so,”
said Jo. “What kind?”
“Biodynamic,”
said Farmer John.
Jo raised her
eyebrows. “Figures,” she said. “I can tell a mile away.”
They helped Jo
saddle the horses and lead them outside. She boosted the kids onto their
ponies, then tightened the girths and adjusted the stirrups. Jo let them use
English saddles because that’s what they were used to. Off they went across the
road and down a trail towards the beach. The trail was narrow and lined with
trees and wound through a forest hung with old man’s beard. The sound of the
surf got louder and louder until at last they came out at the wide, sweeping
bay. On the horizon stood the lighthouse, and further north were the high
cliffs where the mountains ran into the sea. The beach was backed by sand dunes
and sea meadows that ran into the forest on the mountain sides. They rode down
to the beach and walked north for a while beside the crashing waves.
“Let’s see if
y’all can trot,” said Jo to Tom and June, and she set her horse at a trot.
Tom and June
easily kept their ponies abreast of her.
“How about a
canter,” said Jo and she clicked her tongue and went faster.
Tom and June
kicked their heels and their ponies kept up.
“Ready for a
gallop?” asked Jo, slapping the reins against her horse’s neck and taking off
like the wind. Tom and June were ready for her. They had been riding since they
were tiny and they stood up the stirrups and told their ponies to giddyup. Away
along the strand they raced, their hair blowing in the wind and the hooves
beneath them sending the wet sand flying.
Far behind,
Farmer John plodded along on his old grey mare.
Chapter 30
Tiptoes
meets a Kite
Tiptoes
Lightly left Tom and June at the stables and followed a trail down to the sea.
She met an owl sleeping in a tree, but couldn’t wake him up. She saw a worm
crawling across the trail and told him to get under cover or for sure he’d be
eaten. She saw a mountain ash covered in red berries being mobbed by a flock of
robins. She found a deer stepping lightly through the trees and flicking his
ears.
Tiptoes left
the forest and went out onto the sea meadow. It sloped towards the sea and
turned into sand dunes as it met the shore. Overhead, a kite was flying, its
wings quickly beating the air whenever it hovered in one place. Tiptoes flew up
and hovered next to it, but it moved away across the meadow and hovered again.
Tiptoes followed.
“What are you
doing?” asked Tiptoes.
“Hunting,”
said the kite, his sharp eyes glinting.
“What for?”
asked Tiptoes.
“Mice,” said
the kite.
Just then
Tiptoes spotted a mouse running across the meadow below.
“I have a
mouse friend,” said Tiptoes, flying in front of the kite. “His name’s Jeremy
Mouse.”
“Jeremy
Mouse,” said the kite. “That sounds like a delicious name. Where is he?”
“At home,”
said Tiptoes, “far away at home.”
The kite
shifted downwind and Tiptoes followed. She saw that the mouse had stopped
running and was sitting outside its burrow. Suddenly the kite dived, but the
mouse whirled around and disappeared into his house. The kite screeched and flew
further along the meadow and Tiptoes followed again.
“Why are you
following me?” asked the kite.
“Just
chatting,” said Tiptoes.
“Go away,”
said the kite fiercely. “I’m hungry. I’m never in a good mood when I’m hungry,”
and he let out another screech and wheeled away in the wind.
Chapter 31
Sister
Vive casts the Seeds from the fourth Fruit of the Tree of Life
The light was
dimming and the mist moving in when Farmer John and his children returned from
the riding stables. Jo had taken them for a longer ride than normal because no
one else was booked that day and the pinto ponies hadn’t been out in a while.
Then they helped her curry and comb the horses afterwards. When they got back
to the cottage they were starving.
“I’m
starving,” said June Berry.
“I’m starving,”
said
said Jo. “What kind?”
“Biodynamic,”
said Farmer John.
Jo raised her
eyebrows. “Figures,” she said. “I can tell a mile away.”
They helped Jo
saddle the horses and lead them outside. She boosted the kids onto their
ponies, then tightened the girths and adjusted the stirrups. Jo let them use
English saddles because that’s what they were used to. Off they went across the
road and down a trail towards the beach. The trail was narrow and lined with
trees and wound through a forest hung with old man’s beard. The sound of the
surf got louder and louder until at last they came out at the wide, sweeping
bay. On the horizon stood the lighthouse, and further north were the high
cliffs where the mountains ran into the sea. The beach was backed by sand dunes
and sea meadows that ran into the forest on the mountain sides. They rode down
to the beach and walked north for a while beside the crashing waves.
“Let’s see if
y’all can trot,” said Jo to Tom and June, and she set her horse at a trot.
Tom and June
easily kept their ponies abreast of her.
“How about a
canter,” said Jo and she clicked her tongue and went faster.
Tom and June
kicked their heels and their ponies kept up.
“Ready for a
gallop?” asked Jo, slapping the reins against her horse’s neck and taking off
like the wind. Tom and June were ready for her. They had been riding since they
were tiny and they stood up the stirrups and told their ponies to giddyup. Away
along the strand they raced, their hair blowing in the wind and the hooves
beneath them sending the wet sand flying.
Far behind,
Farmer John plodded along on his old grey mare.
Chapter 30
Tiptoes
meets a Kite
Tiptoes
Lightly left Tom and June at the stables and followed a trail down to the sea.
She met an owl sleeping in a tree, but couldn’t wake him up. She saw a worm
crawling across the trail and told him to get under cover or for sure he’d be
eaten. She saw a mountain ash covered in red berries being mobbed by a flock of
robins. She found a deer stepping lightly through the trees and flicking his
ears.
Tiptoes left
the forest and went out onto the sea meadow. It sloped towards the sea and
turned into sand dunes as it met the shore. Overhead, a kite was flying, its
wings quickly beating the air whenever it hovered in one place. Tiptoes flew up
and hovered next to it, but it moved away across the meadow and hovered again.
Tiptoes followed.
“What are you
doing?” asked Tiptoes.
“Hunting,”
said the kite, his sharp eyes glinting.
“What for?”
asked Tiptoes.
“Mice,” said
the kite.
Just then
Tiptoes spotted a mouse running across the meadow below.
“I have a
mouse friend,” said Tiptoes, flying in front of the kite. “His name’s Jeremy
Mouse.”
“Jeremy
Mouse,” said the kite. “That sounds like a delicious name. Where is he?”
“At home,”
said Tiptoes, “far away at home.”
The kite
shifted downwind and Tiptoes followed. She saw that the mouse had stopped
running and was sitting outside its burrow. Suddenly the kite dived, but the
mouse whirled around and disappeared into his house. The kite screeched and flew
further along the meadow and Tiptoes followed again.
“Why are you
following me?” asked the kite.
“Just
chatting,” said Tiptoes.
“Go away,”
said the kite fiercely. “I’m hungry. I’m never in a good mood when I’m hungry,”
and he let out another screech and wheeled away in the wind.
Chapter 31
Sister
Vive casts the Seeds from the fourth Fruit of the Tree of Life
The light was
dimming and the mist moving in when Farmer John and his children returned from
the riding stables. Jo had taken them for a longer ride than normal because no
one else was booked that day and the pinto ponies hadn’t been out in a while.
Then they helped her curry and comb the horses afterwards. When they got back
to the cottage they were starving.
“I’m
starving,” said June Berry.
“I’m starving,”
said
Similar Books
