seeing it. All she’d seen when she looked at Phantom in the last couple of months was trouble and bad manners, just as all Fable’s owners had done with her. She’d lost sight of the little foal he’d once been. She suddenly realised that she’d learned more about Fable, a horse she’d never meet, in one morning than she had about Phantom after three months. Her eyes widened for a second as a thought struck her. What if Phantom was more like Fable than she realised: what if he was apprehensive and fearful underneath his scary behaviour too, rather than mean and unfriendly?
Suddenly Phantom started, and Charlie looked up to see Rosie, bringing her a steaming mug ofhot chocolate. At once Phantom was transformed back into his grouchy self, and as Charlie stretched her cramped legs, she realised how bored and lonely Phantom must be, standing on his own in his stable for most of the time – especially as she hardly spent any time with him either. She let herself out and walked back to the tack room with Rosie.
“I’m going to take Phantom to pick at some grass,” she said. “Is that okay?”
“I’d better come with you, just in case you need a hand,” Mia suggested, placing her gleaming bridle on its hook, feeling a bit restless after spending so long hidden in the tack room.
“Ooh, me too!” Alice quickly volunteered. After cleaning her bridle to Mia’s high standards, her fingers were aching, and if she heard the same Christmas songs on the radio one more time she might go crazy. She stood up and passed the lunge line to Charlie. “I can open gates, that sort of thing.”
Rosie looked down at the mass of leather pieces still in a pile on the rug box, waiting to be put back together. She started to wish she’d spent less time playing with Beanie and more time concentrating on her bridle. “I guess that means I’m the one stuck here keeping an eye on the yard, then.”
“You’ve got Beanie and Pumpkin to keep you company,” Alice smiled.
As the other three disappeared out of the tack room, Beanie scrabbled at Rosie’s knee, asking her to throw his squeaky toy again.
Charlie felt her heart quicken and her fingers shake as she clipped the lunge line to Phantom’s headcollar and led him out of his stable. Alice ran and opened the gate. Charlie remembered what Neve had said about not holding him too tight. She held the lunge line loosely, so that he didn’t have anything to fight against as he was led to the paddock. As she turned in through the open gate of the schooling field she glanced overand noticed Pirate grazing with the other ponies in the corner. Suddenly a robin flitted out of the bush beside her and spooked Phantom, who danced at the end of the line. Charlie knew that, for now, the black horse needed her full concentration.
Alice and Mia climbed onto the post-and-rail fencing, huddling up together to keep warm. Mia wrapped her big, fluffy pink scarf around both of them, and Alice tucked her gloved hands into her pockets. They watched as Charlie let the lunge line out. At first Phantom stood, with his head up, then slowly he began to dip and nibble icy grass, raising his head and staring into the distance between bites, and starting at sounds only he could hear. But as Phantom started to relax, so too, Mia and Alice noticed as they glanced at each other with a smile, did Charlie.
They were starting to feel the numb chill of the afternoon through their thick layers, and their noses, fingers and toes were beginning to freeze.Then they heard Beanie barking excitedly on the yard.
Phantom started at the sound and Charlie looked anxiously at him. She took a step nearer and reached out to pat him, but he lifted his head and shied sideways. She sighed, but reminded herself that Caitlin had only ever taken tiny steps forward and that she shouldn’t race ahead and then get frustrated.
Charlie walked over to Mia and Alice, leading Phantom, who was warily keeping his distance. “I’m going to
Suddenly Phantom started, and Charlie looked up to see Rosie, bringing her a steaming mug ofhot chocolate. At once Phantom was transformed back into his grouchy self, and as Charlie stretched her cramped legs, she realised how bored and lonely Phantom must be, standing on his own in his stable for most of the time – especially as she hardly spent any time with him either. She let herself out and walked back to the tack room with Rosie.
“I’m going to take Phantom to pick at some grass,” she said. “Is that okay?”
“I’d better come with you, just in case you need a hand,” Mia suggested, placing her gleaming bridle on its hook, feeling a bit restless after spending so long hidden in the tack room.
“Ooh, me too!” Alice quickly volunteered. After cleaning her bridle to Mia’s high standards, her fingers were aching, and if she heard the same Christmas songs on the radio one more time she might go crazy. She stood up and passed the lunge line to Charlie. “I can open gates, that sort of thing.”
Rosie looked down at the mass of leather pieces still in a pile on the rug box, waiting to be put back together. She started to wish she’d spent less time playing with Beanie and more time concentrating on her bridle. “I guess that means I’m the one stuck here keeping an eye on the yard, then.”
“You’ve got Beanie and Pumpkin to keep you company,” Alice smiled.
As the other three disappeared out of the tack room, Beanie scrabbled at Rosie’s knee, asking her to throw his squeaky toy again.
Charlie felt her heart quicken and her fingers shake as she clipped the lunge line to Phantom’s headcollar and led him out of his stable. Alice ran and opened the gate. Charlie remembered what Neve had said about not holding him too tight. She held the lunge line loosely, so that he didn’t have anything to fight against as he was led to the paddock. As she turned in through the open gate of the schooling field she glanced overand noticed Pirate grazing with the other ponies in the corner. Suddenly a robin flitted out of the bush beside her and spooked Phantom, who danced at the end of the line. Charlie knew that, for now, the black horse needed her full concentration.
Alice and Mia climbed onto the post-and-rail fencing, huddling up together to keep warm. Mia wrapped her big, fluffy pink scarf around both of them, and Alice tucked her gloved hands into her pockets. They watched as Charlie let the lunge line out. At first Phantom stood, with his head up, then slowly he began to dip and nibble icy grass, raising his head and staring into the distance between bites, and starting at sounds only he could hear. But as Phantom started to relax, so too, Mia and Alice noticed as they glanced at each other with a smile, did Charlie.
They were starting to feel the numb chill of the afternoon through their thick layers, and their noses, fingers and toes were beginning to freeze.Then they heard Beanie barking excitedly on the yard.
Phantom started at the sound and Charlie looked anxiously at him. She took a step nearer and reached out to pat him, but he lifted his head and shied sideways. She sighed, but reminded herself that Caitlin had only ever taken tiny steps forward and that she shouldn’t race ahead and then get frustrated.
Charlie walked over to Mia and Alice, leading Phantom, who was warily keeping his distance. “I’m going to
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