prevented them from doing anything useful.
Shelby rubbed her sweaty hands on the thighs of her joddies. Every other time she'd found herself in a situation like this she'd done the wrong thing and got herself in more trouble. This time she wanted to get it right.
'What is the opposite of what I would normally do?' she asked Blue.
He chewed on his bit as though he was thinking about it.
'Yes, that's what I thought.' Shelby stepped into the stirrup and threw her leg over him again and they set off down the trail. She leaned over Blue's neck, feeling the wind in her face and the whistle in her ears. At the next intersection she turned left, spraying stones as they took the corner and galloped up the hill
– straight home to her parents. In the back yard she slipped off the bridle and loosened the girth. Blue settled in to munching the lawn. Shelby's dad didn't like having Blue in the garden because he chewed the plants and trampled the vegies, but this was an emergency.
She heard the back door slide open.
'Shel!' her mother said, surprised. 'What are you doing here?'
'Mum, I need your advice.'
Inside, Shelby pulled out one of the dining chairs. She explained about Diablo, the circus and about Chad being her um friend.
'So do you think I should find out what happened first? Do you think I should ask them to give Diablo back? Then I could take him straight to the stables, and everything will be solved! But where am I going to say I found him? I don't want to have to lie. I suck at lying, anyway.'
'I'm pleased to hear it,' her mother remarked.
'I could tell those circus people to put Diablo in Mrs Edel's back paddock at night, and then maybe Mrs Edel might think that we just didn't see him before. She's not going to believe that, is she? But she might not care once he's back. What should I do?'
Shelby's mum patted her arm. 'You need to tell Brenda Edel straightaway.'
'What if I dob on those circus people and Mrs Edel goes nuts? There will be a big fight and it will be my fault.'
'Honey, Mrs Edel is a grown-up. She's not going to do anything like that. And besides, it's not our business what happens afterwards. If your circus people didn't steal Diablo then I'm sure they will be able to explain what happened, and if they did steal him . . .' She shrugged. 'They will get their just desserts.'
Shelby looked her mother in the eye. 'Do you really think that's how it works though, Mum? Do you think the bad people get in trouble and the good people get rewarded? It's just that I don't think that actually happens in real life. You see all those people on the news who die, or have horrible injuries, and they're not bad. And . . .' She paused. 'Maybe I am simplifying it, but I think we're pretty good in this family, but there are kids at school who are mean and they have things much easier than we do.'
Shelby's mother thought about it for a moment. 'Probably those kids will be slimy slugs in the next life.'
'Do you think that's how it works? Really? Because I'm beginning to wonder.'
Her mother laughed and shook her head. 'I don't know, honey. You really are becoming a teenager, aren't you?'
'What's my age got to do with anything?'
'That's what being a teen is all about – questioning the assumptions and simplicity that governed your youth, discovering complexity and contradictions, and then being depressed by it.'
Shelby curled her lip, wondering if talking to her mother had been the right choice after all. 'I just want to know what's the right thing to do.'
Her mother laughed again. 'Go and ring Brenda Edel and I'll make us a snack. She'll be very pleased to hear from you, no doubt.'
Shelby sighed, remembering when her mother used to know the answers to all her questions. She punched the familiar number into the cordless phone with her thumb and bit her lip while she waited.
'Mrs Edel? It's Shelby. I found Diablo. He's in the Gully on the other side. Do you know where that big water tower is? Just near
Shelby rubbed her sweaty hands on the thighs of her joddies. Every other time she'd found herself in a situation like this she'd done the wrong thing and got herself in more trouble. This time she wanted to get it right.
'What is the opposite of what I would normally do?' she asked Blue.
He chewed on his bit as though he was thinking about it.
'Yes, that's what I thought.' Shelby stepped into the stirrup and threw her leg over him again and they set off down the trail. She leaned over Blue's neck, feeling the wind in her face and the whistle in her ears. At the next intersection she turned left, spraying stones as they took the corner and galloped up the hill
– straight home to her parents. In the back yard she slipped off the bridle and loosened the girth. Blue settled in to munching the lawn. Shelby's dad didn't like having Blue in the garden because he chewed the plants and trampled the vegies, but this was an emergency.
She heard the back door slide open.
'Shel!' her mother said, surprised. 'What are you doing here?'
'Mum, I need your advice.'
Inside, Shelby pulled out one of the dining chairs. She explained about Diablo, the circus and about Chad being her um friend.
'So do you think I should find out what happened first? Do you think I should ask them to give Diablo back? Then I could take him straight to the stables, and everything will be solved! But where am I going to say I found him? I don't want to have to lie. I suck at lying, anyway.'
'I'm pleased to hear it,' her mother remarked.
'I could tell those circus people to put Diablo in Mrs Edel's back paddock at night, and then maybe Mrs Edel might think that we just didn't see him before. She's not going to believe that, is she? But she might not care once he's back. What should I do?'
Shelby's mum patted her arm. 'You need to tell Brenda Edel straightaway.'
'What if I dob on those circus people and Mrs Edel goes nuts? There will be a big fight and it will be my fault.'
'Honey, Mrs Edel is a grown-up. She's not going to do anything like that. And besides, it's not our business what happens afterwards. If your circus people didn't steal Diablo then I'm sure they will be able to explain what happened, and if they did steal him . . .' She shrugged. 'They will get their just desserts.'
Shelby looked her mother in the eye. 'Do you really think that's how it works though, Mum? Do you think the bad people get in trouble and the good people get rewarded? It's just that I don't think that actually happens in real life. You see all those people on the news who die, or have horrible injuries, and they're not bad. And . . .' She paused. 'Maybe I am simplifying it, but I think we're pretty good in this family, but there are kids at school who are mean and they have things much easier than we do.'
Shelby's mother thought about it for a moment. 'Probably those kids will be slimy slugs in the next life.'
'Do you think that's how it works? Really? Because I'm beginning to wonder.'
Her mother laughed and shook her head. 'I don't know, honey. You really are becoming a teenager, aren't you?'
'What's my age got to do with anything?'
'That's what being a teen is all about – questioning the assumptions and simplicity that governed your youth, discovering complexity and contradictions, and then being depressed by it.'
Shelby curled her lip, wondering if talking to her mother had been the right choice after all. 'I just want to know what's the right thing to do.'
Her mother laughed again. 'Go and ring Brenda Edel and I'll make us a snack. She'll be very pleased to hear from you, no doubt.'
Shelby sighed, remembering when her mother used to know the answers to all her questions. She punched the familiar number into the cordless phone with her thumb and bit her lip while she waited.
'Mrs Edel? It's Shelby. I found Diablo. He's in the Gully on the other side. Do you know where that big water tower is? Just near
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