For Sale or Swap - Alyssa Brugman [27]
A DJ chattered away on the old fogey radio station that her mother liked to listen to.
It certainly is a wet one this afternoon, so be careful on those roads, if you're out there. We'll have our regular traffic update after this song.
First they drove back towards the paddock. Her mother took the car along the dirt road at the back of the houses to where it joined the trail. They peered through the windscreen down the track but couldn't see anything. The gully covered hundreds of acres of bushland. They may as well try to empty the ocean with a teacup.
Her mother turned the car around. 'Where else does the trail join a road?'
Shelby thought about it. 'Up near the Pony Club. There are two gates at the back of the stables, and a few more on the other side of the gully.'
If Brat had made it out of the gully at all, Shelby thought that was where she would be. The neighbourhood on the other side of the gully, where Erin and Hayley lived, was mostly big houses on small acreages. There were lots of horses in paddocks, and horse people too. If someone had seen Brat, they would have taken her in. Shelby hoped that if her mother drove around there, they would spot Brat wandering around in someone's paddock.
At the end of the road Shelby's mother flicked on the blinker and turned right. The car moved freely along the quiet suburban streets, but soon they came to the turn-off to Gully Way. Shelby could see traffic banked up on the crossroad.
Now it's time for the traffic, said the DJ. There's debris on the road at High Street and Station Street. There's been an accident on Watson Road. The accident on North Parade has now been cleared, but it's still pretty heavy around there, so try to avoid it. Talking about avoiding things, we've had reports that the horse is still loose, causing extensive delays on and around Gully Way, so steer clear of the area if you can.
Shelby and her mother gaped at each other.
Her mother looked ahead at the traffic, hitting the steering wheel in frustration. Shelby unclipped her seatbelt and opened the car door. She glanced at her mother.
'Go, go, go!' her mother urged.
All her muscles protested, but Shelby ignored them, pumping her arms in an effort to go that little bit faster. People peered at her curiously from inside their cars as she raced past them.
She reached the intersection, looked left and right, and crossed the road, skipping between the stopped cars. Ahead she could see the blue and red rotating lights of police cars lined up on either side of the road. Cars were bumper-to-bumper as far back as she could see. Horns were blaring as drivers lost their temper. Further back near the Pony Club exit she could see a few four-wheel drives with floats stopped in the traffic.
Shelby's heart sank. Pony Club was finished for the day and everybody would see her. They would all know that it was her horse. Shelby ran along the footpath against the flow of traffic. Now she could see people on the road – three police officers and about five others. They formed a ring around a big truck – all with their hands outstretched.
She's been hit.
All the images stored in her mind of meaty road kill flashed before her eyes in quick succession. Her stomach flopped over, and she stopped running, afraid that she might be sick.
Suddenly she saw Brat dart out from behind a truck. The reins were broken now and hung down from either side of her mouth. She held her injured foot up high underneath her, and hopped along the road on three legs.
She was alive. She was moving. The rush of relief was almost as powerful as the fear. Shelby's stomach pitched again, and she put her hand over her mouth.
The group of people slowly closed in on Brat. One of them was wearing tight yellow trousers – Mrs Hockings.
Fantastic. Before she just thought I was a bad rider. Now she thinks I'm a bad owner as well.
Another figure, smaller and slighter – Hayley Crook. A man seemed to be shouting orders. Shelby narrowed her eyes, trying to make out his features. It was Calvin Protheroe.
This was the