the edge of town and parked the truck. An officer stepped out of the police car and approached the driver’s-side window. ‘Gallius Trickett?’
Grampy nodded.
‘Step out of the vehicle, please.’
Ruby, Kit and Lexie all crushed up against the window to watch as Grampy got out and talked to the police officer for a while. What had Grampy done?
Suddenly Grampy looked up and across to the other side of the field. His eyes shone with something bright. Something hopeful. Ruby followed his gaze.