Hide & Seek - Alyssa Brugman [50]
'I don't think we should tell. I tried telling a grown-up before, and it ended up being a bigger mess. Let's just get our horses and ride up to Keisha's and bring him back. I'll lead Diablo and you can pony Blue off Bandit.'
The two girls ran towards the paddocks.
Erin stopped. 'Oh no! We can't!'
'What? Why?'
'Bandit kicks!'
'Then pony Bandit off Blue! It doesn't matter.' Shelby grabbed her friend's sleeve, dragging her along the path.
'You know what would have been a better idea?' Erin said, puffing. 'We should have put a halter on Diablo, and tossed the lead over his neck for the escaping part, and then when you were being Kim you could have put him in the paddock, but kept hold of him. Or, you know what else? Maybe we should have ...'
Shelby interrupted. 'Thanks Erin, that's a great help now, isn't it? You nong! Just hurry up, will you? We have to catch him before anyone asks questions!' She slowed. 'You've stopped recording, haven't you?'
'Yes,' Erin said, grinning and pressing a button. The camera whirred as the lens retracted into the casing.
'Go and get Bandit,' Shelby instructed. 'And grab one of your halters. Diablo's head is too big for Blue's.'
Erin ran towards Bandit's paddock while Shelby dashed in the other direction to collect Blue. She saw Mrs Edel standing in the middle of the path talking to Miss Anita. Shelby changed her running to skipping. She plastered a smile on her face.
'Hi there,' she skipped past, waving.
'Shelby,' Mrs Edel said. Miss Anita nodded.
As soon as she was out of view Shelby tucked her chin to her chest and sprinted. With each footfall she imagined another thing going wrong. Diablo wouldn't go to Keisha's place. He would take a left turn and head up past the Pony Club grounds, out onto Gully Way. Lots of trucks drove along that stretch of road – fast. She could hear the screech of tyres in her head, and see Diablo's eyes widen, as though it was a movie in her mind.
Or his rugs would catch on a low branch and tear. The torn material would wrap around his legs. He would fall awkwardly and his leg would snap like a twig. He would lie in the middle of the trail, writhing, screaming and alone.
Luckily Blue was standing near the gate. Shelby grabbed his bridle and slipped it over his ears. Her hands were shaking and she had trouble fastening the chinstrap. She could feel the sweat on her forehead. Her chest was tight, and she wheezed, the way she imagined asthma would feel.
The disastrous possibilities continued to roll through her imagination in vivid movie clips. Diablo would make it to Keisha's place. He would attempt to jump the fence as he had before. He would misjudge the height and he would land with all his weight on a post – staked through the thigh. He would struggle to free himself. Strips of flesh would tear away from the bone and hot blood would jet out from the wound.
The sweat dripped down and stung her eyes. Finally the buckle slid into place.
'He'll be fine!' she mumbled. 'They're always fine.' But a little voice at the back of her mind said, You've got away with doing dumb, irresponsible things a hundred times before. This time will be the big one!
Once through the gate Shelby stood on an upturned feed pail and hopped onto Blue's back. She gathered the reins and set off down the laneway. As she passed the horses in their yards she could imagine more and more hideous ways for Diablo to suffer.
'It's all my fault,' she muttered to herself.
Soon she was at Bandit's stable. Bandit had a halter on loosely over his bridle, with the lead rope looped over his neck and tied in a knot.
Erin was struggling with the girth. Bandit was bloating and every time she tried to cinch the leather strap through the buckle it would slip through her fingers. Her face was red and her chest heaved. Shelby could tell she was about to cry.
'Forget about the saddle!' Shelby said.
'I can't ride him bareback, Shel,' she wailed. 'He's too clean. I'll slide right off him. He's big – you can't wrap your legs around like you can with Blue.'
'Will you